# The Graph **Source:** https://geo.sig.ai/brands/the-graph **Vertical:** Web3 **Subcategory:** Blockchain Data Indexing **Tier:** Growth **Website:** thegraph.com **Last Updated:** 2026-04-14 ## Summary Decentralized indexing protocol for querying blockchain data via GraphQL; removes the need to build custom on-chain data pipelines; subgraphs continuously process on-chain events and expose structured queryable endpoints for DEX, NFT, and DeFi protocol data access. ## Company Overview The Graph is a decentralized indexing protocol that makes blockchain data queryable through standard GraphQL APIs, solving one of the most persistent engineering challenges in Web3 application development. Reading complex on-chain data — such as a user's historical trades across a DEX, the ownership history of an NFT collection, or the current state of a liquidity pool — requires either running indexing infrastructure or making hundreds of sequential RPC calls. The Graph replaces this with "subgraphs": developer-defined indexing schemas that continuously process on-chain events and expose structured, queryable endpoints. Subgraphs are written in AssemblyScript using a manifest that maps smart contract events to data entities, and once deployed to The Graph's network, they are served by a decentralized network of Indexers who are economically incentivized through the GRT token to process queries reliably. This decentralized architecture means subgraph data availability is not dependent on any single company's uptime, aligning with the censorship-resistance goals of the protocols that use it. Hosted subgraphs on The Graph's managed service have been consumed by virtually every major DeFi protocol including Uniswap, Aave, Compound, and Synthetix. The Graph targets dApp developers, DeFi protocol teams, and blockchain data engineers who need performant, structured access to on-chain data at application scale. It competes with centralized data providers like Covalent and Moralis for indexed blockchain data, differentiating through its decentralized network architecture, its GraphQL-native querying experience, and its deep adoption within the DeFi ecosystem. The Graph Foundation stewards the protocol development and GRT token ecosystem, positioning The Graph as essential infrastructure for the decentralized web. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is a subgraph and how is it different from querying a blockchain node directly? A subgraph is a custom indexing schema that processes and stores on-chain events in a structured database, allowing complex data queries through a single GraphQL call — compared to querying a node directly, which requires multiple sequential RPC calls and manual data assembly. ### How much does The Graph cost? The Graph uses a decentralized market where dApps pay Indexers in GRT (Graph Token) to query subgraphs on the decentralized network. Query costs depend on the subgraph complexity and market conditions, but are typically fractions of a cent per query. Developers using The Graph hosted service have historically had free access, with the transition to the decentralized network introducing market-based pricing. ### What is GRT and how is it used? GRT is the native utility token of The Graph network, used to coordinate economic incentives between Indexers (who run nodes and process queries), Curators (who signal on high-quality subgraphs), and Delegators (who stake GRT to Indexers). The token creates a self-sustaining economic system that rewards participants for providing and maintaining reliable blockchain data services. ### Who are The Graph main competitors? The Graph competes with Covalent, Goldsky, and Subsquid in the blockchain data indexing and query infrastructure market. The Graph differentiates with its decentralized network model, the largest ecosystem of existing subgraphs built by the community, and GraphQL as a standard query interface across all indexed protocols. ### Which blockchains does The Graph support? The Graph supports Ethereum, Polygon, BNB Chain, Arbitrum, Avalanche, Celo, Fantom, and dozens of other EVM-compatible chains, as well as NEAR Protocol and Cosmos. New chain support is added through community governance proposals, and the protocol has consistently expanded its coverage as new blockchain ecosystems have gained developer adoption. ### How do developers deploy a subgraph? Developers create a subgraph manifest defining which contract events to index, write AssemblyScript mapping code that transforms raw event data into entities, and deploy using The Graph CLI. Once deployed, the subgraph begins indexing historical data and stays synchronized as new blocks are produced, serving queries through a GraphQL endpoint immediately. ### What types of protocols use The Graph? The Graph is used by virtually every major DeFi protocol and NFT marketplace including Uniswap, Aave, Compound, and OpenSea to serve the on-chain data powering their frontends. Rather than each protocol building and maintaining their own custom indexing infrastructure, they deploy subgraphs that index the data their application needs and query them through The Graph. ### What recent milestones has The Graph reached? The Graph network processes billions of queries per month and has grown to host tens of thousands of subgraphs across its hosted service and decentralized network. The protocol has expanded into Substreams, a new high-performance indexing technology that can process large volumes of blockchain data significantly faster than traditional subgraph indexing. ## Tags analytics, api-first, b2b, blockchain, developer-tools, fintech, global, infrastructure, open-source, platform, startup --- *Data from geo.sig.ai Brand Intelligence Database. Updated 2026-04-14.*