Compare how to set up different providers. Choose the provider that best fits your needs.

Provider Setup Comparison

Providers are your bridge to the Cardano blockchain—they handle querying UTxOs, submitting transactions, and fetching protocol parameters. Evolution SDK supports multiple providers with different trade-offs in setup complexity, hosting requirements, and performance characteristics.

Choose Blockfrost for quick setup with hosted infrastructure, or Kupmios for self-hosted control with lower latency. Both provide the same API interface, so switching later is just a configuration change.

Blockfrost

Blockfrost offers hosted infrastructure with a free tier, perfect for development and small-scale applications. Setup takes minutes—just get an API key and connect.

import {  } from "@evolution-sdk/evolution";

const  = ({
  : "preprod",
  : {
    : "blockfrost",
    : "https://cardano-preprod.blockfrost.io/api/v0",
    : ..!
  },
  : {
    : "seed",
    : ..!,
    : 0
  }
});

Setup:

Get a free API key at blockfrost.io
Add to environment: BLOCKFROST_API_KEY=your_key
Use the endpoint URL above

Kupmios

Run your own Cardano node infrastructure for complete control and privacy. Kupmios combines Kupo (UTxO indexing) and Ogmios (node queries) for a fully local setup. Ideal for production applications that need guaranteed uptime and don't want external dependencies.

import {  } from "@evolution-sdk/evolution";

const  = ({
  : "preprod",
  : {
    : "kupmios",
    : "http://localhost:1442",
    : "http://localhost:1337"
  },
  : {
    : "seed",
    : ..!,
    : 0
  }
});

Choosing a Provider

Here's how the providers compare across key dimensions:

Feature	Blockfrost	Kupmios
Setup Time	5 minutes	30+ minutes
Hosting	Hosted	Self-hosted
Cost	Free tier available	Infrastructure cost
Latency	Network dependent	Very low (local)
Privacy	Requests visible to provider	Fully private
Rate Limits	Yes (tier-based)	None
Maintenance	Zero	Node sync & updates

Use Blockfrost for rapid prototyping and development. Switch to Kupmios when you need production-level control, privacy, or performance.

Switching Between Providers

The beauty of Evolution SDK's provider abstraction: your transaction code doesn't change. Only the configuration does:

import {  } from "@evolution-sdk/evolution";

// Start with Blockfrost
const  = ({
  : "preprod",
  : {
    : "blockfrost",
    : "https://cardano-preprod.blockfrost.io/api/v0",
    : "key1"
  },
  : {
    : "seed",
    : "",
    : 0
  }
});

// Switch to Kupmios
const  = ({
  : "preprod",
  : {
    : "kupmios",
    : "http://localhost:1442",
    : "http://localhost:1337"
  },
  : {
    : "seed",
    : "",
    : 0
  }
});

Environment Configuration

Use environment variables to manage provider credentials:

# .env.local
BLOCKFROST_API_KEY=your_key_here
KUPO_URL=http://localhost:1442
OGMIOS_URL=http://localhost:1337

Then in your code:

import {  } from "@evolution-sdk/evolution";

const  = ..
  ? {
      : "blockfrost" as ,
      : "https://cardano-preprod.blockfrost.io/api/v0",
      : ..
    }
  : {
      : "kupmios" as ,
      : ..!,
      : ..!
    };

const  = ({
  : "preprod",
  ,
  : {
    : "seed",
    : ..!,
    : 0
  }
});

Next Steps

Client Basics - Learn core client operations
Getting Started - Quick start guide
Querying - Query blockchain state

Provider Setup Comparison

Provider Setup Comparison

Blockfrost

Kupmios

Choosing a Provider

Switching Between Providers

Environment Configuration

Next Steps

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