How to choose the best Web3 data indexer: Subgraphs, APIs, and real-time blockchain data
Learn how to choose the best Web3 data indexer for your blockchain app. Compare subgraphs, APIs, SQL, and custom indexing to match your performance, chain coverage, and scaling needs - and see why top blockchain applications choose Ormi.
In the previous post, we covered the basics of blockchain indexing:- what it is, how it works, and why it’s essential to every app in Web3. The next section helps you determine the best indexing solution for your specific needs.
Whether you’re building a trading bot, a DeFi dashboard, or an AI agent running on-chain actions, the right indexer can make or break your application’s performance and scalability.
Start with your data requirements
What kind of data does your application need to read? Most use cases fall into one or more of these buckets:
- Account-level data: wallet balances, transfer history.
- Asset-level data: token metadata, ownership records.
- Protocol-level data: events from smart contracts, user positions, votes, on-chain state.
Some of this data can be accessed through general-purpose APIs or RPC calls. But protocol-level data almost always requires indexing. That’s where subgraphs, APIs, SQL dashboards, and custom pipelines come in.
Match your needs to indexing capabilities
Here are some common use cases and what types of indexing work best for them:
| Scenario | Best indexer | Why it’s the best option |
|---|---|---|
| Real-time front-end dashboards | Subgraph indexing with managed hosting | Streams real-time data with fast setup and smart contract compatibility. |
| Cross-chain portfolio apps | Data APIs + optional subgraphs | Quick access to token data + deeper contract data when needed. |
| Complex app logic (staking, rebase tokens) | State-based or custom indexers | Allows full control over computed state and on-chain conditions. |
| Analytic tools | SQL-based / ETL pipelines | Optimized for historical backfills, aggregates, and data exploration. |
| Developer infrastructure | Block-level based systems | Enables full chain visibility, including internal calls and traces. |
Determine what you need
To choose the right indexer, assess the following:
Performance & latency
- Do you need sub-second updates?
- Can your app tolerate a few seconds of lag?
- Is your app high throughput (ex. bots, automation, DeFi)?
For real-time performance, prioritize platforms like Ormi that support subgraph-compatible, high-RPS workloads.
Chain coverage
- What networks are you on today? Tomorrow?
- Do you need data from multiple chains in a unified view?
Not all indexers support the same chains. Ensure your preferred provider supports the networks you need now and in the future.
Developer resources
- Does your engineering team prefer GraphQL, REST, or SQL?
- Are you comfortable with subgraph schemas and AssemblyScript?
- Do you want hosted infra or full control?
Hosted platforms like Ormi offer strong tooling and support, while frameworks like Ponder or Ghost cater to teams with deeper infrastructure capabilities and available engineering resources
Data depth & type
- Do you need event logs only, or full contract state?
- Is it enough to track balances, or do you need composable insights (for example, voting power, vesting schedules)?
The more complex your data needs, the more robust your indexer must be. Event-based solutions work for notifications and transfers; full-state or trace-based approaches unlock advanced functionality.
Hosting and infra Requirements
- Do you want a no-setup, SaaS model?
- Or do you want full control and flexibility?
Managed solutions reduce complexity and time-to-market, while self-hosted indexers allow for customization, control, and cost optimization over time.
Cost & scaling
- What’s your expected query volume?
- Are you indexing multiple contracts?
- Will you scale to thousands of users?
Indexing costs scale with compute, storage, and query load. Platforms like Ormi offer tiered plans for teams of all sizes, while open-source tools require engineering investment like running RPC nodes, managing archival state, accuracy of data, and observability which will require a dedicated DevOps team.
Performance is scalability
The best indexers can keep up with fast-moving chains. Look for:
- Sub-second latency at high throughput (ex. 1,000+ RPS)
- Support for high TPS chains (ex. MegaETH, Berachain)
- Backfill performance (time it takes to index historical data)
- Reorg resilience (how well it handles chain reorganizations)
Self-hosted vs managed
Do you want full control, or do you just want it to work?
- Managed: Platforms like Ormi, The Graph Studio, and Goldsky handle everything.
- Self-hosted: Tools like Ponder or custom stacks give you full control at the cost of maintenance.
Indexing options
There are a few key differentiators for how indexing works in Web3:
- Subgraphs - Declarative schemas and mappings triggered by contract events. Ideal for smart contract-based apps and dashboards.
- Data APIs - Pre-built endpoints like /balances or /transactions to query common datasets. Great for fast prototyping and multi-chain wallets without requiring nodes and node synchronization.
- SQL/ETL indexing - Batch-based backfills into queryable databases. Best for analytics, dashboards, and historical exploration.
- Custom/trace-based indexing - Custom frameworks or indexing logic for state simulation or full trace analysis. Useful for research, governance logic, or MEV insights.
Each method has tradeoffs in terms of performance, depth, and setup complexity.
Why Ormi is the first choice for many builders
Ormi is purpose-built for teams building on high-throughput blockchains and latency-sensitive apps. It combines speed, scale, and flexibility in one unified platform.
- Real-time + historical + AI-enriched data access
- Subgraph indexing is 5x faster than competitors
- Sub-30ms latency at 1,000+ RPS (scaling to 4,000+ RPS)
- Full reorg handling
- Multi-chain support (including 70+ chains)
- GraphQL APIs, REST endpoints, and SQL access - all composable
If you’re building mission-critical apps that rely on real-time data, Ormi is your first choice.
Conclusion
Choosing a Web3 indexer is an important part of any product and engineering stack as it directly impacts the end-user’s experience.
The more demanding your app is, the more you’ll want an indexer that’s fast, accurate, and flexible and can scale up quickly.
In the next post, we’ll feature the top Web3 indexers and how they differ from each other. Stay tuned.
About Ormi
Ormi is the next-generation data layer for Web3, purpose-built for real-time, high-throughput applications like DeFi, gaming, wallets, and on-chain infrastructure. Its hybrid architecture ensures sub-30ms latency and up to 4,000 RPS for live subgraph indexing, sub-10ms responses across 100+ API schemas, and a powerful SQL engine for historical and AI-ready data.
With 99.9% uptime and deployments across ecosystems representing $50B+ in TVL and $100B+ in annual transaction volume, Ormi is trusted to power the most demanding production environments without throttling or delay.