Graph Pattern Matching

Pattern matching is the cornerstone of graph querying in Geode, allowing you to describe the structural patterns you want to find in your graph data. Using GQL’s intuitive syntax, you can express complex graph traversals and relationships with clear, visual patterns. <h3 id="what-is-pattern-matching" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> What is 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="what-is-pattern-matching" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: What is Pattern Matching?"> Share link </button> </h3><div id="headingShareModal" class="heading-share-modal" role="dialog" aria-modal="true" aria-labelledby="headingShareTitle" hidden> <div class="hsm-dialog" role="document"> <div class="hsm-header"> <h2 id="headingShareTitle" class="h6 mb-0 fw-bold">Share this section</h2> <button type="button" class="hsm-close" aria-label="Close"> </button> </div> <div class="hsm-body"> <label for="headingShareInput" class="form-label small text-muted mb-1 text-uppercase fw-bold" style="font-size: 0.7rem; 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const enc=encodeURIComponent(url); const text=encodeURIComponent(document.title); if(twitter) twitter.href=`https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=${enc}&text=${text}`; if(linkedin) linkedin.href=`https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=${enc}`; if(facebook) facebook.href=`https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=${enc}`; } function openModal(id){ lastFocus=document.activeElement; hydrate(id); if(!isOpen()){ modal.removeAttribute('hidden'); } requestAnimationFrame(()=>{ input.focus(); }); trapFocus(); } function closeModal(){ if(!isOpen()) return; modal.setAttribute('hidden',''); if(lastFocus && typeof lastFocus.focus==='function') lastFocus.focus(); } function copyCurrent(){ try{ navigator.clipboard.writeText(input.value).then(()=>feedback(true),()=>fallback()); } catch(e){ fallback(); } } function fallback(){ input.select(); try{ document.execCommand('copy'); feedback(true);}catch(e){ feedback(false);} } function feedback(ok){ if(!copyBtn) return; const icon=copyBtn.querySelector('i'); if(!icon) return; const prev=copyBtn.getAttribute('data-prev')||icon.className; if(!copyBtn.getAttribute('data-prev')) copyBtn.setAttribute('data-prev',prev); icon.className= ok ? 'fa-duotone fa-clipboard-check':'fa-duotone fa-circle-exclamation'; setTimeout(()=>{ icon.className=prev; },1800); } function handleShareClick(e){ e.preventDefault(); const btn=e.currentTarget; const id=btn.getAttribute('data-share-target'); if(id) openModal(id); } function bindShareButtons(){ document.querySelectorAll('.h-share').forEach(btn=>{ if(!btn.dataset.hShareBound){ btn.addEventListener('click', handleShareClick); btn.dataset.hShareBound='1'; } }); } bindShareButtons(); if(document.readyState==='loading'){ document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', bindShareButtons); } else { requestAnimationFrame(bindShareButtons); } document.addEventListener('click', function(e){ const shareBtn=e.target.closest && e.target.closest('.h-share'); if(shareBtn && !shareBtn.dataset.hShareBound){ handleShareClick.call(shareBtn, e); } }, true); document.addEventListener('click', e=>{ if(e.target===modal) closeModal(); if(e.target.closest && e.target.closest('.hsm-close')){ e.preventDefault(); closeModal(); } if(copyBtn && (e.target===copyBtn || (e.target.closest && e.target.closest('.hsm-copy')))) { e.preventDefault(); copyCurrent(); } }); document.addEventListener('keydown', e=>{ if(e.key==='Escape' && isOpen()) closeModal(); }); function trapFocus(){ if(trapBound) return; trapBound=true; modal.addEventListener('keydown', f=>{ if(f.key==='Tab' && isOpen()){ const focusable=[...modal.querySelectorAll('a[href],button,input,textarea,select,[tabindex]:not([tabindex="-1"])')].filter(el=>!el.hasAttribute('disabled')); if(!focusable.length) return; const first=focusable[0]; const last=focusable[focusable.length-1]; if(f.shiftKey && document.activeElement===first){ f.preventDefault(); last.focus(); } else if(!f.shiftKey && document.activeElement===last){ f.preventDefault(); first.focus(); } } }); } if(closeBtn) closeBtn.addEventListener('click', e=>{ e.preventDefault(); closeModal(); }); })(); </script>Pattern matching in graph databases allows you to: <ul> <li>Describe Structure: Specify graph structures you want to find</li> <li>Traverse Relationships: Navigate connections between nodes</li> <li>Filter Data: Combine structural and property constraints</li> <li>Express Paths: Find direct and multi-hop connections</li> <li>Query Declaratively: Focus on what to find, not how to find it</li> </ul> Unlike traditional table joins, graph patterns match the natural structure of connected data. <h3 id="basic-pattern-syntax" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Basic 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="basic-pattern-syntax" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Basic Pattern Syntax"> Share link </button> </h3> <h4 id="node-patterns" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Node 