ChainBench · Flotapponnier · Jul 9, 2026 · Jul 9, 2026
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ methodology:
   - "Call-result classification: `ok` (HTTP 200 + non-empty result), `http_err`, `jsonrpc_err` (HTTP 200 carrying an error body), `stale` (more than 20 blocks behind the cross-provider tip), `timeout`. Latency without reliability is a misleading ranking signal."
   - "Archive depth: every 5 minutes we issue `eth_getBalance` at (head − depth) for depths from Geth's default pruned cap up to 5M blocks, exposing which free endpoints actually serve historical state."
   - "This page is part of the per-chain RPC cluster derived from the cross-chain [rpc-capabilities](https://openchainbench.com/benchmarks/rpc-capabilities) benchmark; the identical harness, methodology and exclusion rules apply on every chain."
-  - "Chain scope: every query on this page is pinned to chain=\"base\". Provider coverage: 6 no-key endpoints (PublicNode, dRPC, Tenderly, Nodies, Merkle, Base). Merkle blocks datacenter IPs since 2026-07, so it is probed through a residential proxy; its latency includes proxy overhead and is flagged as such. Exclusions follow the cluster-wide rules documented on the parent benchmark."
+  - "Chain scope: every query on this page is pinned to chain=\"base\". Provider coverage: 5 no-key endpoints (PublicNode, dRPC, Tenderly, Nodies, Base). Merkle was delisted 2026-07: its gateway does not serve `eth_getBlockByNumber`, the anti-cache probe this cluster standardized on, so it cannot be measured on equal terms. Exclusions follow the cluster-wide rules documented on the parent benchmark."
 
 findings:
   - "{{best_name}} currently leads free Base RPC at {{best_p50}} (`eth_getBlockByNumber` p50, 24h) across 6 measured providers."
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ faq:
   - q: "What is the fastest free Base RPC right now?"
     a: "{{best_name}} currently leads at {{best_p50}} (`eth_getBlockByNumber` p50 over the last 24h), measured against 6 no-key providers probed every 60 seconds from us-east, eu-west and Singapore. The leaderboard re-sorts continuously against fresh Prometheus samples, so the answer on this page is the answer right now, not a quarterly snapshot. Use the region tabs to see the leader from the origin closest to your deployment."
   - q: "Which Base RPCs work without an API key?"
-    a: "The 6 providers on this page: PublicNode, dRPC, Tenderly, Nodies, Merkle, Base. Merkle blocks datacenter IPs since July 2026, so its probes route through a residential proxy; the latency column includes that proxy overhead and the row is flagged accordingly. Every (provider, chain) pair was live-verified no-key before inclusion, and anything that key-gates, region-blocks or rate-limits below our 15-second cadence is excluded rather than listed with an asterisk."
+    a: "The 5 providers on this page: PublicNode, dRPC, Tenderly, Nodies, Base. Merkle was delisted in July 2026 because its gateway does not serve `eth_getBlockByNumber` (JSON-RPC -32601), the anti-cache probe used across the cluster, so its latency cannot be compared on equal terms. Every (provider, chain) pair was live-verified no-key before inclusion, and anything that key-gates, region-blocks or rate-limits below our 15-second cadence is excluded rather than listed with an asterisk."
   - q: "Does the fastest Base RPC change by region?"
     a: "Frequently. The headline number averages three probe origins (us-east, eu-west, Singapore), but per-region leaders regularly diverge, a gateway that wins from Virginia can lose from Singapore by multiples. The region tabs at the top of the page re-scope every number on the page to a single origin; pick the one closest to where your requests actually originate."
   - q: "How is Base RPC latency measured here?"
@@ -155,29 +155,6 @@ providers:
           p50: avg(ocb:rpc_latency_milliseconds:p50_24h{provider="nodies", chain="base", region="sgp"})
           series: avg_over_time(rpc_latency_milliseconds{provider="nodies", chain="base", region="sgp"}[1h])
 
