Welcome to our blog FAQs! This page answers the most common questions about Pinax, its blog, and its services. We’ll continually update this page with new content, so please check back regularly.
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General FAQs
1. Who is Pinax?
Pinax is a leading expert in blockchain data services, offering real-time data indexing through The Graph’s Firehose and Substreams technology. We provide tailored data analysis and empower developers with education on web3 technologies. Read Pinax’s origin story.
2. What services does Pinax offer?
Pinax offers services related to blockchain datasets, Firehose, Substreams, read-only RPC archive nodes, The Graph, and other web3 technologies. We’re also committed to helping developers learn to use these technologies through educational content, events, and hackathons.
3. What is a dataset?
A collection of related data that’s organized in a standardized format. Pinax datasets offer a simple way to access and use blockchain data, supporting a wide range of applications from development to data analysis and verification.
4. What is Firehose?
A blockchain-agnostic way of extracting data. Firehose is a versatile and scalable blockchain data processing solution that makes it easy to process and analyze data from any blockchain, regardless of its protocol or implementation (specific Firehose instrumentation is required for each blockchain protocol).
5. What is Substreams?
Allows developers to define the data Firehose should retrieve from the blockchain and apply transformations to it. Substreams provides extremely high-performance indexing through parallelization in a streaming-first fashion.
6. What are read-only archive nodes?
Archive nodes hold information about previous operations on a particular blockchain, including historical statements. They store a massive amount of data and take a lot of processing time. We offer nodes with full archive data and complete historical depth, so you can avoid having to run your own.
7. How often is new content published on Pinax’s blog?
New articles are published every week, covering a range of topics related to web3 and blockchain technologies.
8. How can I stay updated with Pinax’s latest news and articles?
Follow us on socials (X, LinkedIn, YouTube), join our community on Discord, and subscribe to our newsletter.
Service-Related FAQs
1. Datasets
What are the benefits of using Pinax datasets?
- Get high-quality blockchain datasets from a wide variety of chains with full raw data, including blocks, transactions, logs, and traces.
- We make datasets accessible in a format that’s easily queryable in the database of your choice, like ClickHouse, Snowflake, DuckDB, or PostgreSQL.
- Learn more about Pinax datasets in our article, Pinax Datasets Offer Simple Solution to Accessing Blockchain Data.
What can I use Pinax datasets for?
- Macro analytics (platforms like Messari and Dune)
- Accounting
- Blockchain forensics
- AI chatbots and large language models (LLMs) for training data
- Finance analytics (historical trading stats to be displayed in something like a DeFi application)
2. Firehose
How does Firehose work?
Firehose extracts data from Firehose-enabled blockchains and stores it in flat files. Its files-based and streaming-first approach provides previously unseen capabilities and speed.
What blockchains does Pinax offer Firehose support for?
Pinax offers Firehose endpoints for over 60 blockchains, including Ethereum, Arbitrum One, Polygon, BNB, and Optimism. Check out the full list of chains.
3. Substreams
What are the benefits of using Substreams?
Substreams allows for real-time data transformation and composability, making it easy to build complex data services. Watch examples of Substreams in action with our Substreams Unleashed playlist.
How do I get started with Substreams?
To get started with Substreams, refer to our quickstart guide, Substreams 101: A Novice’s Introduction.
What blockchains does Pinax offer Substreams support for?
Pinax offers Substreams endpoints for more than 60 blockchains, including Ethereum, Arbitrum One, Polygon, BNB, and Optimism. Check out the full list of chains.
4. The Graph
What is The Graph?
The Graph is a decentralized protocol for indexing and querying blockchain data. Learn more in our guide, What Is The Graph?
What is Pinax’s role in relation to The Graph?
We’ve been contributors to The Graph since we started operating as Pinax in July 2022. The Graph Foundation recognized our contributions as essential, and in July 2023, we became core devs working on The Graph.
How can I get involved in The Graph community?
Follow the guidance outlined in the article, Proven Steps to Become a Valuable Participant on The Graph.