Bitcoin RPC Endpoint
Flat-rate Bitcoin RPC provider and Bitcoin RPC node access: free tier, no KYC, HTTP.
https://rpc.swiftnodes.io/rpc/btc?key=YOUR_API_KEYBitcoin is the first and largest decentralized blockchain — a UTXO-based, SHA-256 proof-of-work network that settles more value than any other chain. SwiftNodes serves the standard Bitcoin Core JSON-RPC interface plus a Blockbook address/index API, so you can query balances, UTXOs, and transaction history without running your own archival node.
btcBitcoin on the SwiftNodes fleet, right now
Status and latency from our health checks, refreshed about every 5 minutes. Uptime history. Network status
About Bitcoin
Bitcoin uses a UTXO (unspent transaction output) model rather than accounts: wallets track spendable outputs, and each transaction consumes inputs and creates new outputs. Blocks are mined roughly every 10 minutes via SHA-256 proof-of-work, and the 21-million-coin supply cap is enforced by a block subsidy that halves every 210,000 blocks (about every four years).
The node exposes the Bitcoin Core JSON-RPC methods you expect — getblock, getrawtransaction, sendrawtransaction, estimatesmartfee, and so on. Because Bitcoin Core has no built-in address index, address-level queries (balances, UTXO sets, and full history for an address or xpub) are served through Blockbook, Trezor's indexer, which SwiftNodes runs alongside the node.
Common Use Cases on Bitcoin
- Value transfer and settlement
- Wallet balance and UTXO queries
- Address and xpub transaction history (via Blockbook)
- Fee estimation and transaction broadcasting
- Payment processing and exchange integrations
Bitcoin Ecosystem
Bitcoin's ecosystem spans custody and exchange infrastructure, the Lightning Network for instant low-fee payments, and a range of sidechain and layer-2 projects. On-chain, protocols like Ordinals and BRC-20 added inscription and token activity that materially increased block and index sizes.
Bitcoin Mainnet RPC URL (HTTP)
https://rpc.swiftnodes.io/rpc/btc?key=YOUR_API_KEYBitcoin WebSocket RPC URL
Not available for Bitcoin right now: none of its upstreams currently accepts a subscription in our health checks. Poll the HTTP endpoint above instead.
Quick Start: Connect to Bitcoin
cURL
curl -X POST https://rpc.swiftnodes.io/rpc/btc?key=YOUR_API_KEY \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"getHealth","id":1}'Note: Bitcoin uses its own RPC methods. Refer to the official Bitcoin documentation for available methods.
Bridging to Bitcoin
Bitcoin is moved into other ecosystems primarily as wrapped BTC (such as WBTC on Ethereum) or through federated and threshold-custody bridges; Bitcoin itself has no native smart-contract bridge.
Features of SwiftNodes for Bitcoin
- Load-balanced across multiple upstream nodes wherever a chain has more than one, with automatic failover
- Health-checked every 2 minutes with automatic failover
- Free tier available — no credit card or KYC required
- Flat-rate monthly pricing with no per-request fees
- HTTP support (WebSocket not available for this chain right now)
- One API key works across all 75+ supported chains, including Bitcoin
Rate Limits
| Plan | Price | HTTP req/s | WS msg/s |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo | 2 | 1 |
| Starter | $49/mo | 50 | 25 |
| Growth | $89/mo | 150 | 75 |
| Scale | $149/mo | 300 | 150 |
| Pro | $249/mo | 500 | 250 |
Frequently Asked Questions: Bitcoin
What's Bitcoin's block time?
Bitcoin targets a new block roughly every 10 minutes, held steady by a difficulty retarget every 2,016 blocks.
How many confirmations should I wait for?
One confirmation is usually fine for small amounts; six confirmations (~60 minutes) is the common standard for high-value settlement, because Bitcoin finality is probabilistic rather than instant.
Can I query an address's balance or transaction history?
Yes. Bitcoin Core alone has no address index, but SwiftNodes runs Blockbook alongside the node, so you can query address and xpub balances, UTXOs, and full transaction history over the Blockbook API.
Does Bitcoin support smart contracts?
Bitcoin has a limited, non-Turing-complete Script language for spending conditions (multisig, timelocks, Taproot), not a general smart-contract platform like Ethereum.
Bitcoin guides from the blog
- Bitcoin Data: Core RPC vs Blockbook vs Hosted APIsBitcoin Core's JSON-RPC can't tell you an address's balance — it has no address index. Here's the gap, the three ways to fill it, and how to pick a Bitcoin RPC provider.
Related Bitcoin chains
Explore RPC endpoints for other Bitcoin networks on SwiftNodes:
Ready to start building on Bitcoin? Connect your wallet and get a free API key in 30 seconds. No email or KYC required.