RPC Meaning
RPC (Remote Procedure Call) is a protocol that allows a program to execute code on a different computer or server as if it were a local function call. In the blockchain ecosystem, an RPC node is the primary interface through which wallets and decentralized applications (dApps) talk to the blockchain.
It allows an application to query the current state of the ledger or broadcast new transactions to the network.Interaction between a user and the blockchain typically happens via a JSON-RPC interface. When you check your balance in a wallet, the software sends a standardized request to an RPC endpoint, which then fetches the data from the node's local copy of the blockchain and returns it to your screen.
Without this communication bridge, a dApp would be effectively "blind," unable to see any on-chain data or interact with smart contracts.The decentralization of RPC infrastructure is a major topic in Web3 development. If a large percentage of users rely on a single provider, that provider becomes a central point of failure or a potential gatekeeper for censorship.
This has led to the rise of decentralized RPC networks that distribute requests across thousands of independent nodes, ensuring that the "gateway" to the blockchain remains as permissionless as the network itself.