ℹ️ Please view the counterpart proposals:
This proposal is for the global deployment of a progressively decentralized archive RPC network for Kusama and its system parachains. Please view the detailed forum post for the complete background of the initial Polkadot deployment.
DeServe is:
This proposal requests 3,003.00 KSM ($12,614.00 at 7-day EMA) as the first payment, first month upfront to bootstrap the global rollout of all Kusama services. Subsequent payments will be requested via 3-monthly retroactive proposals, alongside full transparency reports covering expenses, performance, and request analytics.
The following X posts document DeServe's first days of deployment:
Over the first two weeks of deployment, DeServe has served over 500 million requests, and is currently serving >36M requests/day.
Live request analytics are available at the public dashboard.
Kusama RPC services will be rolled out at 8 locations across 5 continents, optimized for coverage and budget efficiency for Kusama.
| Chain | Archive RPC | ETH RPC | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kusama Relay Chain | ✅ | - | To be deployed |
| Asset Hub | ✅ | ✅ | To be deployed |
| Coretime | ✅ | - | To be deployed |
| Bridge Hub | ✅ | - | To be deployed |
| Encointer | ✅ | - | To be deployed |
| People | ✅ | - | To be deployed |
DeServe delivers the lowest latency among all major Polkadot RPC providers for Polkadot Asset Hub, verified via Compare Nodes, a global RPC performance inspector.
| Comparison | Continents | Regions |
|---|---|---|
| DeServe vs IBP | 5/6 | 18-20/26 |
| DeServe vs OnFinality | 6/6 | 25/26 |
| DeServe vs Dwellir | 6/6 | 24/26 |
| DeServe vs LuckyFriday | 6/6 | 24/26 |
Full benchmark runs:
IBP is currently the only other provider offering a global geo-steered RPC service, making it the most appropriate reference for cost comparison.
Note that IBP operates on a 2N redundancy model, while DeServe operates on a single-instance model with rapid failover through backups, as detailed in the Monitoring & High Availability section.
Given the current cost constraints of the Polkadot ecosystem, we find that single instance per location with backup mechanisms in place should be sufficient under a highly responsive load-balancing system. DeServe’s current setup monitors endpoints every 15 seconds, immediately removing any unreachable endpoint from the pool.
The compared numbers below are taken from IBP dashboard billing view.
| IBP | DeServe | |
|---|---|---|
| Kusama Relay Chain | $66,226.50 | $8,345.00 |
| Asset Hub | $9,644.74 | $1,214.00 |
| Ethereum RPC | $538.30 | $69.00 |
| Bridge Hub | $6,926.66 | $873.00 |
| Coretime | $5,595.14 | $706.00 |
| Encointer | $5,595.14 | $706.00 |
| People | $5,567.62 | $701.00 |
| TOTAL | $100,094.10 | $12,614.00 |
| vs. IBP | - | 87% cheaper |
Our cost model is illustrated in detail in the initial forum post. DeServe also provides GeoDNS services for free as part of the package, whereas IBP charges $1,200.00/month for this service. DeServe also comes without curator payments, which add further overhead to bounty-based programs. IBP curator payments add approximately $3,400.00/month in additional overhead (reference).
Labour costs for the current alpha phase are excluded from this proposal and covered by Helikon. As DeServe matures, operator labour costs will be standardized through protocol governance.
Submerge is a data and compliance platform for Polkadot SDK chains, currently in development by Helikon. Submerge has received treasury funding and is behind schedule. Its two main components, Crystal (a chain indexer), Mycelium (a cross-chain indexer), along with their APIs for all supported chains will be delivered before any further on-chain submission for DeServe.
Helikon is a Polkadot-native infrastructure and software development collective based in İstanbul. A regular contributor to the Polkadot ecosystem at both the development and governance levels since late 2020:
ℹ️ Please view the counterpart proposals:
This proposal is for the global deployment of a progressively decentralized archive RPC network for Kusama and its system parachains. Please view the detailed forum post for the complete background of the initial Polkadot deployment.
DeServe is:
This proposal requests 3,003.00 KSM ($12,614.00 at 7-day EMA) as the first payment, first month upfront to bootstrap the global rollout of all Kusama services. Subsequent payments will be requested via 3-monthly retroactive proposals, alongside full transparency reports covering expenses, performance, and request analytics.
The following X posts document DeServe's first days of deployment:
Over the first two weeks of deployment, DeServe has served over 500 million requests, and is currently serving >36M requests/day.
Live request analytics are available at the public dashboard.
Kusama RPC services will be rolled out at 8 locations across 5 continents, optimized for coverage and budget efficiency for Kusama.
| Chain | Archive RPC | ETH RPC | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kusama Relay Chain | ✅ | - | To be deployed |
| Asset Hub | ✅ | ✅ | To be deployed |
| Coretime | ✅ | - | To be deployed |
| Bridge Hub | ✅ | - | To be deployed |
| Encointer | ✅ | - | To be deployed |
| People | ✅ | - | To be deployed |
DeServe delivers the lowest latency among all major Polkadot RPC providers for Polkadot Asset Hub, verified via Compare Nodes, a global RPC performance inspector.
| Comparison | Continents | Regions |
|---|---|---|
| DeServe vs IBP | 5/6 | 18-20/26 |
| DeServe vs OnFinality | 6/6 | 25/26 |
| DeServe vs Dwellir | 6/6 | 24/26 |
| DeServe vs LuckyFriday | 6/6 | 24/26 |
Full benchmark runs:
IBP is currently the only other provider offering a global geo-steered RPC service, making it the most appropriate reference for cost comparison.
Note that IBP operates on a 2N redundancy model, while DeServe operates on a single-instance model with rapid failover through backups, as detailed in the Monitoring & High Availability section.
Given the current cost constraints of the Polkadot ecosystem, we find that single instance per location with backup mechanisms in place should be sufficient under a highly responsive load-balancing system. DeServe’s current setup monitors endpoints every 15 seconds, immediately removing any unreachable endpoint from the pool.
The compared numbers below are taken from IBP dashboard billing view.
| IBP | DeServe | |
|---|---|---|
| Kusama Relay Chain | $66,226.50 | $8,345.00 |
| Asset Hub | $9,644.74 | $1,214.00 |
| Ethereum RPC | $538.30 | $69.00 |
| Bridge Hub | $6,926.66 | $873.00 |
| Coretime | $5,595.14 | $706.00 |
| Encointer | $5,595.14 | $706.00 |
| People | $5,567.62 | $701.00 |
| TOTAL | $100,094.10 | $12,614.00 |
| vs. IBP | - | 87% cheaper |
Our cost model is illustrated in detail in the initial forum post. DeServe also provides GeoDNS services for free as part of the package, whereas IBP charges $1,200.00/month for this service. DeServe also comes without curator payments, which add further overhead to bounty-based programs. IBP curator payments add approximately $3,400.00/month in additional overhead (reference).
Labour costs for the current alpha phase are excluded from this proposal and covered by Helikon. As DeServe matures, operator labour costs will be standardized through protocol governance.
Submerge is a data and compliance platform for Polkadot SDK chains, currently in development by Helikon. Submerge has received treasury funding and is behind schedule. Its two main components, Crystal (a chain indexer), Mycelium (a cross-chain indexer), along with their APIs for all supported chains will be delivered before any further on-chain submission for DeServe.
Helikon is a Polkadot-native infrastructure and software development collective based in İstanbul. A regular contributor to the Polkadot ecosystem at both the development and governance levels since late 2020: