# ponder-sh/ponder

The backend framework for crypto apps

Repository: https://github.com/ponder-sh/ponder
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/ponder
Homepage: https://ponder.sh
Language: TypeScript
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Last push: 2026-08-24T17:33:48+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 95/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:39:23.370411+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 86, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 1477, "days_push": 9, "days_rel": 16, "gap_med": 0, "n_releases_24m": 1240}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1121, forks 266 (observed 2026-08-28T04:03:39.926743+00:00)

## What it is
Ponder is an open-source TypeScript framework for indexing EVM smart contract data into Postgres and serving it via GraphQL or SQL over HTTP. It offers a hot-reloading local dev server, end-to-end type safety without codegen, and deploys anywhere Node.js or Bun runs.

## Use cases
- index smart contract events from any EVM chain into postgres
- build a custom API backend for a crypto app
- replace a Graph Protocol subgraph with faster custom indexing
- query onchain data over graphql or sql
- track token transfers and NFT registrations on ethereum
- serve custom blockchain data to a web or mobile frontend

## When to choose
- you need custom, type-safe indexing of EVM contract events with a fast local dev loop
- subgraphs or RPC endpoints are too slow, inflexible, or expensive for your app
- you want to deploy an indexing backend on Node.js or Bun with horizontal scaling

## When to avoid
- you only need simple off-the-shelf RPC reads without custom indexing logic
- your data lives on non-EVM chains
- you need a hosted indexing service with zero infrastructure management

## Facets
- artifact type: framework
- maturity: active
- function: web-framework, api-framework, graphql, http-server, database, orm, cli, developer-tools
- domain: blockchain, backend, web-development, apis, databases, developer-tools
- platform: bun, cli, self-hosted, cross-platform
- tags: evm, smart-contracts, blockchain-indexing, postgres, the-graph-alternative, onchain-data, hot-reload, type-safe, web3, cryptocurrency, nodejs, typescript, docker

## Member repositories
- ponder-sh/ponder (main) score 95

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:39.926743+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T06:41:01.416543+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/ponder-sh/ponder (fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:39.926743+00:00, sha 02b5eab04b15)
  - homepage: https://ponder.sh (fetched 2026-08-29T12:44:46.595927+00:00, sha 14f4ddd3598b)
  - site_page: https://ponder.sh/docs/get-started (fetched 2026-08-29T12:44:46.604985+00:00, sha f11631f87693)
  - site_page: https://ponder.sh/docs/why-ponder (fetched 2026-08-29T12:44:46.607096+00:00, sha b45d0b15acd6)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.