We've analyzed and compared the top 2 API providers supporting Multi-Chain for Nigerian developers and businesses. Find the right infrastructure fit for your startup below.
Written by Editorial Staffs as at 5th August, 2026
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Covalent provides a Unified API that abstracts blockchain data across more than 100 networks under a single, consistent API structure. Rather than building separate integrations for Ethereum, BNB Chain, Polygon, Avalanche, Arbitrum, Optimism, and dozens of other EVM and non-EVM chains, Nigerian developers can use one API with one key and one endpoint pattern to query any supported network. This dramatically reduces the development time for multi-chain applications — a growing necessity as Nigerian crypto users hold assets across multiple blockchains. Nigeria's crypto-savvy population increasingly operates across chains: trading on Ethereum DEXes, farming yield on BSC, minting NFTs on Polygon, and bridging assets between chains for better gas costs. Any application serving Nigerian users in 2024 and beyond must handle multi-chain data. Covalent is purpose-built for this use case — the same endpoint structure works across all chains, just by swapping the chain_id parameter. The Get Token Balances endpoint (/v1/{chain_id}/address/{address}/balances_v2/) is Covalent's signature feature. It returns every token held by a wallet address — native asset, ERC-20 tokens, and LP tokens — along with current USD prices, logos, and token decimals. For Nigerian wallet apps, this single endpoint can power an entire portfolio overview screen that displays all holdings with current values, without requiring separate price API calls or token metadata lookups. The Get NFT Balances endpoint returns all NFTs held by an address with full metadata: image URL, traits, collection name, floor price, and ownership history. For Nigerian NFT projects and marketplaces, this provides a complete NFT portfolio view without needing to query individual contract APIs or maintain a separate NFT metadata database. The Get Transactions endpoint returns the full transaction history for a wallet, enriched with decoded log events and value transfers. Covalent parses raw Ethereum log data into human-readable decoded events — for example, a Uniswap swap shows up as "Swapped 0.5 ETH for 900 USDC" rather than raw hex log data. This decoded enrichment makes it far easier for Nigerian developers to build transaction history displays. Class A endpoints (token balances, transactions, NFTs) are available on all chains. Class B endpoints provide protocol-specific data for major DeFi protocols: Uniswap, Aave, Compound, Curve, and others. These return user positions, liquidity pool data, and protocol-specific metrics that go beyond generic blockchain data. The Log Events by Topic Hash endpoint enables querying contract events across an entire blockchain by topic, with pagination — effectively enabling blockchain-wide event indexing without running infrastructure. Nigerian developers building analytics tools or protocol monitoring dashboards can use this to track all swaps on a DEX, all mints of an NFT collection, or all liquidations on a lending protocol. The free tier provides 100 requests per minute and covers all Class A endpoints. Premium plans starting at $99/month unlock higher rate limits, Class B DeFi endpoints at higher volumes, and dedicated support. Covalent's credit-based billing means complex queries that return large amounts of data cost more credits than simple queries, providing a fair usage model. API keys are obtained free at covalenthq.com, and no credit card is required to start building.
Pocket Network is a decentralized blockchain infrastructure protocol that provides RPC access to over 50 blockchains through a network of independent node operators rather than a centralized company. Unlike Alchemy, Infura, or QuickNode — where a single company operates the node infrastructure and can theoretically restrict access — Pocket Network is a blockchain protocol where thousands of independent node operators stake POKT tokens to serve RPC requests and earn token rewards. No single entity controls the network, making it structurally censorship-resistant. The philosophical distinction matters for Nigerian Web3 developers who value decentralization as a core principle. If Alchemy or Infura restricts API access (as has happened for specific use cases or regions in the past), applications depending on those providers go offline. Pocket Network's distributed architecture means no company has a master switch to turn off access — as long as the protocol and its independent node operators function, RPC access continues. For Nigerian developers building applications where this decentralization guarantee is important to their users or architecture, Pocket Network aligns with Web3 values more authentically than centralized providers. Access to Pocket Network for developers is simplified through the Grove Portal (grove.city), which provides free public endpoints for major chains (Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, BNB Smart Chain, Avalanche, and others) without requiring account registration. For higher throughput, a Grove Portal account provides a dedicated API key with application-specific rate limits. The underlying Pocket Network protocol handles routing requests to node operators and distributing the work across the decentralized network. Coverage of 50+ blockchains includes Ethereum mainnet and testnets, Polygon, BNB Smart Chain, Arbitrum, Optimism, Avalanche, Solana, Harmony, and many others. Standard JSON-RPC compatibility means Pocket Network endpoints work as drop-in replacements for centralized providers in any Web3 application. For Nigerian developers who are ideologically committed to decentralization and want their application's infrastructure to reflect Web3 values throughout — not just the on-chain components — Pocket Network provides genuinely decentralized RPC infrastructure that is architecturally consistent with building truly decentralized applications. The Pocket Network gateway also provides access to specialized API features that go beyond basic JSON-RPC — including data retrieval optimization, request caching for frequently-accessed data, and rate limit management tools that help applications stay within their allocated usage while maximizing efficiency. For Nigerian Web3 developers concerned about infrastructure costs and vendor lock-in, Pocket Network's decentralized model offers an alternative to centralized providers like Infura and Alchemy. The network's tokenomics reward node operators for providing reliable service, creating economic incentives for quality infrastructure that are aligned with developer needs. Nigerian blockchain startups and DApp developers can use the Pocket Network gateway to access Ethereum and EVM-compatible chains reliably from day one of development, with a free tier that scales with early-stage usage and paid tiers that grow with the application. The decentralized architecture means there is no single provider that can terminate access, change pricing unilaterally, or experience centralized downtime. Pocket Network's decentralized architecture means Nigerian DApp developers are not subject to the Terms of Service restrictions that centralized providers impose — Pocket Network's permissionless access aligns better with the censorship-resistant philosophy of Web3 development and protects against sudden access termination that centralized providers can enforce.