✅ Master The Graph Protocol
Understand subgraphs, GraphQL queries, and production patterns
Query blockchain data efficiently with The Graph
Your Progress
0 / 5 completed🎓 Module Complete
Congratulations! You've mastered GraphQL indexing—the backbone of modern dApp data infrastructure.
📚 What You Learned
Blockchain nodes = terrible databases. RPC queries for "all swaps in last 30 days" take minutes, scan 216K blocks, cost thousands of requests. Indexers pre-process data into real databases, serve via GraphQL in 150ms. 30x faster, 99% cheaper, enable complex queries impossible with RPC.
Three components: Schema (define entities), Manifest (which contracts/events), Mappings (transform events → data). Write in AssemblyScript, deploy to The Graph, indexers sync. Minutes later, GraphQL endpoint live. Example: ERC-20 subgraph tracks Token + Transfer entities from Transfer events.
Pagination (first/skip) prevents million-record fetches. Filtering (where) reduces data at source. Sorting (orderBy) organizes efficiently. Field selection avoids over-fetching. Avoid nested arrays (N+1 problem). Target: <100ms excellent, <300ms good, >500ms needs optimization.
Aggregations (DailyVolume updated on every event) track cumulative stats. Time-series (TokenHourData snapshots) enable charts. Relationships (@derivedFrom) model complex data (User → Positions → Token). Subscriptions push real-time updates. Powers Uniswap dashboards, Aave analytics, OpenSea collections.
Decentralized indexing network. Developers deploy subgraphs, indexers process them (stake GRT), curators signal quality (stake GRT), consumers query (pay GRT). Production-ready, battle-tested (billions in TVL), used by every major DeFi protocol. Alternative: run own Graph Node (self-hosted).
🧠 Test Your Knowledge
Take this 5-question quiz to verify you understand indexing concepts, subgraph development, query optimization, and production patterns.