Announcing MIPs: The Graph’s Multi-Chain Incentivized Program
Two years after and the initial testnet prior to the launch of The Graph Network, The Graph Foundation is pleased to announce the next incentivization program for Indexers: Migration Infrastructure Providers (MIPs). The MIPs program bootstraps Indexers to add support for new chains on the decentralized network, enabling migration of multi-chain subgraphs.
This is a critical expansion of support for dapps and subgraph migration ahead of the . Every dapp, regardless of what chain it is built on, deserves decentralized and open APIs—ensuring decentralized access to blockchain data is crucial for building a robust, secure, and reliable web3.
The MIPs program has allocated 0.75% of the GRT supply (75M GRT), with 0.5% to reward Indexers who contribute to bootstrapping the network and 0.25% allocated to migration grants for subgraph developers using multi-chain subgraphs. The program builds on the success of Mission Control, which introduced the first generation of Indexers to the network by accelerating network readiness and infrastructure.
The Graph Network expanding multi-chain support is a historic step forward for the web3 ecosystem and the incentivized MIPs program prepares Indexers to reliably index and serve queries in a multi-chain environment. That multi-chain environment begins with the addition of a new chain on The Graph Network.
The first chain that will be supported on the decentralized network is Gnosis Chain! Formerly known as xDAI, Gnosis Chain is an EVM-based chain that will be the first to be supported on the network. Gnosis Chain was selected as the first given its user-friendliness of running nodes, Indexer readiness, alignment with The Graph and adoption within web3.
New chains will be announced throughout the MIPs program, based on Indexer readiness, demand, and community sentiment. Chains will firstly be supported on the testnet and, subsequently, a GIP will be passed to support that chain on mainnet. Indexers participating in the MIPs program will choose which chains they are interested in supporting and will earn rewards per chain, in addition to earning query fees and indexing rewards on the network for serving subgraphs. MIPs participants will be scored based on their performance, ability to serve network needs, and community support.
Indexers who intend to support Gnosis on The Graph Network should begin syncing their Gnosis Chain nodes now.
By the end of Q1 2023, the hosted service for all network-supported chains will be sunset, so the MIPs program will work in parallel to subgraph migration efforts. At the conclusion of the program, Indexers should feel confident serving subgraphs on new chains added to The Graph Network. While MIPs participants must be Indexers, we welcome a new generation of Indexers who want to contribute to The Graph Network. The MIPs program formally begins on September 20th, 2022, and concludes at the end of Q1 2023. Anyone interested in participating in the incentivized MIPs Program can . The deadline for applications is Thursday, September 15th. All program participants will also need to complete a KYC and Indexer Agreement by Monday, September 19th.
All participating Indexers will earn query fees and indexing rewards for the services they provide on the network and are eligible to earn MIPs rewards, from a total available rewards pool of up to 0.5% of total GRT supply. Additionally, The Graph Foundation has allocated 0.25% for multi-chain migration grants for subgraph developers that migrate their multi-chain subgraphs. By migrating, dapps can ensure that their APIs are decentralized and supported by a network of Indexers.
The Indexer role is essential to expanding the reach of indexing all blockchain data and creating the infrastructure for decentralization across the entire web3 ecosystem. In combination with the key learnings from Mission Control and the scheduled sunsetting of the hosted service, MIPs expands The Graph’s capabilities and solidifies its position in the web3 stack.
“Over the last 18 months Indexers have been supporting Ethereum subgraphs performantly and core developers have been working tirelessly to prepare the network for multi-chain. We’re finally ready to support all subgraphs across many chains on The Graph Network.”
MIPs Program Overview
The MIPs program will span six months and will help bootstrap performant Indexers for new chains on The Graph Network. This program is organized around a new chain cycle, network objectives, and performance metrics. These three elements will serve to align and coordinate the contributions of program participants.
New Chain Cycle
The new chain cycle is the program’s organizing model and it helps direct and coordinate the activities of participants. Indexers will be asked to complete the cycle for each new chain that is added during the program. Within each rotation through the cycle, Indexers will be asked to dedicate their time and resources to complete missions (such as testing), perform critical tasks (such as mainnet syncing), attend workshops to ensure their Indexer is high-performant, learn how to efficiently manage allocations, and be ready to serve users. Indexers can also begin syncing these chains on their own at any time and we will announce new chains throughout the program.
Below is an overview of the new chain cycle of the MIPs program.
The core objectives of MIPs are:
- testing network infrastructure
- expanding the network to new chains
- supporting the migration of subgraphs.
The overarching objective of sunsetting the hosted service and ensuring The Graph Network meets user needs will concentrate the program participants’ contributions toward a common goal.
