Three ways to talk to the chain.
Every Bantu application connects to the chain through an EXPANSION endpoint. You can use the Foundation's free public endpoint, a paid third-party provider with SLAs, or run your own node — the same software, same protocol, your own infrastructure.
Pick your access tier.
expansion.bantu.network
The Bantu Blockchain Foundation operates a community RPC endpoint at expansion.bantu.network. Free, public, no auth required. Best for prototyping and low-volume use; consider a dedicated provider for production.
Independent RPC operators
The Foundation maintains a list of community RPC providers offering paid, SLA-backed access to mainnet and testnet. Email the Foundation to be added to the public directory.
Run your own node
For maximum sovereignty: spin up blockchain-core, sync from a history archive, expose your own EXPANSION endpoint. Same software the Foundation runs.
Operating tips.
- Cache aggressively — most read endpoints (ledgers, transactions, account state) are immutable once finalized.
- Use SSE streaming for live data — don't poll the same endpoint every second.
- Rate-limit your own client before the upstream rate-limits you.
- Pin to a specific server version in production. Pin SDK versions too.
- Use testnet for development. Friendbot funds accounts for free.
- For wallets handling user funds, run your own node — never depend on a single hosted endpoint.