-  - slug: merkle
-    name: Merkle
-    tag: Blocks datacenter IPs since 2026-07; probed via residential proxy, latency includes proxy overhead
-    formula: "50th percentile over 24h of round-trip latency (ms) for `eth_getBlockByNumber` every 60s from 3 regions via a residential proxy (Merkle blocks datacenter IPs since 2026-07); includes proxy overhead, not directly comparable."
-    queries:
-      p50: avg(ocb:rpc_latency_milliseconds:p50_24h{provider="merkle", chain="base"})
-      p90: avg(ocb:rpc_latency_milliseconds:p90_24h{provider="merkle", chain="base"})
-      p99: avg(ocb:rpc_latency_milliseconds:p99_24h{provider="merkle", chain="base"})
-      mean: avg(ocb:rpc_latency_milliseconds:mean_24h{provider="merkle", chain="base"})
-      success: sum(ocb:rpc_call:ok_rate_24h{provider="merkle", chain="base"}) / sum(ocb:rpc_call:rate_24h{provider="merkle", chain="base"})
-      sample_size: sum(ocb:rpc_call:increase_24h{provider="merkle", chain="base"})
-      series: avg(avg_over_time(rpc_latency_milliseconds{provider="merkle", chain="base"}[1h]))
-      regions:
-        - region: us-east
-          p50: avg(ocb:rpc_latency_milliseconds:p50_24h{provider="merkle", chain="base", region="us-east"})
-          series: avg_over_time(rpc_latency_milliseconds{provider="merkle", chain="base", region="us-east"}[1h])
-        - region: eu-west
-          p50: avg(ocb:rpc_latency_milliseconds:p50_24h{provider="merkle", chain="base", region="eu-west"})
-          series: avg_over_time(rpc_latency_milliseconds{provider="merkle", chain="base", region="eu-west"}[1h])
-        - region: ap-southeast
-          p50: avg(ocb:rpc_latency_milliseconds:p50_24h{provider="merkle", chain="base", region="sgp"})
-          series: avg_over_time(rpc_latency_milliseconds{provider="merkle", chain="base", region="sgp"}[1h])
-
   - slug: base-official
     name: Base
     tag: Coinbase-operated, Base mainnet RPC

@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ methodology:
   - "Call-result classification: `ok` (HTTP 200 + non-empty result), `http_err`, `jsonrpc_err` (HTTP 200 carrying an error body), `stale` (more than 20 blocks behind the cross-provider tip), `timeout`. Latency without reliability is a misleading ranking signal."
   - "Archive depth: every 5 minutes we issue `eth_getBalance` at (head − depth) for depths from Geth's default pruned cap up to 5M blocks, exposing which free endpoints actually serve historical state."
   - "This page is part of the per-chain RPC cluster derived from the cross-chain [rpc-capabilities](https://openchainbench.com/benchmarks/rpc-capabilities) benchmark; the identical harness, methodology and exclusion rules apply on every chain."
-  - "Chain scope: every query on this page is pinned to chain=\"bnb\". Provider coverage: 5 no-key endpoints (PublicNode, dRPC, Nodies, Merkle, Binance). Merkle blocks datacenter IPs since 2026-07, so it is probed through a residential proxy; its latency includes proxy overhead and is flagged as such. Exclusions follow the cluster-wide rules documented on the parent benchmark."
+  - "Chain scope: every query on this page is pinned to chain=\"bnb\". Provider coverage: 4 no-key endpoints (PublicNode, dRPC, Nodies, Binance). Merkle was delisted 2026-07: its gateway does not serve `eth_getBlockByNumber`, the anti-cache probe this cluster standardized on, so it cannot be measured on equal terms. Exclusions follow the cluster-wide rules documented on the parent benchmark."
 
 findings:
   - "{{best_name}} currently leads free BNB Chain RPC at {{best_p50}} (`eth_getBlockByNumber` p50, 24h) across 5 measured providers."
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ faq:
   - q: "What is the fastest free BNB Chain RPC right now?"
     a: "{{best_name}} currently leads at {{best_p50}} (`eth_getBlockByNumber` p50 over the last 24h), measured against 5 no-key providers probed every 60 seconds from us-east, eu-west and Singapore. The leaderboard re-sorts continuously against fresh Prometheus samples, so the answer on this page is the answer right now, not a quarterly snapshot. Use the region tabs to see the leader from the origin closest to your deployment."
   - q: "Which BNB Chain RPCs work without an API key?"
-    a: "The 5 providers on this page: PublicNode, dRPC, Nodies, Merkle, Binance. Merkle blocks datacenter IPs since July 2026, so its probes route through a residential proxy; the latency column includes that proxy overhead and the row is flagged accordingly. Every (provider, chain) pair was live-verified no-key before inclusion, and anything that key-gates, region-blocks or rate-limits below our 15-second cadence is excluded rather than listed with an asterisk."
+    a: "The 4 providers on this page: PublicNode, dRPC, Nodies, Binance. Merkle was delisted in July 2026 because its gateway does not serve `eth_getBlockByNumber` (JSON-RPC -32601), the anti-cache probe used across the cluster, so its latency cannot be compared on equal terms. Every (provider, chain) pair was live-verified no-key before inclusion, and anything that key-gates, region-blocks or rate-limits below our 15-second cadence is excluded rather than listed with an asterisk."
   - q: "Does the fastest BNB Chain RPC change by region?"
     a: "Frequently. The headline number averages three probe origins (us-east, eu-west, Singapore), but per-region leaders regularly diverge, a gateway that wins from Virginia can lose from Singapore by multiples. The region tabs at the top of the page re-scope every number on the page to a single origin; pick the one closest to where your requests actually originate."
   - q: "How is BNB Chain RPC latency measured here?"
@@ -132,29 +132,6 @@ providers:
           p50: avg(ocb:rpc_latency_milliseconds:p50_24h{provider="nodies", chain="bnb", region="sgp"})
           series: avg_over_time(rpc_latency_milliseconds{provider="nodies", chain="bnb", region="sgp"}[1h])
 
