In a surprising turn of event,s popular blockchain service Chain.con announced they will no longer offer their free API to developers all over the world. Even though this change had been hinted at in the past, an official email has been sent out to all users informing them the service has come to a halt.
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No More Free Chain.com API
When it comes to maintaining a free Bitcoin and blockchain API for people all over the world, there are multiple factors to take into consideration. First and foremost, simply because Chain offered this service for free, doesn’t mean it doesn’t cost the money company to maintain and update their API.
Secondly, the success of any free service will stand or fall based on how often it is being used. If the demand for a free API service starts to dwindle, it becomes that much harder to justify the costs associated with offering said tool.However, funding has never been much of an issue for Chain.com in the past.
Just a few months ago, the company raised another US$30m in funding. Brands such as Visa and Nasdaq invested in this blockchain platform, which seems to indicate the company is not running out of money by any means. However, Chain.com has always profiled itself as being an enterprise blockchain platform, and it looks like they will be focusing all of their attention on that segment.
Bring blockchain technology to the masses is not an easy task, and by having developers use a free API, only so much can be achieved. However, now that major financial players invested in the blockchain company, it looks like the time has come to explore a broader horizon, and venture into the world of enterprise.
When people try to log in with their free account, they will automatically be rejected from the platform, as all of those accounts have been disabled. Only official partners of Chain.com will be able to use the service from now on, as the company will partner wth leading organizations to build blockchain networks that transform markets.
Other Free API Options For Bitcoin Developers
Luckily for all Bitcoin and blockchain developers out there, Chain.com was not the only company offering a free API. There are other companies offering a very similar service, such as BlockCypher and Blockr. Finding a new API that will suit your individual needs as a coder might be a bit of a challenge, but a quick google search will return some interesting results.
At the same time, the decision made by Chain.com could be a sign of things to come. Blockchain is the buzzword in the enterprise circles, and any company willing to venture into that space might need to relinquish their free services in the future. We can only hope to see free API access remaining available to developers all over the world for many, many years to come.
Source: Reddit
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