Alchemy is a blockchain developer platform founded in 2017 by Nikil Viswanathan (CEO) and Joe Lau (CTO) — former Google and Stanford alumni — and headquartered in San Francisco. Alchemy provides node API infrastructure for Ethereum and 20+ other blockchains, alongside a suite of developer tools including enhanced APIs (NFT API, Token API, Transfers API), webhooks, mempool monitoring, and the Alchemy SDK. Backed by a16z, Coatue, and others at a peak valuation of $10.2B, Alchemy is widely considered the preferred developer infrastructure platform for professional Web3 development teams, competing directly with Infura.
Background
Viswanathan and Lau initially built Alchemy as a gaming infrastructure company before pivoting to blockchain developer tools in 2019. Their thesis was that Web3 developers were bottlenecked by unreliable and feature-poor node infrastructure — the same problem that AWS solved for traditional cloud applications. Alchemy raised aggressively and expanded its API surface well beyond basic node access to include higher-level data APIs that save developers from complex on-chain data processing.
Key Products
| Product | Description |
|---|---|
| Alchemy Node API | Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, Solana, and 15+ chain RPC endpoints |
| NFT API | High-level API for fetching NFT metadata, ownership, transfers, and collection stats |
| Token API | Token balances, transfers, and metadata across EVM chains |
| Transfers API | Historical transaction data without running an archive node |
| Notify (Webhooks) | Real-time webhook alerts for on-chain events (address activity, mined transactions) |
| Mempool Watcher | Monitor pending transactions before they are mined |
| Alchemy SDK | JavaScript/TypeScript library wrapping Web3.js and ethers.js with enhanced Alchemy methods |
| Alchemy Subgraphs | Subgraph hosting (migrated from The Graph) |
Alchemy vs. Infura
| Factor | Alchemy | Infura |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2017 | 2016 |
| Owner | Independent | ConsenSys |
| Primary Differentiator | Enhanced APIs, developer experience | Default MetaMask backend |
| Higher-Level APIs | Yes (NFT, Token, Transfers) | Limited |
| Reliability | Strong SLA focus | Outages in 2020-2021 |
| Chain Coverage | 20+ chains | 10+ chains |
Client Base
Alchemy powers a large proportion of major DeFi and NFT projects including OpenSea, Aave, MakerDAO, Compound, Uniswap, and others. Its developer-focused approach — better documentation, more responsive APIs, richer tooling — has made it the dominant platform for new Web3 project development.
Related Terms
Sources
- Alchemy Website — API documentation and pricing.
- Alchemy Blog — developer resources.