When you hear BaaS, Blockchain as a Service, a cloud-based model that lets companies deploy and manage blockchain networks without handling the underlying infrastructure. Also known as blockchain platform services, it’s what powers everything from automated DeFi tools like Gelato to enterprise-grade exchanges like OraiDEX. Think of it like renting a server—but instead of hosting a website, you’re running a blockchain that handles payments, smart contracts, or token swaps. You don’t need to hire blockchain engineers or set up nodes. You just pick a provider, configure your chain, and go.
BaaS isn’t just for big tech. Smaller projects use it to launch tokens faster, reduce costs, and avoid the mess of managing security and uptime. Take Gelato (GEL), an Ethereum automation protocol that lets users schedule smart contract actions without manual triggers. It runs on BaaS infrastructure, letting developers automate yield farming or liquidation alerts without writing custom code. Same goes for OraiDEX, an AI-powered decentralized exchange built on the Oraichain blockchain. It uses BaaS to handle cross-chain swaps, AI trading signals, and low-latency execution—all without requiring users to juggle multiple wallets or pay insane gas fees.
Behind the scenes, BaaS platforms handle the heavy lifting: node management, consensus tuning, API access, and network scaling. That’s why you see so many crypto projects using it—they’re not reinventing the wheel. They’re plugging into a working system. But not all BaaS is equal. Some are public and permissionless, like those powering Ethereum sidechains. Others are private and enterprise-only, used by banks or governments to track assets. The difference matters. If you’re trading a token like OLE or staking AURA, a DeFi governance token that optimizes yield on Balancer pools, you’re likely interacting with a BaaS-powered backend—even if you never saw it.
And it’s not just about trading. BaaS enables real-world use cases: a livestreamer earning VDR, a token tied to a CoinMarketCap-backed platform for content creators, or a Nigerian user buying crypto on Cryptal Exchange under ISA 2025 rules—all rely on underlying blockchain services that someone else built and maintained. Even the account abstraction, a wallet upgrade that lets users pay gas in any token and recover accounts without seed phrases you’ve heard about? It’s easier to roll out on BaaS platforms because they control the environment.
What you won’t find in this collection are vague marketing fluff pieces. These are real tools, real platforms, and real risks. You’ll see how BaaS enables projects like OraiDEX to exist, why some airdrops like VDR or SHO depend on it, and why scams like LocalCoin DEX can’t survive without pretending to use it. You’ll learn where the infrastructure is solid—and where it’s just a facade.
Banking as a Service (BaaS) lets non-bank businesses offer banking features like accounts, payments, and loans through APIs. It cuts costs, speeds up launch times, and boosts customer loyalty without requiring a banking license.