How does The Graph work?
- INDEXERS
- QUERY
- GRAPHQL
The Graph’s first step for aggregating data happens through the Graph Nodes, who continuously scan network blocks and smart contracts for information.
When an application adds data to the blockchain through smart contracts, the Graph Node adds the data from these new blocks to its appropriate Subgraphs.
Once the Graph Node extracts information, there are three types of users who contribute to organizing data in its protocol.
These include: Curators – Subgraph developers who assess which subgraphs are of high quality and need to be indexed by The Graph. Of note, Curators attach GRT to the subgraphs they believe in. Indexers – Node operators tasked with providing indexing and querying services for the signaled subgraphs, and must stake GRT in order to provide these services. Delegators – Delegate GRT to indexers in order to contribute to running the network without installing a node.