What is The Graph (GRT)?
- Author
- CRYPTO PORT Editorial
- Published
- Updated
- Reading time
- 5 min
In short
The Graph organises blockchain data into a form that can be queried. Instead of running their own node and parsing history, application developers query indexed data through GraphQL. GRT pays the participants who build and serve those indexes and is used for staking.
Key points
- Indexes on-chain events so they can be queried with GraphQL
- An index definition is called a subgraph, and anyone can create and publish one
- Three roles: Indexers run the indexes, Curators signal quality, Delegators stake to Indexers
- Originally centred on a hosted service, later migrated to the decentralised network
Definition
A decentralised indexing network that organises blockchain data and answers queries from applications.
Because a blockchain is an append-only sequence of transactions, a question like which NFTs an address holds is awkward to answer directly. Developers traditionally ran their own node, parsed the full history and built a database. The Graph exists to make that work shared rather than repeated.
Subgraphs are the core of it: definitions of which contract events to capture and what shape to store them in. Anyone can write and publish one. Indexers on the network pick up published subgraphs, build the index and answer GraphQL queries from applications.
Participants fall into three roles. Indexers run indexes and serve queries; Curators stake GRT to signal which subgraphs are worth indexing; Delegators stake GRT to Indexers without running infrastructure themselves. Query fees are distributed among them.
Early on, most applications ran on a free hosted service operated by the foundation. That was wound down as activity migrated to the decentralised network, and queries are now served by network Indexers.
Watch out for
- · Subgraph quality depends on its author; a wrong definition returns wrong data, so check before relying on one
- · Indexes have to keep up with the chain head and can lag behind it
- · Staking as a Curator or Delegator involves fees and waiting periods on deposit and withdrawal
Frequently asked questions
Does it matter to someone who only uses apps?
You rarely interact with it directly, but the balances and histories shown in DeFi and NFT applications are often served by it behind the scenes.