Infura Inc., the provider of tools and application programming interfaces for connecting decentralized apps to Ethereum, said today it’s planning to launch a decentralized protocol to complement its existing product in order to provide better services for the peer-to-peer transactions of Web3 ecosystems.

Infura was launched in 2016 with the goal of providing developers an access point for Web3, otherwise known as the decentralized web. It allows for peer-to-peer transactions using blockchain technology without the need for centralized servers, by using Ethereum for computing and the InterPlanetary File System, a decentralized storage network.

Since that time, the company has grown to support more than 430,000 developers who have built blockchain-based games, decentralized finance applications, nonfungible token marketplaces, social media applications and more using its tools. It’s the core infrastructure behind popular apps such as the massively popular MetaMask cryptocurrency wallet and the Ethereum Name Service.

At issue is that Infura was launched as a centralized infrastructure service, and Web3 operates using peer-to-peer blockchain technology.

“Infura was founded on the belief that the Web3 developer community can create a world where economic freedom, shared truth, and digital security are guaranteed to everyone on the planet,” said Infura co-founder Eleazar Galano. “Today we’re announcing an important evolution that aims to underscore these values and affirm our commitment to being the world’s leading blockchain development suite for Ethereum and other networks. A decentralized infrastructure protocol was always an inevitable part of our future.”

With this new decentralized protocol, developers will be able to take advantage of a development tool that can meet their expectations and provide them access to Ethereum and Web3 services without the worry of downtime from having a single point of failure.

The company believes that though this follows Infura’s vision of providing better access to more Web3 ecosystems, it’s a vital step in moving forward its overall mission of giving developers superior tools to build their decentralized apps, improving network uptime and allowing users to maintain access to their data.

Although Infura is adding this new decentralized protocol to its services, it’s not terminating its existing centralized service, which relies on Infura’s parent company ConsenSys Software Inc. as a single provider and Amazon Web Services Inc. cloud-hosted services.

Infura said the new decentralized service will launch in the first half of 2023 and will be implemented over time in incremental stages. The gradual development of the decentralized infrastructure will help ensure a robust community of operators that can handle a high throughput of requests at scale.

An early-access program for test operators on the new network is now available for qualified infrastructure providers.

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