The Graph, a prominent blockchain indexing protocol founded in 2018, successfully concluded its comprehensive migration from Ethereum to the Arbitrum network on Tuesday. Network participants drove the strategic decision to leverage the advantages of Arbitrum, a popular layer-2 solution, for enhancing the protocol’s efficiency and accessibility.
This migration represents the third and final phase of The Graph’s planned transition, focused on lowering gas fees and accelerating transaction speeds.
According to The Graph Foundation’s press release, the protocol’s transition to Arbitrum was in response to the community’s continuous search for solutions to improve gas efficiencies and address network-related challenges. In a statement, Tegan Kline, CEO of Edge & Node, highlighted Arbitrum as the preferred choice following careful evaluation of various layer-2 networks, as it brings speed and affordability to protocol developers and participants.
The migration to Arbitrum has been a long-standing initiative, with discussions about moving to a layer-2 network due to prohibitively expensive gas prices dating back to November 2021. In April 2022, a governance proposal outlined plans for creating a set of contracts to bridge GRT transactions to Arbitrum, emphasizing a phased migration strategy instead of an immediate shift.
In June 2022, software engineers Pablo Carranza Vélez and Ariel Barmat from Edge & Node introduced the first proposal for deploying The Graph on Arbitrum. They advocated for a gradual transition, recognizing its importance.
Since then, The Graph has steadily advanced its departure from the Ethereum network, including enabling indexing rewards on Arbitrum and deploying transfer tools to facilitate seamless token migration. Both proposals received unanimous approval, demonstrating the collective commitment to a successful migration.
The Graph Foundation’s statement highlighted that users would begin receiving transition prompts, enabling them to switch to Arbitrum across The Graph’s product suite. Over time, protocol rewards will gradually shift from Ethereum to Arbitrum, ultimately leading to a complete transition to the Arbitrum network.
By migrating to Arbitrum, The Graph positions itself for enhanced performance, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. Harnessing the capabilities of this layer-2 network, The Graph solidifies its position as a leading blockchain indexing protocol, catering to the evolving needs of developers and network participants.
