In conversation with Mohammad Zahwy: Why NOWNodes is leading the API game

Blockchain infrastructure provider NOWNodes says reliable APIs and node services are becoming mission-critical as crypto businesses scale across multichain, real-time environments.

API providers have their work cut out for them. They have to convince users of the benefits of API providers, get users to trust the integration process, and compete in an aggressive market. However, NowNodes shines despite the turbulent market. In our interview with NOWNodes’ CBDO Mohammad Zahwy, this engineer turned business development leader talks about everything API, from convincing crypto businesses of the massive advantages API providers bring to competing with leading providers like Binance API.

Q: Crypto businesses today often face several challenges when offering a broad range of services. Can you tell our readers how APIs and node providers help crypto businesses address these challenges?

A: The core challenge is that “broad services” in crypto usually means multi-chain, real-time, and high-availability requirements without the luxury of downtime or slow confirmations from an overloaded endpoint. A blockchain API lets teams interact with a blockchain without running their own node, enabling them to fetch balances, send transactions, and monitor events via a standard integration surface.

At NOWNodes, we operationalize that into production infrastructure: shared requests are served through geo-distributed, load-balanced clusters with automatic failover, and we also provide tools like WebSockets, webhooks, archive access, and advanced analysis (Trace & Debug) for deeper operational needs.
For exchange-grade workloads, our site explicitly positions the value as backup + archive nodes, real-time notifications, 24/7 enterprise support, flexible pricing, and a guaranteed 99.95% uptime, so teams can launch faster and safeguard deposits/payouts.

Q: Could you share with us how NOWNodes came to be and what the organization’s mission is? And how does NOWNodes differentiate its brand positioning in the crowded crypto market?

A: Our public positioning is clear: NOWNodes is a blockchain‑as‑a‑service solution providing access to full nodes and explorers via API, designed to be “quick, cost-effective, and reliable,” with formal service standards available to partners.

Mission-wise, we repeatedly communicate the same intent: make blockchain infrastructure simple, fast, and reliable so builders can focus on building, rather than on node maintenance, syncing, and DevOps overhead.
Brand differentiation comes from the combination of published service standards and scale levers: multi-chain access (e.g., “120+ blockchains” / “123 available nodes NOW”), engineered resilience (failover + load balancing + redundancy discussions), and performance posture (no predefined RPS limits on paid shared plans; no predefined RPS limits and no request caps on dedicated).

Finally, trust is reinforced publicly: we state we are trusted by Tangem, Trust Wallet, Exodus, Bitpanda, ShapeShift.

Q: What macro trends, both in blockchain and the broader economic market, most influence your branding strategy?
A: On the blockchain side, the dominant trend is the acceleration of choice and complexity: we explicitly discuss new L2s, modular chains, appchains, and new virtual machines, plus the reality that “development in 2026 is… multichain and fast-moving.” That forces infrastructure brands to stand for reliability and breadth, not hype.

In the same piece, we call out what developers actually prioritize: performance, tooling, reliable RPC infrastructure, security, and ecosystem activity, those criteria heavily shape how we frame our value proposition.

On the broader economic side, nownodes.io does not publish macroeconomic commentary (rates, liquidity, or regional recession dynamics), so I stick to what we do publish: clear pricing, free entry, and flexible scaling paths that help teams manage costs without sacrificing reliability. 

Q: There are several prominent API providers in the market today, such as Binance API and Kraken API. How does NOWNodes differentiate itself especially against larger node service providers?
A: First, it’s important to clarify the category: exchange APIs (like those offered by Binance or Kraken) are primarily about exchange operations, whereas NOWNodes focuses on on-chain connectivity—RPC, explorers, WebSockets, webhooks, archive data, and advanced debugging/tracing.

Against larger node providers, our differentiation is the combination of published service standards (SQS), multi-chain breadth, and explicit performance posture: support/uptime targets documented in SQS, plus “no predefined RPS limits on paid plans” in shared mode and “no predefined request-per-second limits” with no call caps in dedicated mode.

And we don’t position this as theory; we describe resilience mechanisms like load balancing and failover as part of how we maintain stable RPC access under stress. 

Q: A lot of businesses worry about API stability and whether it has the needed functions or data for their operations. How does NOWNodes handle this concern?
A: We address stability with two layers: explicit service quality standards and architecture choices. In SQS, we publish targets such as 99.95% uptime, 600 ms API response time, 99% success rate, node update expectations, backup service timelines, and monitoring/alerting practices, including protocol-level metrics (peer counts, block height, mempool) alongside machine metrics.

Architecturally, shared traffic is served via geo-distributed, load-balanced clusters with automatic failover, which is exactly the operational pattern stability-focused businesses expect.

On “needed functions,” we publish an intentionally broad tools surface: WebSockets, webhooks, archive nodes, Trace & Debug methods, and Blockbook-style indexed access; plus dedicated nodes are positioned as the option for unrestricted access to advanced methods that may be limited on shared.

And if a specific chain/method isn’t currently available, our Trace/Debug page explicitly says teams can request it, and for urgent or high-volume needs, choose a dedicated configuration. 

Q: Pricing is another area of worry for crypto businesses, particularly smaller projects. Can you tell us a little bit about NOWNodes’ pricing strategy and how it stays competitive in today’s market?
A: We publish a clear ladder: a free Start plan (100,000 requests, 15 RPS, 5 networks, one month). Then Pro (€20/month for 1,000,000 requests), Business (€200/month for 30,000,000 requests), and Enterprise (€500/month for 100,000,000 requests), with transparent overage pricing per 100k requests, and no RPS limits on any plan.

