> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.sqd.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

<AgentInstructions>

## Submitting Feedback

If you encounter incorrect, outdated, or confusing documentation on this page, submit feedback:

POST https://docs.sqd.dev/feedback

```json
{
  "path": "/en/sdk/squid-sdk/subsquid-vs-thegraph",
  "feedback": "Description of the issue"
}
```

Only submit feedback when you have something specific and actionable to report.

</AgentInstructions>

# SQD vs The Graph

> Compare SQD and The Graph — feature parity, indexing throughput, query performance, decentralization model, and pricing for blockchain indexers.

[The Graph](https://thegraph.com) is an indexing protocol and framework for EVM chains. In The Graph, indexing projects are called subgraphs. A Graph indexing node is a black-box that executes subgraphs compiled into WASM. The data is sourced directly from an archival blockchain node, and the processed data is stored in a built-in Postgres database.

On the contrary, SQD employs a radically open modular architecture with:

* a separated layer for efficient data extraction and batch queries ([SQD Network](/en/network))
* a client-side libraries for data transformation and presentation.

The data transformation and presentation is enabled by a growing list of tools and SDKs that consume the raw data from SQD Network:

* Typescript based [Squid SDK](/en/sdk/squid-sdk) offers pluggable data targets for both online and offline use-cases
* Python-based [DipDup SDK](https://dipdup.io/docs/quickstart-evm?ref=blog.subsquid.io)
* Subgraphs (via [SQD Firehose adapter](/en/sdk/squid-sdk/subgraphs-support))
* ApeWorx (via [ape-subsquid plugin](/en/sdk/squid-sdk/apeworx))

## Feature matrix

|                                         |                                                                     SQD Network + Squid SDK                                                                     |             The Graph             |
| :-------------------------------------: | :-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------: | :-------------------------------: |
|           Programming language          |                                                                            Typescript                                                                           | AssemblyScript (compiled to WASM) |
|              Indexing speed             |                                                                           \~1k-50k bps                                                                          |           \~100-150 bps           |
|           ABI-based generator           |                                                                               Yes                                                                               |                Yes                |
| Real-time indexing (unfinalized blocks) |                                                                               Yes                                                                               |                 No                |
|              Off-chain data             |                                                                               Yes                                                                               |                 No                |
|               Data targets              |                                                                           Customizable                                                                          |           Postgres-only           |
|        Customizable DB migrations       |                                                                               Yes                                                                               |                 No                |
|        Factory contract indexing        |                                                                        Yes, via wildcards                                                                       |                Yes                |
|         Multi-contract indexing         |                                                                               Yes                                                                               |              Limited              |
|          Analytic data targets          |                                                                      BigQuery, Parquet, CSV                                                                     |                 No                |
|               Local setup               |                                                                               Easy                                                                              |     Requires an archival node     |
|               GraphQL API               |                                                                 Generated from `schema.graphql`                                                                 |  Generated from `schema.graphql`  |
|      Custom resolvers and mutations     |                                                                               Yes                                                                               |                 No                |
|              Subscriptions              |                                                                               Yes                                                                               |           Via middleware          |
|              Hosted service             |                                                                               Yes                                                                               |         Yes (to be sunset)        |
|           Secret env variables          |                                                                               Yes                                                                               |                 No                |
|                 Payment                 |                                                          [Fiat, subscription-based](/en/cloud/pricing)                                                          |         GRT, pay-per-query        |
|             Decentralization            | Decentralized data sourcing via [SQD Network](/en/network), with opt-in decentralized data targets (Kwil DB, Ceramic) and processing (via Lava, in development) |         The Graph network         |

## Architecture difference

By design, The Graph indexing node is a black-box that executes subgraphs compiled into WASM. The data is sourced directly from the archival node and local IPFS, and the processed data is stored in a built-in Postgres database. The data stored in the database is considered to be "sealed", so that no external process can modify or read the data except through the GraphQL interface.