The Graph alternatives

The Graph is a decentralised indexing protocol where each dataset (a subgraph) is written, deployed and queried independently rather than read off a pre-built schema. Queries are GQL against indexer nodes, billed in GRT, with a hosted gateway in front. The model means data shape is owned by whoever wrote the subgraph: a missing field, a stale index or a deprecated mapping is on the publisher, not on a central API team. Chain coverage tracks what indexers have chosen to support, which leans heavily EVM and lags on newer L2s and non-EVM networks until someone publishes a subgraph for them. The two reasons teams move off are the cost of running a private subgraph at production load, and the operational burden of debugging an indexer regression on a chain the public hosted service does not cover.