Overview
NOWNodes is a hosted node service that lets developers read Cardano data and send transactions without running a Cardano node of their own. A node is the software that keeps a full copy of the blockchain, and running one takes storage space, constant syncing and ongoing upkeep1. NOWNodes runs the nodes and gives each customer an API key, a private access code their app uses to connect1.
NOWNodes describes itself as a blockchain-as-a-service business brought to you by ChangeNOW, and its About page gives Tech Castle OÜ, a limited liability company in Tallinn, as the company name2. Cardano is one of many blockchains it serves from a single account, and its Cardano page offers mainnet access on shared and dedicated nodes1. The page names wallets, DeFi platforms, NFT apps and block explorers as the kinds of products teams build on it1.
Key Features
- Four ways to talk to Cardano. The Cardano docs list a Blockfrost-style web API, an Ogmios live connection, a GraphQL endpoint and Rosetta, so teams can pick the interface their integration needs3. GraphQL lets an app ask for exactly the data it needs4, and Rosetta, now called Mesh, is a standard way to integrate with blockchains5.
- Familiar Blockfrost-style requests. Requests follow the same paths as the Blockfrost API for addresses, tokens, stake pools, epochs and governance votes, sent to a NOWNodes web address instead6.
- Live chain updates and transaction checks. The Ogmios connection keeps a line open to the node, so an app can follow new blocks, check what a transaction's smart contract steps will cost before sending, submit it, and look up governance proposals and DReps (voting delegates)7.
- Full chain history when needed. Archive mode extends the Cardano interfaces to older chain states and data that a standard node no longer keeps3.
- Shared or private nodes. Shared plans spread requests across load-balanced node clusters that switch over automatically if a node goes offline, while dedicated nodes are reserved for a single customer1,8.
What to Expect
Developers start by signing up, opening the dashboard, choosing the Cardano network and clicking the button to add a new key1. That one key then works across the Blockfrost-style, Ogmios, GraphQL and Rosetta endpoints1,9. Each method page in the docs shows the request, a sample response and ready-to-copy code in languages such as Python, JavaScript and Ruby6.
Plans run month to month, with a discount for paying a year at once10. The free START plan gives one month of shared node access with a set number of requests, and paid shared plans priced in euros add more requests and more API keys1,10. Paid plans have no preset cap on requests per second1. Larger teams can combine shared plans with dedicated nodes and a dedicated account manager10.
Support runs around the clock, and a public status page lists open incidents and planned maintenance across the networks NOWNodes serves1,11. The same account and API key also connect to many other blockchains12.
