Indexer FAQ
Plain answers to the questions developers ask before picking an indexer.
What is a blockchain indexer?
A blockchain indexer reads raw on-chain data (blocks, transactions, events), organizes it, and makes it fast to query — usually via GraphQL, SQL or a REST API. dApps need one because reading directly from an RPC node is far too slow for app queries like "all of this user’s trades".
What is a subgraph?
A subgraph is The Graph’s unit of indexing: a manifest that says which contracts and events to index, a schema for the data, and mapping code that transforms events into entities. Many indexers (Goldsky, Alchemy, Ormi) are "Graph-compatible", meaning they can run the same subgraphs.
The Graph hosted service was deprecated — what now?
In 2026 The Graph fully retired its free hosted service, so projects had to move either to The Graph’s decentralized network (paying in GRT) or to an alternative. Common migration targets are Goldsky, Alchemy Subgraphs and Ormi (all Graph-compatible), or a faster framework like Envio or Subsquid.
Which indexer is the fastest?
In independent benchmarks (Sentio, 2025), Envio’s HyperIndex is the fastest — roughly 142× faster than The Graph and 15× faster than the next competitor (Subsquid) on the Uniswap V2 Factory test. Its edge comes from HyperSync, a Rust query engine up to 2000× faster than standard RPC.
Decentralized protocol vs managed service — which should I pick?
A decentralized protocol (The Graph, Subsquid, SubQuery) gives you censorship resistance and no single operator, but you handle subgraph deployment and pay network/query costs. A managed service (Goldsky, Alchemy, Ormi) trades that for zero-maintenance convenience and SLAs. Frameworks (Envio, Ponder) let you self-host for full control and speed.
Do I need to know how to code?
Mostly yes — indexing is a developer task. Frameworks like Envio and Ponder use TypeScript; The Graph and Alchemy use AssemblyScript mappings; Subsquid and SubQuery use TypeScript SDKs. If you just want to read data without coding, a unified API like Covalent/GoldRush or Goldsky Mirror is the lighter option.
Can I index non-EVM chains (Solana, Cosmos, Bitcoin)?
For broad non-EVM coverage, SubQuery (300+ chains incl. Polkadot, Cosmos, Bitcoin) and Subsquid (100+ EVM + non-EVM) are the strongest. Envio and Ponder are EVM-focused; The Graph covers 55+ mostly-EVM chains. Match the indexer to the ecosystems you need.