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In high-frequency trading, your connection to the blockchain is the single most critical factor determining your success. LaserSell connects to the Solana network via a Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Node. While Solana offers a public mainnet endpoint, it is effectively unusable for automated trading.

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Why a Private RPC is Required

LaserSell relies on real-time data streams to detect new liquidity pools the instant they are created. Using the public Solana RPC acts as a bottleneck that will cause you to miss every profitable trade.

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1. Speed & Latency (The “Snipe” Factor)

  • Public RPC: Heavily congested. By the time the public node tells your bot “a new token launched,” the price has already pumped 200%.
  • Private RPC: LaserSell uses WebSockets (WSS) to listen for on-chain events in milliseconds. A private provider ensures you receive these notifications faster than the general public, allowing you to buy in the same block as the developer.

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2. Rate Limits (Avoiding “429 Too Many Requests”)

  • Public RPC: Solana caps public traffic aggressively. If LaserSell tries to check a price and submit a buy order in rapid succession, the public node will block your IP address (Error 429), leaving your bot stuck while the market moves against you.
  • Private RPC: Paid plans offer guaranteed Requests Per Second (RPS). This allows LaserSell to spam transaction retries and poll prices continuously without being banned.

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3. Transaction Propagation

  • Public RPC: Your “Buy” transaction enters a slow, crowded queue.
  • Private RPC: Providers like Helius and QuickNode have direct lines to validators (stake-weighted connections). This means your transaction skips the line and gets confirmed on-chain faster.

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RPC Provider Comparison

We have compared the most popular Solana providers below.
  • Free Tiers are useful for setting up LaserSell and running test simulations.
  • Paid Plans are strongly recommended for live trading with real money.
ProviderFree Monthly LimitRate Limit (RPS)WSS SupportEntry-Level Paid Plan
Public MainnetUnlimited (Technically)~10 RPS (Unstable)❌ Very Poor (Disconnects often)N/A
Helius1 Million Credits10 RPS✅ Native
(5 concurrent connections)		$49 / mo (10M Credits, 50 RPS)
Chainstack3 Million Requests~25 RPS✅ Included$49 / mo (20M Requests, 250 RPS)
QuickNode10 Million API Credits15 RPS✅ Included$49 / mo (80M Credits, 50 RPS)
Alchemy30 Million CUs~25 RPS✅ Included$49 / mo (Pay-as-you-go)
Note on “Credits” vs “Requests”:
  • Requests (Chainstack): 1 call = 1 request. Simple and predictable.
  • Credits/CUs (Helius/Alchemy): Different actions cost different amounts. A simple “get balance” might be 1 credit, but a heavy “get program accounts” scan could be 100 credits.

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Our Recommendation

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🏆 Top Choice: Helius (Dev Plan)

We recommend Helius as the primary choice for LaserSell.
  • Why: Helius is built exclusively for Solana. Their “Geyser” plugins and transaction propagation services are superior for sniping new launches.
  • Config: LaserSell has a dedicated mode for Helius that optimizes data streaming.
  • Cost: The $49/month Dev Plan provides enough throughput for a standard sniper setup.

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🥈 Alternative: Chainstack

If you want simple, predictable billing or need nodes in specific geographic locations (to be closer to the exchange), Chainstack is an excellent alternative.
  • Why: They offer very generous limits on their “Growth” plan (250 RPS), which is great if you plan to run multiple instances of the bot simultaneously.

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How to Configure

Once you have purchased a plan, you will receive an HTTP URL and a WSS URL (WebSocket).
  1. Open your config.yml file.
  2. Paste your keys into the rpc and stream sections:
rpc:
  mode: "helius"  # or "private" if using Chainstack/QuickNode
  # If using Chainstack/Others, uncomment and paste here:
  # private_url: "https://solana-mainnet.core.chainstack.com/..."

helius:
  api_key: "YOUR_HELIUS_API_KEY"

stream:
  mode: "helius" # or "private"
  # If using Chainstack/Others, uncomment and paste here:
  # private_ws_url: "wss://solana-mainnet.core.chainstack.com/..."