What Is Switchboard?

The Permissionless Oracle for Web3 Developers

Blockchains are powerful, but they can’t access the real world on their own. That’s where oracles come in. Switchboard is a decentralized oracle that’s permissionless, customizable, and fast. In this guide, we’ll explain what Switchboard is, how it works, and why it’s shaping the future of Web3.

What Is a Blockchain Oracle?

A blockchain oracle is a service that connects smart contracts with off-chain data such as prices, APIs, or real-world events. Since blockchains cannot access external information by themselves, oracles act as the bridge between on-chain logic and off-chain reality.
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Examples of oracle data include:
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• Asset prices for DeFi platforms
  
  
• Randomness for gaming and NFTs
  
  
• Weather, sports, or event results for prediction markets
  
  

What Is Switchboard?

Switchboard is a decentralized, permissionless oracle protocol that delivers reliable data feeds and verifiable randomness to blockchains. Unlike traditional oracles, it allows developers to create custom feeds from any API or external source, giving builders far more flexibility.

First launched on Solana, Switchboard was designed for speed, scalability, and developer control. Today, it supports multiple ecosystems, making it a true multi-chain oracle solution.
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It also features an oracle aggregator, enabling developers to combine data from multiple providers into a single resilient feed.
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How Switchboard Works
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Switchboard delivers reliable, real-time data to blockchains through a decentralized network of nodes. Its design focuses on speed, customization, and security, with the following core features:
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• Custom Data Feeds: Developers can create their own feeds from APIs, market prices, or other real-world sources, making Switchboard highly flexible.
  
  
• Oracle Aggregator: Improves reliability by combining multiple providers into a single resilient feed, reducing the chance of errors or manipulation.
  
  
• Verifiable Randomness (VRF): Generates secure, on-chain randomness for NFT drops, lotteries, and gaming applications.
  
  
• Surge (Ultra-Low Latency): Streams live price updates in under 100ms via WebSockets, ideal for DeFi protocols, perps, and trading apps.
  
  
• TEE Security: Uses Trusted Execution Environments (Intel SGX, AMD SEV) to ensure data and randomness are generated safely.
  
  
• Multi-Chain Support: Already live on Solana, Aptos, Sui, NEAR, and EVM-compatible chains.
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By combining flexibility, redundancy, and ultra-fast performance, Switchboard positions itself as one of the most developer-friendly and future-ready oracles in Web3.

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Use Cases of Switchboard

Switchboard’s flexibility makes it useful across multiple sectors of Web3:

• DeFi Protocols: Real-time price feeds secure lending markets, stablecoins, and perpetual exchanges. Low-latency updates reduce risk during volatile markets.
  
  
• NFTs & Gaming: Verifiable randomness ensures fair NFT minting, loot drops, and gaming outcomes.
  
  
• Prediction Markets: Reliable data feeds bring in sports results, election outcomes, or other events to settle trades transparently.
  
  
• Perpetuals & AMMs: Surge provides ultra-fast price updates, giving traders accurate data for high-frequency strategies.
  
  
• IoT & Off-Chain Data: Any API or external source (like weather or logistics data) can be connected, enabling real-world applications and RWA integrations.

Switchboard vs Other Oracles
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Switchboard competes in the same space as Chainlink and Pyth Network, but it takes a different approach:

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• Chainlink: The largest oracle provider with hundreds of integrations across Ethereum and other chains. Strong reputation, but feeds can be slower and more costly to update compared to Solana-native solutions.
  
  
• Pyth Network: Focused on high-frequency financial data, sourced directly from exchanges and market makers. Very fast, but less customizable for non-financial use cases.
  
  
• Switchboard: Combines the best of both worlds: permissionless custom feeds, an oracle aggregator that can pull from Chainlink and Pyth, plus Surge streaming for sub-100ms price updates.

When to choose each:
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• Use Chainlink for broad compatibility across Ethereum and DeFi’s largest ecosystems.
  
  
• Use Pyth for institutional-grade market data.
  
  
• Use Switchboard if you need custom feeds, faster updates, or Solana-native performance.
  
  

Switchboard Ecosystem & Integrations
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Switchboard has grown far beyond its Solana roots and now supports a multi-chain ecosystem:
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• Solana: Its origin, powering DeFi protocols, NFT projects, and trading platforms.
  
  
• Aptos: Supports Move-based chains with customizable feeds and VRF for gaming and dApps.
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• Sui: Provides randomness and real-time data feeds for gaming dApps and NFT projects.
  
  
• NEAR: Brings secure data feeds to smart contracts on the NEAR network.
  
  
• EVM Chains: Integrates with Ethereum-compatible environments for broader developer adoption.
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Key Integrations
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• DeFi platforms: Use Switchboard price feeds for lending, stablecoins, and perpetuals.
  
  
• NFT & Gaming dApps: Tap into Switchboard’s VRF for fair drops, lotteries, and in-game randomness.
  
  
• Prediction Markets: Bring off-chain events like sports or weather data on-chain to settle trades.
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Growing Developer Community

Switchboard’s SDKs and tools make it easy to integrate feeds across chains. Its open-source model has attracted a rapidly growing developer base, helping secure billions in value across supported ecosystems.
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Why Switchboard Matters

Switchboard is more than just another oracle, it represents a shift toward flexible, developer-driven infrastructure in Web3.
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• For Developers: Full control with custom feeds, an aggregator for redundancy, and Surge for ultra-fast updates.
  
  
• For Users: More secure, transparent experiences, from accurate DeFi pricing to provably fair NFT drops..
  
  
• For the Crypto Ecosystem: A permissionless, multi-chain oracle that lowers barriers to innovation.

By making oracles faster, more open, and customizable, Switchboard helps Web3 move closer to real-world adoption.
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How to Get Started with Switchboard
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Whether you’re a developer or a crypto user, getting started with Switchboard is straightforward:
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For Developers
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1. Explore the Docs: Visit switchboard.xyz to access SDKs, API references, and tutorials.
   
   
2. Deploy a Feed: Create a custom price feed or integrate an existing one from the feed registry.
   
   
3. Integrate VRF: Add verifiable randomness to your app with step-by-step guides for Solana, Aptos, or EVM.
   
   
4. Use Surge for Low Latency: Connect to Surge WebSocket feeds to stream sub-100ms price updates for DeFi or trading apps.
   
   

For Users & Investors
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• Staking & Validators: Token holders can participate by delegating to validators, helping secure the network and earning potential rewards.
  
  
• Ecosystem Access: Interact with DeFi protocols and dApps already powered by Switchboard feeds (e.g., Drift, UXD).
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By supporting both developers and end-users, Switchboard bridges the gap between real-world data and on-chain applications across multiple ecosystems.
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Conclusion
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Switchboard is a flexible, multi-chain oracle that gives developers and users fast, reliable data feeds. With adoption growing across DeFi, NFTs, and gaming, it is well-positioned to support the next generation of decentralized applications.

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