The API that connects apps to Ethereum. When you use MetaMask, OpenSea, or most other Ethereum dApps, you're probably going through Infura without knowing it. Infura provides the infrastructure that lets applications read and write to the Ethereum blockchain without running their own nodes. Over 400,000 developers use it. It handles billions of requests daily. Infura is the invisible plumbing that makes Ethereum actually usable — and also Ethereum's biggest centralization risk, which is ironic for a decentralized network.
Founded
2016
HQ
Remote (US-based)
Total Raised
$200 million (via ConsenSys)
Founder
E.G. Galano, Michael Godsey
Status
Private (ConsenSys subsidiary)
Website
www.infura.ioTHE ORIGIN STORY
E.G. Galano and Michael Godsey realized in 2016 that building on Ethereum was unnecessarily hard.
To interact with the blockchain, developers had to run their own Ethereum node — a process that required significant hardware, storage, and technical knowledge. Most developers just wanted an API to read and write blockchain data.
Infura built exactly that: a hosted Ethereum node infrastructure that developers could access via simple API calls. ConsenSys (the Ethereum venture studio founded by Joe Lubin) acquired Infura early on.
WHAT THEY ACTUALLY DO
Freemium API service. Developers get 100,000 requests per day free.
Paid plans start at $50/month for more requests, higher rate limits, and additional features. Enterprise plans for high-volume applications.
Revenue scales with the number of API requests. Infura also supports multiple blockchains beyond Ethereum (Polygon, Optimism, Arbitrum, etc.).
THE PRODUCTS
Infura API — access to Ethereum and other blockchain networks via simple API calls. Infura Transactions — transaction management and gas optimization.
Multi-chain Support — APIs for Polygon, Optimism, Arbitrum, Avalanche, and more. IPFS Pinning — decentralized file storage via IPFS.
HOW THEY GREW
Being first and free. Infura launched before alternatives existed and offered a generous free tier.
MetaMask (also owned by ConsenSys) defaulted to Infura, which meant every MetaMask user was an Infura user. When DeFi exploded in 2020, Infura was already the default infrastructure layer.
Network effects and switching costs locked in developers.
THE HARD PART
Centralization criticism. Infura is a single point of failure for Ethereum — if Infura goes down, thousands of dApps stop working (this has actually happened).
The crypto community views this centralization as antithetical to Ethereum's values. Competition from Alchemy (which has raised more money and has aggressive marketing) and decentralized alternatives like Pocket Network is growing.
MONEY TRAIL
ConsenSys Series B (partial)
2021 · Led by ConsenSys parent
$200M raised
WHO BACKED THEM
Infura is a subsidiary of ConsenSys, which has raised over $700 million from investors including Microsoft, SoftBank, ParaFi Capital, and Temasek. Infura's specific funding is bundled within ConsenSys rounds.
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