-  - slug: merkle
-    name: Merkle
-    tag: Blocks datacenter IPs since 2026-07; probed via residential proxy, latency includes proxy overhead
-    formula: "50th percentile over 24h of round-trip latency (ms) for `eth_getBlockByNumber` every 60s from 3 regions via a residential proxy (Merkle blocks datacenter IPs since 2026-07); includes proxy overhead, not directly comparable."
-    queries:
-      p50: avg(ocb:rpc_latency_milliseconds:p50_24h{provider="merkle", chain="bnb"})
-      p90: avg(ocb:rpc_latency_milliseconds:p90_24h{provider="merkle", chain="bnb"})
-      p99: avg(ocb:rpc_latency_milliseconds:p99_24h{provider="merkle", chain="bnb"})
-      mean: avg(ocb:rpc_latency_milliseconds:mean_24h{provider="merkle", chain="bnb"})
-      success: sum(ocb:rpc_call:ok_rate_24h{provider="merkle", chain="bnb"}) / sum(ocb:rpc_call:rate_24h{provider="merkle", chain="bnb"})
-      sample_size: sum(ocb:rpc_call:increase_24h{provider="merkle", chain="bnb"})
-      series: avg(avg_over_time(rpc_latency_milliseconds{provider="merkle", chain="bnb"}[1h]))
-      regions:
-        - region: us-east
-          p50: avg(ocb:rpc_latency_milliseconds:p50_24h{provider="merkle", chain="bnb", region="us-east"})
-          series: avg_over_time(rpc_latency_milliseconds{provider="merkle", chain="bnb", region="us-east"}[1h])
-        - region: eu-west
-          p50: avg(ocb:rpc_latency_milliseconds:p50_24h{provider="merkle", chain="bnb", region="eu-west"})
-          series: avg_over_time(rpc_latency_milliseconds{provider="merkle", chain="bnb", region="eu-west"}[1h])
-        - region: ap-southeast
-          p50: avg(ocb:rpc_latency_milliseconds:p50_24h{provider="merkle", chain="bnb", region="sgp"})
-          series: avg_over_time(rpc_latency_milliseconds{provider="merkle", chain="bnb", region="sgp"}[1h])
-
   - slug: binance
     name: Binance
     tag: BNB Chain dataseed RPC, Binance-operated

@@ -23,11 +23,6 @@ type Provider struct {
 	Slug string
 	Name string
 	URL  string
-	// ViaProxy routes probes through RPC_PROBE_PROXY_URL (residential
-	// rotating proxy). For providers that block datacenter IPs (merkle
-	// since 2026-07). Latency then includes proxy overhead; the spec
-	// discloses it on the row.
-	ViaProxy bool
 }
 
