TL;DR
An RPC (Remote Procedure Call) node is a server that provides an interface to interact with the Solana blockchain — reading data, submitting transactions, and querying account states.
Every time you check your wallet balance, swap on Jupiter, or submit a transaction through a trading bot, you’re communicating with an RPC node. The node reads the current blockchain state, broadcasts your transactions to validators, and returns results. It’s the gateway between your application (wallet, bot, dApp) and the Solana network.
Solana’s public RPC endpoints are free but rate-limited and slow under high demand. Private RPC providers (Helius, QuickNode, Triton, Alchemy) offer faster response times, higher rate limits, and additional features like enhanced transaction APIs and webhooks. For trading bots, a fast private RPC is essentially required — the latency difference between public and private RPC can mean the difference between landing a snipe or missing it.
Key factors: latency (how fast requests resolve), reliability (uptime during high-traffic events like popular launches), rate limits (requests per second), and specialized features (gRPC streaming, priority fee estimation, transaction simulation). Most trading bots let you configure a custom RPC URL. Helius and Triton are popular choices in the Solana ecosystem. Some providers also offer staked connections that give transaction priority.