GQL Language

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Geode maintains 100% GQL compliance and publishes scope and diagnostics in the conformance profile. <h3 id="overview" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Overview <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="overview" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Overview"> Share link </button> </h3>GQL is a declarative query language specifically designed for property graph databases. Like SQL for relational databases, GQL provides a standard, expressive syntax for querying and manipulating graph data. Geode’s implementation follows the ISO/IEC 39075:2024 compliance with enterprise-ready extensions. The language combines intuitive pattern matching syntax with comprehensive data manipulation operations, advanced path expressions, and rich analytical capabilities. Whether you’re querying social networks, analyzing fraud patterns, or exploring knowledge graphs, GQL provides the expressive power you need. <h3 id="key-features" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Key Features <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="key-features" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Key Features"> Share link </button> </h3><ul> <li>Pattern Matching: Express complex graph patterns with intuitive ASCII-art syntax</li> <li>Variable-Length Paths: Flexible path traversals with bounded or unbounded lengths</li> <li>Aggregations: Built-in aggregate functions (COUNT, SUM, AVG, MIN, MAX) with GROUP BY</li> <li>Set Operations: UNION, INTERSECT, EXCEPT for combining query results</li> <li>Transactions: Full ACID compliance with serializable isolation</li> <li>Advanced Types: Support for 50+ specialized data types including vectors, geometries, and temporal types</li> </ul> <h3 id="isoiec-390752024-conformance-profile" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> ISO/IEC 39075:2024 Conformance Profile <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="isoiec-390752024-conformance-profile" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: ISO/IEC 39075:2024 Conformance Profile"> Share link </button> </h3>Geode publishes the ISO GQL conformance profile: <ul> <li>✅ Deterministic ordering and pagination policies</li> <li>✅ MATCH pattern matching with bounded expansions and OPTIONAL MATCH</li> <li>✅ Aggregations and set operations (UNION, INTERSECT, EXCEPT)</li> <li>✅ Transaction semantics</li> <li>✅ Diagnostics aligned to the conformance profile</li> </ul> <h3 id="topics-in-this-section" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Topics in This Section <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="topics-in-this-section" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Topics in This Section"> Share link </button> </h3><ul> <li><a href="/docs/gql/guide/" >GQL Guide</a> - Comprehensive guide to GQL syntax, patterns, and query structure with examples</li> <li><a href="/docs/gql/advanced-patterns/" >Advanced Patterns</a> - Advanced GQL patterns including recursive queries, complex path expressions, and optimization techniques</li> <li><a href="/docs/gql/conformance-profile/" >Conformance Profile</a> - Detailed ISO/IEC 39075:2024 conformance profile and compliance documentation</li> </ul> <h3 id="quick-start" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Quick Start <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="quick-start" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Quick Start"> Share link </button> </h3> <h4 id="basic-pattern-matching" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Basic Pattern Matching <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="basic-pattern-matching" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Basic Pattern Matching"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Simple node pattern MATCH (p:Person) WHERE p.age > 30 RETURN p.name, p.age ORDER BY p.age DESC LIMIT 10 </code></pre></div> <h4 id="relationship-patterns" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Relationship Patterns <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="relationship-patterns" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Relationship Patterns"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Find friends of friends MATCH (me:Person {name: 'Alice'})-[:KNOWS*2]->(fof:Person) WHERE fof <> me RETURN DISTINCT fof.name </code></pre></div> <h4 id="aggregations" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Aggregations <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="aggregations" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Aggregations"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Group by with aggregation MATCH (p:Person)-[:LIVES_IN]->(c:City) RETURN c.name, count(*) AS population GROUP BY c.name ORDER BY population DESC </code></pre></div> <h4 id="data-modification" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Data Modification <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="data-modification" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Data Modification"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Create nodes and relationships CREATE (p:Person {name: 'Alice', age: 30}) CREATE (c:City {name: 'Seattle'}) MATCH (p:Person {name: 'Alice'}), (c:City {name: 'Seattle'}) CREATE (p)-[:LIVES_IN {since: 2020}]->(c) </code></pre></div> <h3 id="language-syntax" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Language Syntax <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="language-syntax" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Language Syntax"> Share link </button> </h3> <h4 id="pattern-syntax" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Pattern Syntax <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="pattern-syntax" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Pattern Syntax"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Node pattern (variable:Label {property: value}) -- Relationship pattern -[variable:TYPE {property: value}]-> -- Variable-length path -[:TYPE*min..max]-> -- Path pattern path = (a)-[:TYPE*1..3]->(b) </code></pre></div> <h4 id="query-structure" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Query Structure <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="query-structure" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Query Structure"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Complete query structure MATCH pattern WHERE condition WITH projection MATCH pattern WHERE condition RETURN expression ORDER BY expression LIMIT n OFFSET m </code></pre></div> <h3 id="learn-more" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Learn More <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="learn-more" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Learn More"> Share link </button> </h3><ul> <li><a href="/docs/model/data-model-and-types/" >Data Model and Types</a> - Understand property graphs and type system</li> <li><a href="/docs/query/performance-tuning/" >Query Performance Tuning</a> - Optimize GQL queries</li> <li><a href="/docs/query/explain-profile/" >EXPLAIN and PROFILE</a> - Understand query execution</li> <li><a href="/docs/query/indexing-and-optimization/" >Indexing and Optimization</a> - Index strategies for GQL queries</li> <li><a href="/docs/reference/error-codes/" >Error Codes</a> - GQL error codes and handling</li> </ul> <h3 id="examples-by-use-case" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Examples by Use Case <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="examples-by-use-case" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Examples by Use Case"> Share link </button> </h3> <h4 id="social-networks" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Social Networks <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="social-networks" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Social Networks"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Find mutual friends MATCH (me:Person {name: 'Alice'})-[:KNOWS]->(friend:Person) -[:KNOWS]->(mutual:Person)<-[:KNOWS]-(me) RETURN mutual.name, count(*) AS mutual_friends GROUP BY mutual.name ORDER BY mutual_friends DESC </code></pre></div> <h4 id="recommendation-engine" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Recommendation Engine <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="recommendation-engine" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Recommendation Engine"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Recommend products based on similar users MATCH (me:User {id: 123})-[:PURCHASED]->(p:Product) <-[:PURCHASED]-(other:User)-[:PURCHASED]->(rec:Product) WHERE NOT (me)-[:PURCHASED]->(rec) RETURN rec.name, count(*) AS score GROUP BY rec.name ORDER BY score DESC LIMIT 10 </code></pre></div> <h4 id="fraud-detection" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Fraud Detection <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="fraud-detection" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Fraud Detection"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Find suspicious transaction patterns MATCH (a:Account)-[t1:TRANSFER]->(b:Account)-[t2:TRANSFER]->(c:Account) WHERE t1.amount > 10000 AND t2.amount > 10000 AND t1.timestamp - t2.timestamp < duration({hours: 1}) RETURN a.id, b.id, c.id, t1.amount, t2.amount </code></pre></div> <h3 id="next-steps" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Next Steps <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="next-steps" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Next Steps"> Share link </button> </h3><ul> <li><a href="/docs/gql/guide/" >GQL Guide</a> - Start with the comprehensive GQL guide</li> <li><a href="/docs/tutorials/" >Tutorials</a> - Hands-on tutorials for common patterns</li> <li><a href="/docs/reference/api-reference-complete/" >API Reference</a> - Complete function and operator reference</li> <li><a href="/docs/tutorials/repl-basics/" >REPL Basics</a> - Interactive query development</li> </ul>

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Graph Query Language (GQL) Guide

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