The Documentation category provides comprehensive reference materials, API documentation, and technical specifications for Geode graph database. This collection serves as the authoritative source for understanding Geode’s capabilities, features, and usage patterns.

Introduction to Geode Documentation

Documentation is the cornerstone of any successful database implementation. Geode maintains extensive, production-grade documentation that covers every aspect of the system, from basic concepts to advanced enterprise features. The documentation is organized to serve both newcomers learning graph databases and experienced developers implementing complex production systems.

The Geode documentation ecosystem includes technical references, API specifications, configuration guides, troubleshooting resources, and architectural deep-dives. All documentation is maintained alongside the codebase with the same rigor applied to code quality, ensuring accuracy and currency.

Key Documentation Categories

API Reference Documentation

Complete API documentation for all Geode components:

  • Server API: REST and QUIC/TLS endpoints, authentication methods, session management
  • GQL Language Reference: Complete ISO/IEC 39075:2024 syntax coverage, operators, functions, expressions
  • Client Libraries: Go, Python, Rust, Node.js, and Zig client APIs with usage examples
  • Protocol Specification: Protobuf wire protocol details, message formats, error codes
  • Extension APIs: Plugin interfaces, custom functions, stored procedures

Configuration Reference

Comprehensive configuration documentation:

# Server configuration example
[server]
listen = "0.0.0.0:3141"
max_connections = 10000
tls_cert = "/etc/geode/certs/server.crt"
tls_key = "/etc/geode/certs/server.key"

[storage]
data_dir = "/var/lib/geode/data"
wal_dir = "/var/lib/geode/wal"
cache_size = "4GB"
page_size = 8192

[security]
auth_enabled = true
audit_logging = true
encryption_at_rest = true
  • Server Options: All command-line flags and configuration file parameters
  • Performance Tuning: Cache sizes, connection pools, query timeouts
  • Security Settings: Authentication, authorization, encryption, audit logging
  • Storage Configuration: Data directories, WAL settings, backup paths
  • Network Settings: Ports, protocols, TLS configuration

Technical Specifications

In-depth technical documentation:

  • Architecture Diagrams: System components, data flow, integration points
  • Storage Engine: MVCC implementation, transaction isolation levels, concurrency control
  • Query Engine: Parser architecture, optimizer strategies, execution plans
  • Index Structures: B-tree indexes, vector indexes (HNSW), full-text search (BM25)
  • Replication Protocol: Change data capture, log shipping, consistency guarantees

Error Code Reference

Complete error code documentation with resolution guidance:

GQL_22000: Data exception
  - Cause: Invalid data type in operation
  - Resolution: Verify data types match expected schema
  - Example: Cannot compare STRING with INTEGER

GQL_40001: Transaction rollback - serialization failure
  - Cause: Concurrent transaction conflict
  - Resolution: Retry transaction with exponential backoff
  - Example: Two transactions modifying the same node

Geode-Specific Documentation Features

Evidence-Based Documentation

Geode’s documentation follows the same evidence-based methodology as its development:

  • CANARY Markers: All documented features include CANARY governance markers linking to implementation evidence
  • Test Coverage: Documentation examples are validated by automated tests
  • Version Tracking: Clear indication of feature availability across Geode versions
  • Deprecation Notices: Forward-looking guidance for API changes

Living Documentation

Documentation stays synchronized with code:

# Documentation validation in CI pipeline
make docs-validate     # Check all links and examples
make docs-test         # Run code examples as tests
make docs-coverage     # Ensure API coverage

Multi-Format Documentation

Documentation available in multiple formats:

  • Markdown: Human-readable source in repository
  • HTML: Searchable web documentation at geodedb.com
  • Man Pages: Command-line reference (man geode, man geode-server)
  • OpenAPI: Machine-readable API specifications
  • PDF: Printable reference manual

Documentation Organization

By Audience

For Developers:

  • Quick start guides and tutorials
  • Client library integration examples
  • GQL query patterns and best practices
  • Performance optimization techniques

For DBAs:

  • Installation and deployment guides
  • Configuration references
  • Backup and recovery procedures
  • Monitoring and troubleshooting

For Architects:

  • Architecture overviews and design patterns
  • Scalability and performance characteristics
  • Security models and compliance features
  • Integration patterns and ecosystem

For Contributors:

  • Codebase architecture and organization
  • Development environment setup
  • Testing methodology and requirements
  • Contribution guidelines and processes

By Topic

Core Concepts:

  • Graph data model (nodes, relationships, properties)
  • GQL query language fundamentals
  • Transaction semantics and ACID guarantees
  • Index types and query optimization

Advanced Features:

  • Vector search and embeddings
  • Full-text search with BM25
  • Row-level security policies
  • Temporal queries and versioning

Operations:

  • Deployment architectures (standalone, distributed)
  • Backup and disaster recovery
  • Monitoring and observability
  • Security hardening

Using Geode Documentation

Quick Reference Lookups

Find information quickly:

# Command-line help
geode --help
geode serve --help
geode shell --help

# Query syntax help
geode shell --explain "MATCH (n:Person) RETURN n"

# Configuration validation
geode config validate /etc/geode/geode.toml

Interactive Documentation

Explore features interactively:

-- Built-in documentation functions
SHOW FUNCTIONS;
DESCRIBE FUNCTION sum;

-- Schema exploration
SHOW GRAPHS;
SHOW LABELS;
DESCRIBE LABEL Person;