Strategically, the site frames this as “plans for different budgets” and the ability to combine shared and dedicated to optimize costs without sacrificing performance, so clients can right-size infrastructure as they grow.

Competitiveness, from our own published language, comes from avoiding “hidden limits or unexpected restrictions” and from scaling throughput on paid shared plans without artificial throttling. 

Q: Crypto businesses, especially newer ones, wonder if API providers will help them with integration and support. Could you tell us about how NOWNodes handles maintenance to ensure a hassle-free experience?
A: Integration is presented as straightforward: sign up, generate an API key, review the docs, and integrate methods into your service, our homepage even outlines this as a step-by-step flow.

Maintenance and reliability are handled operationally through monitoring/alerting, rapid updates to the latest blockchain versions, and backup procedures (including reserve-node timelines) that are explicitly documented in SQS.

On shared infrastructure, we additionally publish that requests are served through load-balanced clusters with automatic failover—meaning stability does not depend on a single node instance.
For support expectations, we publish 24/7 support (channels include live chat, Telegram, email, and partner chats) and we emphasize technical capability rather than templated responses. 

Q: Security is always a concern in any crypto space. What are the security measures NOWNodes adopts to ensure users’ data and funds are safe?
A: From a custody standpoint, our SQS is explicit: we do not create private keys, do not sign transactions, and do not have access to client money, which reduces whole classes of custodial risk.

Operationally, we state that we don’t store private keys, wallet balances, or personal data on shared infrastructure, and transaction payloads are processed only to handle requests.

For information security, our Privacy Policy describes measures including SSL encryption, encrypted storage behind a firewall, audits, incident response procedures, periodic vulnerability/security testing, and perimeter protection using the Cloudflare Firewall, while also noting that no security method can be guaranteed and users must keep API keys/passwords safe.

For dedicated environments, we publish access controls like IP whitelisting to restrict who can reach the node. 

Q: The crypto regulatory environment is like the ocean, calm one moment and stormy the next. How do you handle regulatory hurdles in turbulent markets?
A: The first regulatory principle we publish is structural: we are a service provider delivering infrastructure access, and our Privacy Policy explicitly states we do not process user payment/financial data, do not track other financial information, and do not have access to or store users’ financial information.

Second, we reduce compliance surface by design: our SQS states we do not create private keys, do not sign transactions, and do not have access to client money.

Third, we anchor operations in published legal frameworks (Service Agreement incorporating Terms of Use and Privacy Policy), and we also publish region/deployment flexibility on dedicated nodes to address latency or “compliance needs” where applicable.

Beyond those published points, nownodes.io does not provide jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction regulatory playbooks; in interviews, I keep claims confined to these documented positions. 

Q: It’s well known that APIs help in cost savings when compared with in-house development. But some people are still not convinced. What would you say to the skeptics?
A: I would make it concrete: running nodes in-house is not just “spinning up servers,” it’s continuous syncing, upgrades, monitoring, incident response, and scaling under volatile traffic. Our messaging is explicitly about removing that: “no node maintenance, no syncing, and no DevOps overhead,” while keeping reliability strong as you move to mainnet and real value.

We also have public customer feedback on our shared infrastructure page describing NOWNodes as a cost-effective alternative to operating expensive in-house nodes, so the cost argument isn’t just theoretical.
Finally, the cost of proving reliability is often higher than the cost of building features; that’s why we publish service standards (uptime, response-time targets, backup service) rather than asking teams to trust vague promises. 

Q: You have a civil engineering background. How do you think this technical knowledge base has helped shape your business development and leadership style, and branding strategy?
A: Engineering teaches you to respect constraints: load, failure modes, redundancy, and the difference between “works in a demo” and “holds under stress.” That mindset maps directly to how we communicate NOWNodes: we don’t just sell “connectivity,” we publish the operational commitments, monitoring, incident warnings, backup timelines, update discipline, and measurable service targets.

It also shapes leadership: I push teams toward clarity, if we claim reliability, we must be ready to explain mechanisms like failover and load balancing in business terms, and we do that explicitly in our own communications. 

Q: You’ve mentioned once that your biggest advantage isn’t just technology, it’s your people. Can you tell us how you choose the right people for your organization and how they contribute to NOWNodes’ success?
A: Our public stance is that support is not a “ticket factory,” it’s technical. We explicitly say our 24/7 support is handled by real technical specialists who can jump into a case in minutes, troubleshoot root causes, and resolve issues fast.

That shapes how you build a team: you prioritize engineers and technical operators who can own incidents end-to-end, understand protocol-level metrics, and prevent problems before customers feel them, exactly how our SQS describes monitoring and alerting.

In other words, people are the delivery mechanism of the SLA: technology enables reliability, but disciplined operators sustain it. 

Q: NOWNodes sounds like a visionary organization. Can you tell us about NOWNodes future plans, especially in regards to the industry shifts you believe will redefine competitive advantage in the API and node space?
A: In terms of publicly stated plans, our recent communications highlight Archival Solana (coming soon), MEV Protection, and Team Access (keys, roles, permissions for teams), all of which reflect where competitive advantage is moving: deeper historical data, safer execution under adversarial conditions, and better operational governance for teams.

We also explicitly state that we plan to expand beyond crypto market data into equities/stock market data over time, signaling that “data access” will increasingly span asset classes through reliable APIs.
Macro-shift-wise, our own content emphasizes a world of multichain and modular development where infrastructure must not be the bottleneck; that’s exactly why we continue to invest in breadth (more networks), depth (archive/debug/trace), and controllability (dedicated deployments, region selection, isolation).