Infrastructure

After choosing your network, select infrastructure to connect your application to Cardano.

Choosing infrastructure

Approach	Setup	Maintenance	Control	Use Case
API Providers	Minutes	None	Limited	Quick integration, prototyping, most applications
Demeter	Minutes	Managed	Flexible	Full service suite, managed infrastructure
Own Node	Hours/Days	Self-managed	Complete	Production at scale, stake pools, maximum control

API Providers

Connect through REST or WebSocket APIs without managing infrastructure. Providers run nodes and indexers, exposing developer-friendly endpoints.

Use API providers to:

• Integrate quickly with simple REST APIs
• Query blockchain data and submit transactions
• Build with existing SDKs (most support Blockfrost, Koios)
• Avoid infrastructure setup and maintenance

Trade-offs: Third-party dependency, rate limits, usage-based pricing

Learn more: API Providers overview - Blockfrost, Koios, Ogmios

Demeter

Cloud platform providing managed Cardano services - nodes, indexers (DB-Sync, Kupo), and RPC services (Ogmios, Submit API).

Use Demeter to:

• Access full service suite without setup
• Select only services you need
• Scale services on demand
• Focus on building, not DevOps

Trade-offs: Platform dependency, pay-as-you-go pricing

Learn more: Demeter platform

Running Cardano Node

Run and maintain your own cardano-node infrastructure with direct blockchain access.

Use your own node to:

• Eliminate external dependencies
• Access blockchain data directly
• Run stake pool operations
• Control all infrastructure aspects

Trade-offs: Server costs, DevOps resources, maintenance overhead

Learn more: Cardano node setup and cardano-cli

Next steps

• Start quickly: Choose an API provider for immediate integration
• Managed services: Explore Demeter for full service platform
• Self-host: Install cardano-node for complete control

Many teams combine approaches - API providers for development, own nodes for production, or Demeter for managed infrastructure throughout.