What Is The Graph Token
The Graph token (GRT) is an ERC-20 token on the Ethereum blockchain. It is used to distribute network resources. Indexers earn GRT for new issuance while curators receive GRT for queries. Delegators earn a percentage of the income of the Indexer they delegate to. Both parties share the benefits of GRT. The Graph is expected to launch its main network in December 2020. There are a number of barriers to adoption.
Among its main goals is to facilitate global adoption and further innovate the network. It does so by establishing Grant programs that will finance various projects and contribute to the growth of the network. In addition, Graph will allocate 1% of its fees to fund these projects. It uses indexer nodes to keep indexing functions up to date. Its data provides curators with fast and easy access to subgraphs containing indexable information.
The Graph Protocol has a cap on its total token supply, but it has defined two inflationary mechanisms: a fixed 3% annual issuance and a 0% annual burn rate. During year one, it will be set at 0%. The technical governance will review the limits periodically. The burn rate is expected to be around 1%. The Graph token will continue to grow on price, and can be purchased on the most popular exchanges like Binance, Kucoin, or Kraken.
Summary
The Graph is an indexing protocol for querying data for networks like Ethereum and IPFS, powering many applications in both DeFi and the broader Web3 ecosystem. Anyone can build and publish open APIs, called subgraphs, that applications can query using GraphQL to retrieve blockchain data. There is a hosted service in production that makes it easy for developers to get started building on The Graph and the decentralized network will be launching later this year. The Graph currently supports indexing data from Ethereum, IPFS and POA, with more networks coming soon.