In order to achieve successful testing of network infrastructure, Indexers will be asked to complete tasks in order to test the new chains and the Indexer software stack. A testnet is being set up on Goerli that will provide Indexers the environment they need to play with to test the software. Indexers are the foundational support for indexing new chains as they roll out on the network. Indexers will also support subgraph migration by providing high-quality service to subgraphs migrating to the network. Core developers and community members are available to help facilitate white-glove service to help dapps migrate their subgraphs as Indexer performance grows.
MIPs Performance & Scoring
Indexers who join the program will earn rewards, drive the growth of multi-chain subgraphs on the network, and be scored across three verticals for their participation. Scores will be viewable on the MIPs leaderboard once the program begins. The key metrics assessed in the program are tied to subgraph coverage, quality of service, and community support.
Subgraph Coverage. Indexers are expected to support as many subgraphs per chain as possible to enable maximal coverage.
Quality of Service. Indexers are expected to provide high-quality service, meet standard quality of service (QoS) and performance metrics, along with maintaining uptime and consistency. Network readiness for migrations or new chains will be driven based on QoS across Indexers.
Community Support. Indexers are expected to collaborate with fellow Indexers, provide feedback to core dev teams, help other Indexers with getting set up, education or knowledge sharing, and assist subgraph developers with migration when appropriate. Participants will also receive weekly emails and are expected to regularly contribute and share updates with the community in The Graph Forum. There will also be a MIPs Discord channel in .
Eligibility Requirements
All Indexers are eligible to participate in the MIPs program. Follow the requirements on the to see if you’re eligible and apply now!
Existing Indexers are also expected to participate to help educate new Indexers, and lead the way in supporting new chains. The Graph Network is stronger the more decentralized and diverse the set of Indexers are. Additionally, we encourage others will apply to join the program, including:
- Active node operators - Those who are already operating nodes in the new chains, or adjacent chains, and want to leverage their network expertise to support the chain, run a Graph Node, and index data for dapps in their ecosystem. Web3 validators on any chains are welcome to participate.
- Current community members - Community members includes Graph Advocates, Curators, or Subgraph Developers who want to become Indexers and will use the MIPs program and incentive structure as a launchpad into the Indexer role.
All participants in the MIPs program will compete with each other to earn rewards for their contributions, in addition to earning query fees and indexing rewards on the network. Consequently, the MIPs program is an incredible opportunity for aspiring Indexers and active node operators alike, as it lowers barriers to participation and offers a jumpstart into the ecosystem.
By participating in MIPs, participants will learn how to work as an effective Indexer, strengthen security, improve network capacity, and make sure that they’re ready to hit the ground running in operating core infrastructure for web3!
Throughout the MIPs program, participants will also have the unique opportunity to establish leadership and involvement in The Graph community by:
- Joining The Graph :
- Sharing logs, DevOps metrics and other testnet data
- Providing qualitative and quantitative feedback about the protocol, products, and The Graph ecosystem
- Collaborating with the MIPs program team
- Attending workshops and AMAs hosted by core dev and engineering teams
Disclaimer
Please note that the program is only open to (i) U.S. persons who are “accredited investors” or (ii) non-U.S. persons. Any U.S. person who is an accredited investor will have to comply with the requisite verification process.
Participation in these rewards programs and competitions is not available to any person who is a resident, organized, or located in any country or territory subject to international sanctions, whether directly or indirectly, including, without limitation, those persons listed in the UK sanctions list or the OFAC specially designated nationals, blocked persons list, any other consolidated prohibited persons list as determined by any applicable governmental authority, or subject to OFAC comprehensive sanctions programs, such as Cuba, the Crimea, Luhansk, and Donetsk regions of Ukraine, democratic people’s republic of Korea, Iran, Syria. These rewards programs and competitions are also not available to any persons who are organized, located, or residents of New York State.
About The Graph
is the source of data and information for the decentralized internet. As the original decentralized data marketplace that introduced and standardized subgraphs, The Graph has become web3’s method of indexing and accessing blockchain data. Since its launch in 2018, tens of thousands of developers have for dapps across 80+ blockchains - including Ethereum, Solana, Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, Polygon, Celo, Fantom, Gnosis, and Avalanche.
As demand for data in web3 continues to grow, The Graph enters a with a more expansive vision including new data services and query languages, ensuring the decentralized protocol can serve any use case - now and into the future.
Discover more about how The Graph is shaping the future of decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN) and stay connected with the community. Follow The Graph on , , , , , and . Join the community on The Graph’s , join technical discussions on The Graph’s .
oversees The Graph Network. The Graph Foundation is overseen by the . , , , , , and are eight of the many organizations within The Graph ecosystem.
