Ajuna RPC Endpoint: Chain Settings, Connection Options, and Debugging

Ajuna is a Substrate-based network built for gaming and on-chain application workloads, connected to the Polkadot ecosystem. If you searched for "ajuna" because you are trying to connect a wallet, a dApp, or a backend service to the network, the first thing you need is a working RPC endpoint and the correct chain settings. This page gives you those, then walks through the connection options and the failures you are most likely to hit.

Start here: which Ajuna connection do you actually need?

Before copying an endpoint, decide what kind of access your project needs. The right choice depends on whether you are exploring, shipping a user-facing app, or running indexers and automation.

If you are still deciding between shared and dedicated access, the tradeoffs are the same as for any Substrate chain: shared endpoints are cheap and quick, dedicated nodes cost more but give predictable throughput. OnFinality offers both RPC API access and dedicated nodes for supported networks, so you can start shared and move up when your workload grows.

Ajuna chain settings at a glance

Ajuna is a Substrate/Polkadot-ecosystem chain, which means it speaks the standard Substrate JSON-RPC interface rather than the Ethereum JSON-RPC interface. That single fact explains most connection problems people run into.

Two things to internalise:

1. Do not point MetaMask at Ajuna. MetaMask expects an EVM chain ID and Ethereum-style methods. Ajuna is not an EVM chain, so eth_chainId, eth_getBalance, and similar calls will not behave the way you expect.
2. Use Substrate tooling. Polkadot.js, Substrate API Sidecar, and the @polkadot/api library are the natural clients. If your team only knows ethers.js or viem, budget time to learn the Substrate model.

Always confirm the current chain properties (token decimals, SS58 prefix, and any network-specific parameters) against the official Ajuna documentation or the network page before hardcoding them, since these can change as the network evolves.

Connecting a wallet or client

For a Substrate chain, "adding a network" usually means configuring a wallet or a client library rather than filling in an EVM network form. In Polkadot.js Apps, for example, you select the network and provide the WebSocket endpoint.

A minimal connection using @polkadot/api looks like this:

import { ApiPromise, WsProvider } from '@polkadot/api';

// Replace with the WebSocket endpoint you have been given access to.
const provider = new WsProvider('wss://your-ajuna-endpoint');
const api = await ApiPromise.create({ provider });

const [chain, nodeName, nodeVersion] = await Promise.all([
  api.rpc.system.chain(),
  api.rpc.system.name(),
  api.rpc.system.version()
]);

console.log(`Connected to ${chain} via ${nodeName} v${nodeVersion}`);

If you prefer to check connectivity with a raw HTTP call before writing application code, use a Substrate method such as system_chain:

curl -sS -X POST https://your-ajuna-endpoint \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"system_chain","params":[]}'

A healthy response returns the chain name in the result field. If you get an error object instead, jump to the debugging section below.

Note that the exact public endpoint URL depends on the provider and can change. Rather than hardcoding a URL you found in a forum post, take the endpoint from the Ajuna network page or from your provider's dashboard, and keep it in an environment variable so you can rotate it without a code change.

Production readiness checklist

A single successful system_chain call does not mean your integration is production-ready. Before you point real traffic at an endpoint, work through this list.

• Failover: Configure at least two endpoints and a client-side retry/fallback path. A single hardcoded URL is a single point of failure.
• Transport choice: Use HTTPS for request/response calls and WebSocket only where you genuinely need subscriptions. Long-lived WebSockets need reconnect logic.
• Rate limits: Understand your provider's request limits and how they are enforced. Shared public endpoints are usually the first to throttle under bursts.
• Archive needs: If you query historical state, confirm the endpoint serves archive data rather than a pruned full node.
• Monitoring: Track request latency, error rate, and subscription disconnects. Alert on sustained error spikes, not single failures.
• Secrets: Never ship an API key in client-side code. Proxy authenticated calls through your own backend.

If several of these are hard to satisfy with a public endpoint, that is usually the signal to move to a managed or dedicated option. You can compare tiers on the RPC pricing page.

Common failure modes and how to debug them

Most Ajuna connection problems fall into a small number of categories. Match the symptom to the likely cause before changing anything else.

A quick diagnostic sequence:

1. Test system_chain over HTTPS. If it fails, the problem is connectivity, not your application logic.
2. Test the same endpoint over WebSocket if you need subscriptions. If HTTP works but WS does not, it is a transport or subscription issue.
3. Compare against a second endpoint. If the second works, the first is the problem.
4. Only then look at your application code.

Shared endpoints vs dedicated nodes for Ajuna

For a Substrate chain used in gaming or app workloads, traffic can be bursty: quiet most of the day, then a spike when an event or game session starts. That pattern is exactly where shared endpoints struggle and dedicated capacity helps.

• Shared RPC is the right starting point for development, testing, and low-traffic apps. You get an endpoint quickly and pay little or nothing.
• Dedicated nodes make sense when you need consistent throughput, archive access, or isolation from other tenants' traffic. You are essentially renting infrastructure instead of operating it.
• Running your own node gives maximum control but adds real operational cost: hardware, upgrades, monitoring, and on-call. For many teams, that cost outweighs the benefit unless they have specific compliance or customisation needs.

The decision usually comes down to how much downtime and latency variance your application can tolerate. If the answer is "very little," managed or dedicated access is the pragmatic choice.

Where Ajuna fits in a Polkadot stack

Ajuna sits in the broader Polkadot ecosystem, so teams often connect it alongside other Substrate chains. If you are building across multiple networks, standardise your connection layer: one client wrapper, one set of retry rules, one monitoring dashboard. That way adding or swapping a chain is a configuration change rather than a rewrite.

You can see which networks are available for managed access on the supported RPC networks page, and use the same provider relationship across them where possible to simplify billing and support.

Key Takeaways

• Ajuna is a Substrate-based Polkadot-ecosystem chain, so it uses Substrate JSON-RPC, not Ethereum JSON-RPC.
• Use Substrate tooling and SS58 addresses; do not point MetaMask at Ajuna.
• Confirm chain properties and the current endpoint against the Ajuna network page rather than hardcoding values from a forum.
• For production, plan for failover, rate limits, archive needs, and monitoring before you go live.
• Shared RPC is fine for development; dedicated nodes suit bursty or high-throughput workloads.
• OnFinality offers RPC API access and dedicated nodes for supported networks; check availability and pricing before migrating.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Ajuna an EVM chain? No. Ajuna is a Substrate-based network in the Polkadot ecosystem, so it uses Substrate JSON-RPC methods and SS58 addresses rather than Ethereum-style methods and 0x addresses.

Which wallet should I use for Ajuna? Use a Substrate-compatible wallet such as Polkadot.js, SubWallet, or Talisman. EVM-only wallets like MetaMask are not the right tool for this network.

Why does my call return "Method not found"? You are most likely sending an Ethereum JSON-RPC method to a Substrate node. Switch to Substrate methods such as system_chain or chain_getHeader.

Can I use a public endpoint in production? You can, but public endpoints are shared and may rate-limit or drop under load. For user-facing apps, plan for a managed or dedicated endpoint with failover.

Does OnFinality support Ajuna? Check the Ajuna network page for current availability, and see supported RPC networks for the full list. Availability can change, so confirm before you build around it.

How do I debug a WebSocket that keeps disconnecting? Add reconnect logic with exponential backoff, confirm the endpoint supports subscriptions, and check whether you are hitting provider subscription limits.