 type Chain struct {
@@ -148,7 +143,6 @@ func chains() []Chain {
 				{Slug: "drpc", Name: "dRPC", URL: envDefault("RPC_URL_BASE_DRPC", "https://base.drpc.org")},
 				{Slug: "tenderly", Name: "Tenderly Gateway", URL: envDefault("RPC_URL_BASE_TENDERLY", "https://gateway.tenderly.co/public/base")},
 				{Slug: "nodies", Name: "Nodies (POKT)", URL: envDefault("RPC_URL_BASE_NODIES", "https://base-pokt.nodies.app")},
-				{Slug: "merkle", Name: "Merkle", URL: envDefault("RPC_URL_BASE_MERKLE", "https://base.merkle.io"), ViaProxy: true},
 				{Slug: "base-official", Name: "Base Official", URL: envDefault("RPC_URL_BASE_OFFICIAL", "https://mainnet.base.org")},
 			},
 		},
@@ -160,7 +154,6 @@ func chains() []Chain {
 				{Slug: "publicnode", Name: "PublicNode", URL: envDefault("RPC_URL_BNB_PUBLICNODE", "https://bsc-rpc.publicnode.com")},
 				{Slug: "drpc", Name: "dRPC", URL: envDefault("RPC_URL_BNB_DRPC", "https://bsc.drpc.org")},
 				{Slug: "nodies", Name: "Nodies (POKT)", URL: envDefault("RPC_URL_BNB_NODIES", "https://bsc-pokt.nodies.app")},
-				{Slug: "merkle", Name: "Merkle", URL: envDefault("RPC_URL_BNB_MERKLE", "https://bsc.merkle.io"), ViaProxy: true},
 				{Slug: "binance", Name: "Binance Official", URL: envDefault("RPC_URL_BNB_OFFICIAL", "https://bsc-dataseed1.binance.org")},
 			},
 		},

@@ -6,49 +6,13 @@ import (
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
-	"log"
 	"net/http"
-	"net/url"
-	"os"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
 	"time"
 )
 
-// probeProxyClient returns a client routing through RPC_PROBE_PROXY_URL
-// (residential rotating proxy) for providers that block datacenter IPs.
-// Falls back to a direct client if the env is unset, which surfaces as a
-// visible 100% error rate rather than a silent measurement change.
-var proxyClientOnce sync.Once
-var proxyClientCached *http.Client
-
-func probeProxyClient() *http.Client {
-	proxyClientOnce.Do(func() {
-		raw := strings.TrimSpace(os.Getenv("RPC_PROBE_PROXY_URL"))
-		if raw == "" {
-			log.Printf("[PROBE] WARNING: ViaProxy provider configured but RPC_PROBE_PROXY_URL is unset; probing direct")
-			proxyClientCached = &http.Client{Timeout: probeTimeout}
-			return
-		}
-		u, err := url.Parse(raw)
-		if err != nil {
-			log.Printf("[PROBE] WARNING: invalid RPC_PROBE_PROXY_URL: %v; probing direct", err)
-			proxyClientCached = &http.Client{Timeout: probeTimeout}
-			return
-		}
-		proxyClientCached = &http.Client{
-			Timeout: probeTimeout,
-			Transport: &http.Transport{
-				Proxy:               http.ProxyURL(u),
-				DisableKeepAlives:   true, // fresh proxy IP per probe
-				MaxIdleConnsPerHost: 0,
-			},
-		}
-	})
-	return proxyClientCached
-}
-
 const (
 	// 60s (was 30s): the cluster probes ~23 chains per provider from ONE
 	// IP per region. Keyless per-IP budgets (1RPC daily cap, dRPC CU/s)
@@ -128,7 +92,7 @@ type blockHeader struct {
 // on cache hits rather than real RPC work. Fetching the full latest
 // header with a rotating request id defeats body-keyed edge caches;
 // the header's `number` field keeps the staleness check intact.
-func callLatestBlock(ctx context.Context, url string, viaProxy bool) (block uint64, result string, latencyMs float64, err error) {
+func callLatestBlock(ctx context.Context, url string) (block uint64, result string, latencyMs float64, err error) {
 	body := []byte(fmt.Sprintf(
 		`{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_getBlockByNumber","params":["latest",false],"id":%d}`,
 		time.Now().UnixNano(),
@@ -137,9 +101,6 @@ func callLatestBlock(ctx context.Context, url string, viaProxy bool) (block uint
 	req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
 	req.Header.Set("User-Agent", "OpenChainBench/1.0 (+https://openchainbench.com)")
 	client := &http.Client{Timeout: probeTimeout}
-	if viaProxy {
-		client = probeProxyClient()
-	}
 
 	start := time.Now()
 	resp, err := client.Do(req)
@@ -214,7 +175,7 @@ func probeOne(ctx context.Context, c Chain, p Provider) {
 	tick := func() {
 		probeCtx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, probeTimeout)
 		defer cancel()
-		block, result, latency, err := callLatestBlock(probeCtx, p.URL, p.ViaProxy)
+		block, result, latency, err := callLatestBlock(probeCtx, p.URL)
 
 		if result == "ok" {
 			tips.update(c.Slug, block)