-- Query explanation
EXPLAIN MATCH (p:Person)-[:KNOWS]->(f) RETURN p.name, f.name;

Code Examples

All documentation includes working examples:

# Python client example from documentation
import asyncio
from geode_client import Client

async def main():
    client = Client(host="localhost", port=3141)
    async with client.connection() as conn:
        # Create nodes
        result, _ = await conn.query("""
            CREATE (p:Person {name: 'Alice', age: 30})
            RETURN p
        """)

        # Query with parameters
        result, _ = await conn.query("""
            MATCH (p:Person {name: $name})
            RETURN p.age
        """, {"name": "Alice"})

asyncio.run(main())

Documentation Best Practices

When Reading Documentation

  1. Start with Fundamentals: Begin with core concepts before advanced features
  2. Run Examples: Execute provided code examples in your environment
  3. Check Versions: Verify feature availability for your Geode version
  4. Follow Links: Explore related topics for comprehensive understanding
  5. Bookmark References: Keep frequently-used API docs easily accessible

When Contributing Documentation

  1. Test All Examples: Ensure code samples execute correctly
  2. Include Context: Explain why, not just what or how
  3. Add Diagrams: Visual aids for complex concepts
  4. Link Related Topics: Create navigation paths through documentation
  5. Update Changelogs: Document all significant changes

Performance Documentation

Query Performance

Documentation includes performance characteristics:

-- Index usage documented
MATCH (p:Person {email: $email})  -- Uses unique index, O(log n)
RETURN p

-- Join strategy documented
MATCH (p:Person)-[:KNOWS*1..3]->(f)  -- BFS with depth limit
RETURN count(f)  -- Optimized aggregation

Configuration Tuning

Performance tuning guidance:

# Documented configuration for high-throughput workloads
[performance]
query_cache_size = 10000       # Cache compiled queries
connection_pool_size = 1000    # Concurrent connections
batch_size = 5000              # Bulk operation size
parallel_workers = 8           # Query parallelism

Troubleshooting Documentation

Common Issues

Documented solutions for frequent problems:

Issue: Slow queries on large graphs Solution: Create appropriate indexes

CREATE INDEX person_name ON :Person(name);
CREATE INDEX knows_since ON :KNOWS(since);

Issue: Connection timeouts Solution: Adjust timeout settings

[client]
connect_timeout = "30s"
query_timeout = "5m"

Issue: Out of memory errors Solution: Increase cache size or reduce batch sizes

[storage]
cache_size = "8GB"  -- Increase from default 4GB

Security Documentation

Authentication and Authorization

Complete security documentation:

-- User management documented
CREATE USER analyst WITH PASSWORD 'secure123';
GRANT SELECT ON GRAPH sales TO analyst;
REVOKE UPDATE ON GRAPH sales FROM analyst;

-- Row-level security documented
CREATE POLICY department_access ON :Employee
  USING (department = current_user_department());

Compliance Documentation

Documentation for regulatory requirements:

  • GDPR Compliance: Data retention, right to erasure, data portability
  • SOC 2: Audit logging, access controls, encryption
  • HIPAA: Data encryption, access logging, backup procedures
  • PCI-DSS: Network isolation, encryption standards, access restrictions

Integration Documentation

Client Library Documentation

Complete integration guides for each supported language:

Go Integration:

// Database/sql driver documentation
import (
    "database/sql"
    _ "geodedb.com/geode"
)

db, err := sql.Open("geode", "quic://localhost:3141")

Python Integration:

# Async client documentation
from geode_client import Client

client = Client(host="localhost", port=3141)

async with client.connection() as conn:
    result, _ = await conn.query("MATCH (n) RETURN count(n) AS total")

Rust Integration:

// Tokio integration documentation
use geode_client::Client;

let mut conn = Client::from_dsn("localhost:3141")?.connect().await?;
let page = conn.query("MATCH (n) RETURN count(n) AS total", None).await?;

Ecosystem Integration

Documentation for third-party integrations:

  • Prometheus/Grafana: Metrics collection and visualization
  • Docker/Kubernetes: Container deployment and orchestration
  • ETL Tools: Data ingestion from various sources
  • BI Tools: Reporting and analytics integration

Documentation Roadmap

Continuous Improvement

Documentation evolves with Geode:

  • API Stability: Clear versioning and deprecation policies
  • Example Library: Growing collection of real-world patterns
  • Video Tutorials: Supplementary video content for complex topics
  • Interactive Playground: Browser-based GQL experimentation

Community Contributions

Documentation welcomes community input:

  • Issue Reports: Documentation bugs and gaps
  • Pull Requests: Corrections and enhancements
  • Example Sharing: Real-world use case contributions
  • Translation: Multi-language documentation support
  • Getting Started: Begin your Geode journey with introductory tutorials
  • Query Language: Deep dive into GQL syntax and semantics
  • Client Libraries: Language-specific integration guides
  • Architecture: System design and implementation details
  • Operations: Deployment, monitoring, and maintenance guides

Further Reading

  • API Reference: Complete API documentation for all components
  • GQL Specification: ISO/IEC 39075:2024 conformance profile details
  • Best Practices: Recommended patterns for production deployments
  • Release Notes: Version history and feature announcements
  • Contributing Guide: How to contribute to Geode documentation

Geode maintains comprehensive, production-grade documentation covering all aspects of the system. From quick-start guides to detailed API references, the documentation provides the knowledge needed to successfully implement, deploy, and maintain Geode graph database in production environments.

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