SimpleHash shutdown: Switch to Sequence Indexer

SimpleHash, one of the most widely used blockchain indexers in the market, is shutting down on March 27 following its acquisition by Phantom. This has left major crypto ecosystems and wallet providers scrambling for a reliable replacement.

What is an indexer?

A blockchain indexer is a backend service that organizes, processes, and retrieves blockchain data efficiently. Blockchain networks generate vast amounts of transaction data, but that data is not inherently structured for easy querying. An indexer solves this by extracting, indexing, and storing blockchain data in a way that allows developers to quickly search, filter, and retrieve relevant information.

• Querying blockchain data: Instead of scanning the blockchain, developers can retrieve token balances, wallet activity, NFT collections, transactions, and smart contract events instantly.

• Enhancing performance: Indexers significantly reduce load times and computational requirements for applications that rely on real-time blockchain data.

• Supporting wallets: Many web3 wallets, DeFi platforms, marketplaces, and games rely on indexers to display user assets, transactions, and metadata data without delays.

• Powering analytics: Indexers enable leaderboards, transaction history, economic analysis, and user engagement tracking.

Why Sequence Indexer is the best alternative to SimpleHash

With SimpleHash shutting down, ecosystems, apps, and web3 games need an indexing solution that is fast, reliable, and built for long-term stability. Sequence Indexer delivers:

• Faster API response times: Up to 3X faster than SimpleHash in retrieving balances and metadata

• Multi-chain support: Covers all major EVM chains with a unified API

• Real-time webhooks & event logs: Get instant updates when users receive tokens, complete transactions, or interact with dapps for any arbitrary blockchain event

• Built-in token metadata: Unlike others, Sequence includes metadata natively - no need for separate API calls

• Easy integration: No need to deploy custom subgraphs or additional infrastructure

Open-sourcing Sequence Indexer: A reliable long-term solution

One of the key concerns with SimpleHash shutting down is the lack of stability and control over essential indexing services. Many companies that relied on SimpleHash now face uncertainty, highlighting the need for an open, transparent, and community-driven indexing solution.

To ensure long-term reliability, we are open-sourcing Sequence Indexer within several months. This means:

• No vendor lock-in: Wallets, marketplaces, apps, and games will have full control over the indexing infrastructure.

• Community-driven improvements: Developers can contribute and enhance the indexer based on their needs.

• Long-term stability: Unlike closed-source services that may shut down suddenly forcing developers to rewrite their apps, an open-source indexer ensures reliability for the ecosystem.

• Self-hosting options: Developers and enterprises can deploy their own instance of Sequence Indexer if needed.

This move aligns with our commitment to supporting the web3 ecosystem with developer-first infrastructure - ensuring indexing remains fast, reliable, and accessible for all.

Sequence Indexer compared to the alternatives

• Network Coverage: Supports 46+ blockchains, including Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, Optimism, Avalanche, and BNB.For a full list of blockchains, please see https://status.sequence.info. New chains are added monthly, please reach out if you need support for additional networks.

• Single API Entry Point: Query any blockchain indexer from a single request using the Sequence Indexer Gateway client.

• Complete On-Chain Dataset: Access every block, transaction, and event across indexed chains in real-time. Instantly query ERC20, ERC721, ERC1155 token balances, transaction history, token supply, and metadata.

• Spam Filtering & Automatic Contract Detection: Includes verified lists to filter out spam tokens and automatically detects new contracts without backend changes.

• Real-Time Indexing: Stays in sync with the blockchain, streaming blocks instantly as they are mined, ensuring up-to-the-second accuracy.

With SimpleHash's shutdown, wallets and apps must carefully evaluate alternative indexing solutions. We conducted benchmark tests on Sequence Indexer and other solutions, including performance benchmarks, feature completeness, and ease of integration.

How to migrate to Sequence Indexer

Migrating from SimpleHash to Sequence Indexer is quick and seamless. Our API structure is designed to be developer-friendly, ensuring that teams can switch without significant rework. We also provide typesafe clients in Typescript for both Web and Node.js, in Go, and other languages. Whether you're a wallet provider, app developer, or ecosystem partner, you can integrate Sequence Indexer with minimal effort and start querying blockchain data instantly.

1. Create a free Sequence account: Get started in minutes by signing up here.

2. Explore the API documentation: Our comprehensive API docs provide everything you need to fetch balances, metadata, and transaction history.

3. Replace SimpleHash endpoints: Swap out SimpleHash API calls with Sequence’s optimized indexing endpoints, with minimal code changes required.

Why migrate now?

• No disruptions: Avoid service gaps before SimpleHash shuts down on March 27. Better performance: Up to 3X faster response times than SimpleHash and other alternatives. Future-froof: Built for long-term reliability with an open-source indexer.

Start migrating today and ensure uninterrupted indexing for your apps. Get started with Sequence Indexer or contact our team to get help with migration.