Farbeam and analytics dashboards
On-chain analytics platforms store decoded chain data and let people query it or read charts on top of it. Dune is a well-known example of a SQL query platform, and Nansen and Arkham are well-known examples of products built on address attribution. They answer questions over long periods and across many tables.
Farbeam has none of that depth. It holds 7 days of large transfers in one table, with 54 labels. It offers no SQL and no charts built from your own queries.
#Comparison by capability
| Capability | Analytics platform, in general | Farbeam |
|---|---|---|
| Custom queries over chain data | Common, often in SQL | No. Fixed endpoints with filters |
| History | Often years | 7 days |
| Decoded protocol tables | Common | ERC-20 transfers of curated tokens only |
| Coverage below a value threshold | Yes | No. Only rows of $100,000 or more |
| Address attribution | Often the main feature, with large label sets | 54 hand-curated addresses. No clustering |
| Entity or fund views | Common in attribution products | Not available |
| Flow graphs | Common in attribution products | Not available. Planned |
| Community dashboards | Common | Not available |
| Data exports | Common | Not available. Planned |
| Rule-based alerts | Varies by product | Yes, Beamline with signed webhooks |
| Data freshness | Varies, some have ingest delay | Index rows arrive with each poll, 12 to 30 seconds |
| Sign-up for basic use | Varies | None |
| Source named per check | Varies | Yes on token checks |
| Method visible | Varies, some keep attribution methods closed | Thresholds and rules are on public pages |
#Use an analytics platform instead when
- You need history beyond 7 days. Farbeam cannot show you a monthly trend.
- You need to ask a new question that its fixed endpoints do not answer.
- You need protocol-level data such as lending positions or per-pool swap volume.
- You need to know who controls a set of addresses. Farbeam does not attempt this.
- You need a chart for a report, or you want to share a live dashboard.
- You need transfers below $100,000.
#Where Farbeam can help
| Task | Farbeam feature |
|---|---|
| A webhook within a poll interval or so when a labeled exchange receives a large transfer | Alerts |
| A token check with the source field named on each row, for a script | Token report API |
| A free JSON feed of large transfers with no sign-up | GET /transfers |
| A quick look at where large USDC moved in the last hours | Live transfers and GET /transfers/stats |
#Reading Farbeam numbers next to a dashboard
The numbers will not match, and they should not be expected to. Farbeam stores only transfers of $100,000 or more of curated tokens, reads only part of Solana, and can skip blocks. GET /transfers/stats is a total of stored rows. It is not the total volume on a chain, and it should not be used in a place where a reader would take it for one. See what a transfer row means.
The description of analytics platforms on this page is general and is not a review of a product. Check each product for its current features and terms.