Glossary
The Graph
A decentralized indexing protocol where indexers serve queryable subgraphs of on-chain data, paid in GRT tokens. The dominant Web3 query layer.
The Graph turns the problem of "querying a blockchain" into a market. Developers define a "subgraph" (which contracts, which events, which schema) and indexers compete to serve queries from GraphQL endpoints. Curators stake GRT to signal high-quality subgraphs; delegators stake to back specific indexers.
Most major dApps use The Graph (hosted or decentralized) to power their frontends. Substreams and other newer protocols target similar use cases with different cost / latency / decentralization trade-offs.