Rostrum is a fast, secure, and reliable communication layer that bridges decentralized blockchain data with the applications that rely on it. It’s a lightweight, high-speed server that sits between the Nexa blockchain and the apps that use it. Rostrum keeps track of everything happening on-chain and makes that information instantly available to wallets, web apps, and developers. This article will briefly introduce and explain its role in the Nexa network and outline how developers can use it to build responsive, data-driven blockchain applications.
What is Rostrum
Rostrum acts as a bridge between your wallet (or any blockchain-enabled application) and the Nexa blockchain. It continuously listens to blockchain activity and makes it simple for apps or explorers to ask real-time questions such as:
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“What’s the balance of this address?”
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“Has my transaction been confirmed?”
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“Show me all transactions related to this token.”
It lets applications talk to the Nexa blockchain in real time — without needing to run their own infrastructure, simplifying interactions with the blockchain and easily accessing data through the many features it introduces. Running a full Nexa node gives full control but requires considerable resources, disk space, bandwidth, and processing power. For lightweight wallets, mobile apps, or web services, this isn’t always a practical solution. Rostrum solves this by serving as a public blockchain information gateway. It connects directly to a Nexa full node, indexes blockchain data, and provides clean, ready-to-use results to anyone who requests them.
How Rostrum Works
Rostrum is open source, meaning anyone can run a server. Community members, developers, and organizations can host their own instances to provide data access privately or publicly. However, you don’t need to run your own to use it. There are already public Rostrum servers available to the community, offering instant blockchain access with no setup required.
At a high level:
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A full node downloads and verifies the entire Nexa blockchain.
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Rostrum connects to that node, indexes every transaction, and organizes the data for fast lookup.
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Wallets and applications send structured queries such as “Give me the history of address X”.
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Rostrum responds instantly with accurate, easy-to-read results.
Rostrum enables both users and developers to check balances for any address or token, track transactions in real time, and subscribe to address updates (for example, payment notifications). For developers, it acts as a ready-made API for blockchain data and can help with building wallets, dashboards, or analytics tools that interact directly with the blockchain. For users, it’s the invisible service that powers fast, reliable wallet experiences.
Rostrum for Developers
Developers can interact with Rostrum using simple JSON-based requests over TCP, WebSocket, or HTTP(S) connections. An application sends a small JSON message — for example, asking for a transaction or balance — and Rostrum responds instantly with structured blockchain data.
Your app → sends a JSON message → Rostrum → returns blockchain data instantly.
For production systems or privacy-focused applications, developers can host their own Rostrum server. This provides greater control, improved performance, and the ability to serve blockchain data securely to their own users. Rostrum connects directly to a local Nexa node, indexes the blockchain, and exposes the same simple, developer-friendly API.
Developers can find full installation and setup instructions in the official documentation:
https://nexa.gitlab.io/rostrum/
In Conclusion
Rostrum is a core component of the Nexa ecosystem, powering seamless communication between decentralized data and real-world applications. It simplifies blockchain interaction, enhances performance, and empowers developers to build tools that respond instantly to on-chain events.