Neo4j is the world's leading open source Graph Database that's advanced using Java technology. It is fantastically scalable and schema unfastened (NoSQL).
What is a Graph Database?
A graph is a pictorial representation of a hard and fast of gadgets where some pairs of objects are linked by means of links. It consists of factors - nodes (vertices) and relationships (edges).
Graph database is a database used to version the information in the form of graph. In here, the nodes of a graph depict the entities while the relationships depict the affiliation of those nodes.
Popular Graph Databases
Neo4j is a popular Graph Database. Other Graph Databases are Oracle NoSQL Database, OrientDB, HypherGraphDB, GraphBase, InfiniteGraph, and AllegroGraph.
Why Graph Databases?
Nowadays, maximum of the information exists in the shape of the relationship among different gadgets and extra regularly, the relationship between the facts is extra treasured than the facts itself.
Relational databases keep distinctly based information that have numerous records storing the equal sort of statistics in order that they can be used to keep established information and, they do no longer shop the relationships among the records.
Unlike different databases, graph databases keep relationships and connections as great entities.
The facts version for graph databases is less complicated in comparison to different databases and, they can be used with OLTP systems. They provide functions like transactional integrity and operational availability.
RDBMS Vs Graph Database
Following is the table which compares Relational databases and Graph databases.
Sr.No | RDBMS | Graph Database |
---|---|---|
1 | Tables | Graphs |
2 | Rows | Nodes |
3 | Columns and Data | Properties and its values |
4 | Constraints | Relationships |
5 | Joins | Traversal |
Advantages of Neo4j
Following are the benefits of Neo4j.
- Flexible facts model − Neo4j affords a flexible simple and yet effective statistics model, which can be easily modified consistent with the applications and industries.
- Real-time insights − Neo4j affords consequences based on actual-time statistics.
- High availability − Neo4j is fairly available for massive business enterprise real-time packages with transactional guarantees.
- Connected and semi structures information − Using Neo4j, you may easily represent linked and semi-dependent information.
- Easy retrieval − Using Neo4j, you cannot handiest represent but additionally effortlessly retrieve (traverse/navigate) linked information quicker whilst in comparison to other databases.
- Cypher question language − Neo4j affords a declarative query language to symbolize the graph visually, the usage of an ascii-art syntax. The commands of this language are in human readable format and very smooth to learn.
- No joins − Using Neo4j, it does NOT require complex joins to retrieve related/associated facts as it's miles very easy to retrieve its adjacent node or courting information without joins or indexes.
Features of Neo4j
Following are the incredible capabilities of Neo4j −
Data version (flexible schema) − Neo4j follows a statistics version named local property graph version. Here, the graph consists of nodes (entities) and those nodes are connected with each other (depicted by way of relationships). Nodes and relationships keep statistics in key-price pairs referred to as houses.
In Neo4j, there is no need to comply with a fixed schema. You can upload or take away properties as in step with requirement. It additionally presents schema constraints.
- ACID homes − Neo4j helps full ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability) policies.
- Scalability and reliability − You can scale the database via increasing the wide variety of reads/writes, and the extent with out effecting the question processing pace and information integrity. Neo4j additionally affords guide for replication for statistics safety and reliability.
- Cypher Query Language − Neo4j presents a powerful declarative query language known as Cypher. It makes use of ASCII-art for depicting graphs. Cypher is simple to learn and may be used to create and retrieve members of the family between statistics with out the use of the complex queries like Joins.
- Built-in web utility − Neo4j affords a built-in Neo4j Browser internet application. Using this, you may create and question your graph information.
- Drivers − Neo4j can work with −
- REST API to paintings with programming languages along with Java, Spring, Scala and many others.
- Java Script to work with UI MVC frameworks along with Node JS.
- It helps styles of Java API: Cypher API and Native Java API to increase Java applications. In addition to those, you may also work with different databases together with MongoDB, Cassandra, and so on.
- Indexing − Neo4j helps Indexes via the usage of Apache Lucence.