Solana RPC Endpoint (metaplex.devnet.rpcpool.com) returns 403 Forbidden – Alternative solutions?

I’m developing an application using Solana’s devnet and trying to connect to the RPC endpoint https://metaplex.devnet.rpcpool.com/. However, I’m consistently getting a 403 Forbidden error.

Here are the details:

• RPC Endpoint: https://metaplex.devnet.rpcpool.com/

• Network: Solana devnet

• Error: 403 Forbidden

My current configuration and error:

azzurri@Hihi:~/studihub-nfts$ solana config get

Config File: /home/azzurri/.config/solana/cli/config.yml

RPC URL: https://metaplex.devnet.rpcpool.com/

WebSocket URL: wss://metaplex.devnet.rpcpool.com/ (computed)

Keypair Path: /home/azzurri/studihub-nfts/Owner.json

Commitment: confirmed

azzurri@Hihi:~/studihub-nfts$ solana airdrop 2 /home/azzurri/studihub-nfts/Owner.json

Requesting airdrop of 2 SOL

Error: RPC request error: cluster version query failed: HTTP status client error (403 Forbidden) for url (https://metaplex.devnet.rpcpool.com/)

azzurri@Hihi:~/studihub-nfts$

I’ve tried the following:

1. Double-checking my connection parameters

2. Waiting and retrying after some time in case it was a temporary issue

3. Checking for any official announcements about changes to the endpoint’s access policy

Questions:

1. Is anyone else experiencing this issue with this specific RPC endpoint?

2. Are there any known requirements or authentication needed for this endpoint that I might be missing?

3. Can you suggest alternative RPC endpoints for Solana devnet that are reliable and accessible?

4. If this endpoint is no longer publicly available, what are the recommended best practices for selecting an RPC endpoint for Solana devnet development?

5. Is there a way to troubleshoot or bypass this 403 error when using the Solana CLI?

Any insights or solutions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your help!