Steem vs The Graph

Steem's public JSON-RPC API lets any client read blocks, accounts, and the blogging/social content the chain stores, using the same condenser_api methods the steemit.com frontend calls. The endpoint is HTTPS-only now — the old plain-HTTP address no longer connects — and needs no signup or key for read access. Every route tested returned CORS headers open to browser-based callers.

The Graph indexes onchain data into open GraphQL subgraphs that any client can query through its hosted Gateway, covering Ethereum and dozens of other networks without a per-chain node integration. The Gateway requires a bearer token issued from Subgraph Studio, billed on a usage-based model with a free monthly query allowance before paid billing applies. Every query and response travels as GraphQL over HTTPS.