GraphQL
Also known as: Flexible API Query, Graph-Based Query Language, API Query Syntax
A flexible query language used to retrieve data efficiently, commonly adopted in Web3 projects like The Graph.
GraphQL is a query language and runtime for APIs that allows clients to request only the data they need in a structured format. Originally developed by Facebook, it's increasingly used in Web3 to interact with blockchain data in a more efficient and customizable way. Projects like The Graph use GraphQL to expose blockchain data through subgraphs. Unlike REST, which returns fixed datasets, GraphQL queries can nest and combine data types, reducing over-fetching and increasing performance. It's popular among dApp developers for its flexibility and tooling ecosystem.