History of the Web and the beginning of the new era with The Graph
Over time, the Internet has become a big part of our day to day lives. Web3 marks the next step in the evolution of the Internet. Thanks to it websites, applications or other services can be controlled by their users. Every seen the phrase “Web3 compatibility”?. Often it means that a website connected to the Ethereum network. All of this can certainly be confusing if you are new to it.
To better understand, we should just take a look at we got to this point.
First, there was light…
At the beginning of Internet development, the functionality of websites was very limited. All users could do is interact with the website’s content. Of course, you might have had a personal webpage, but you couldn’t do anything with it, it was basically static. And it was probably hosted by your internet provider or a site like GeoCities. There was very little interactivity, except for a guestbook where users could write their name and leave a short comment.
Next came Web 2.0, at least that is what some call it. It allowed uses to interact with a website in completely new ways. Websites like Facebook and YouTube were born. Web 2.0 relies on users to create something that the host or owner can use and benefit from. But, in most cases, users have little or no control over the data. In addition, you never know if the content you like will remain. When the content is no longer needed or when there is a threat of profit, the owner of the website has the right to delete it from the platform. Not to mention the fact that most service providers own your data according to their terms of service.
What is Web3?
Web3 aims to empower users and return them the control over the content they have created. Web3 applications, sometimes called DApps, are built on decentralized peer-to-peer networks such as Ethereum and IPFS. These networks are not managed by any company, but are created, operated, and maintained by their users. They are self-organized and have no “center”. Plus, they are open source, that means anyone can help create this common infrastructure.
All of this sounds pretty amazing, right? But…
Web 3.0 data access stack should have three main functions:
1. The ability to access information as if it were stored in a central repository.
2. The ability to request records based on their attributes.
3. The ability to request records on the basis of their attributes. Possibility to move effectively through blocking data based on certain criteria.
Because of these restrictions, some developers might not even consider using Web3. Luckily there is a solution.
Introducing The Graph
Conceptually, the Graph is a decentralized protocol for indexing and querying block data. The Graph starts with the creation of a manifesto describing the block data presentation. Attributes for a specific DApp protocol can be specified in the manifesto. After the manifesto is created, The Graph records intra-cheon events from that particular protocol or application and indexes them into IPFS using the manifesto as a guide. Finally, the data is provided by an API based on the popular GraphQL protocol. The Graph endpoint converts GraphQL queries into IPFS commands used to access the data.
The Graph is a very good solution to solving one of the most important problems in Web 3.0 applications. Using well-known technologies such as IPFS, Postgress, or GraphQL, The Graph reduces the entry point for developers who request block data. To make things even more exciting, the current version of The Graph was recently opened and is in the active version. Although The Graph is still at a very early stage, it seems to have the technological foundation to become one of the most important protocols for the Web 3.0 movement.
For more information and opportunities of the project, you can find https://thegraph.com/
This article was written by bt discord user Oksana#2939
