Polygon is a rapidly growing scaling solution for Ethereum that allows the network to process more transactions at lower fees. Many Ethereum-based DApps leverage Polygon to let their users move funds more efficiently while same as securely as in Ethereum.
Building a Polygon-based decentralized application may be a good idea to benefit from the growing popularity of the network. Connecting to Polygon nodes would boost your opportunities, and NOWNodes allows you to save money and time for node setup and maintenance.
What is the Polygon (MATIC) network?
Polygon is a layer-2 scaling solution for Ethereum that allows it to process more transactions through connected sidechains. The problem with Ethereum is that its popularity makes its gas fees skyrocket to $70 and even $100 for one transfer. Polygon builds Ethereum sidechains that process transactions, bundle them together, check their validity, and then write them down into the Ethereum blockchain. Thus the Ethereum mainnet can process many more transactions.
To use Polygon, Ethereum users lock their ERC-20 tokens in Polygon smart contracts. Then Polygon verifies that the tokens are in the contract and mints the corresponding amount of coins in the Polygon network. The user can now use these tokens in any Polygon-based decentralized application. If they decide to return from Polygon, they burn their tokens there and release the corresponding ones in the Ethereum smart contract. All these operations are run by Polygon block producers who receive rewards in MATIC tokens.
What’s the difference between Polygon (MATIC) and Ethereum (ETH)?
Ethereum blockchain is a large network that often gets congested and requires huge fees. Polygon is composed of Ethereum-compatible sidechains that allow Ethereum to scale, i.e. to process more transactions in a given time at lower fees.
Polygon helps Ethereum-based DApps a lot. When ETH gas fees are high, users with small or medium capitals find it inefficient to use apps like Aave or SushiSwap: gas eats all the potential profits. To solve this problem, these DApps have built out onto Polygon using Polygon SDK that facilitates deploying in the network.
Why would you need a Polygon node?
If you want to benefit from the Polygon’s growing popularity and run a DApp in the network, you’d need a stable connection to Polygon nodes. This will allow you to deploy smart contracts, send and receive transactions, and test your app functionality. However, running a node and maintaining it in a good state is quite complicated. NOWNodes is here to help.
Connecting to the Polygon (MATIC) network with NOWNodes
NOWNodes allows you to connect to Polygon nodes via API. We run a node and do its full maintenance, and you can access it with a free API key. NOWNodes guarantees robust connection: our API response time is less than 1 second, and the uptime rate is 99.95%. Also, you can leverage any of the 40+ nodes other than Polygon with the same free API key. For more details, see our Service Quality Standard.
If your platform needs even higher speed and advanced scalability options, we offer you a Dedicated node — a private Polygon node that no one but you can access, which means it can process even a limitless number of your requests.
How to get access to the Polygon (MATIC) Network via API
NOWNodes allows you to connect to a Polygon node in a few clicks and start using your connection right away. Here are the steps to take:
- Get your free API key. Leave your email on our main page and find the key in your inbox in seconds. If you have a question or need help, feel free to contact us.
- See our Docs and find the library of request samples for Polygon.
- Paste your API key in the request and run it!
Now, you’re good to go! 20,000 requests daily are available to you for free. Whenever you need more, see our Pricing section to choose a plan or reach out to us so we could offer you the best option.
Bottom line
Polygon is transforming Ethereum into a true multi-chain network where sidechains scale the mainnet and profit from its security and openness. Thanks to its efficient scalability solution, Polygon strives to drive mass adoption of cryptocurrencies. If you want to benefit from the growing popularity of the network, set up a node with our help. We will take full responsibility for your stable connection with Polygon nodes and MATIC block explorer so you can enjoy building a robust project that your users will love. Get your free API key now.