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="node-patterns" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Node Patterns"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">// Any node (anonymous) MATCH (n) RETURN n // Node with variable name MATCH (user) RETURN user // Node with label MATCH (u:User) RETURN u // Node with multiple labels MATCH (u:User:Premium) RETURN u // Node with label and properties MATCH (u:User {verified: true}) RETURN u // Node with label and multiple properties MATCH (u:User {verified: true, active: true, role: 'admin'}) RETURN u </code></pre></div>Pattern Components: <ul> <li><code>(n)</code> - Variable binding (can reference later)</li> <li><code>:User</code> - Label constraint</li> <li><code>{verified: true}</code> - Property constraint (inline)</li> </ul> <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">// Any relationship, directed right MATCH (a)-[r]->(b) RETURN a, r, b // Specific relationship type MATCH (u:User)-[:FOLLOWS]->(other:User) RETURN u.name, other.name // Relationship with variable binding MATCH (u:User)-[f:FOLLOWS]->(other:User) RETURN u.name, other.name, f.since // Undirected relationship (matches either direction) MATCH (a)-[:KNOWS]-(b) RETURN a, b // Left-directed relationship MATCH (a)<-[:CREATED]-(b) RETURN a, b // Multiple relationship types MATCH (a)-[:FOLLOWS|BLOCKS]->(b) RETURN a, b // Relationship with properties MATCH (a)-[:RATED {score: 5}]->(movie) RETURN a, movie </code></pre></div>Relationship Directions: <ul> <li><code>-></code> - Right-directed (from left node to right node)</li> <li><code><-</code> - Left-directed (from right node to left node)</li> <li><code>-</code> - Undirected (matches either direction)</li> </ul> <h4 id="complete-patterns" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Complete 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="complete-patterns" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Complete Patterns"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">// User who posted a specific post MATCH (u:User)-[:POSTED]->(p:Post {id: 123}) RETURN u // Users who like posts by other users MATCH (liker:User)-[:LIKES]->(p:Post)<-[:POSTED]-(author:User) WHERE liker <> author RETURN liker.name, author.name, p.title // Three-node pattern (triangle) MATCH (a:User)-[:FOLLOWS]->(b:User)-[:FOLLOWS]->(c:User) WHERE (a)-[:FOLLOWS]->(c) RETURN a, b, c </code></pre></div> <h3 id="variable-length-patterns" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Variable-Length 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="variable-length-patterns" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Variable-Length Patterns"> Share link </button> </h3> <h4 id="basic-variable-length-paths" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Basic Variable-Length Paths <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-variable-length-paths" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Basic Variable-Length Paths"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">// Exactly 2 hops MATCH (a:User)-[:KNOWS*2]->(b:User) RETURN a.name, b.name // 1 to 3 hops MATCH (a:User)-[:KNOWS*1..3]->(b:User) RETURN a.name, b.name, LENGTH(path) AS hops // 2 or more hops MATCH (a:User)-[:KNOWS*2..]->(b:User) RETURN a.name, b.name // Up to 5 hops MATCH (a:User)-[:KNOWS*..5]->(b:User) RETURN a.name, b.name // Any number of hops (use with caution!) MATCH (a:User)-[:KNOWS*]->(b:User) RETURN a.name, b.name LIMIT 100 </code></pre></div>Best Practice: Always limit variable-length paths to prevent excessive traversal and ensure query performance. <h4 id="path-variables" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Path Variables <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="path-variables" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Path Variables"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">// Capture entire path MATCH path = (a:User)-[:KNOWS*1..3]->(b:User) RETURN path, LENGTH(path) AS hops, NODES(path) AS users_in_path, RELATIONSHIPS(path) AS connections // Path with conditions MATCH path = (a:User)-[:KNOWS*1..3]->(b:User) WHERE ALL(node IN NODES(path) WHERE node.active = true) AND ALL(rel IN RELATIONSHIPS(path) WHERE rel.verified = true) RETURN path // Multiple paths MATCH path1 = (a:User)-[:POSTED]->(p:Post), path2 = (p)<-[:LIKED]-(b:User) RETURN path1, path2 </code></pre></div> <h4 id="shortest-path" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Shortest Path <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="shortest-path" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Shortest Path"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">// Find shortest path between two nodes MATCH path = SHORTEST_PATH((a:User {name: 'Alice'})-[:KNOWS*]-(b:User {name: 'Bob'})) RETURN path, LENGTH(path) AS degrees_of_separation // Shortest path with relationship type constraints MATCH path = SHORTEST_PATH( (a:City {name: 'New York'})-[:CONNECTED_TO*]-(b:City {name: 'Los Angeles'}) ) WHERE ALL(rel IN RELATIONSHIPS(path) WHERE rel.type IN ['HIGHWAY', 'AIRPORT']) RETURN path, SUM([rel IN RELATIONSHIPS(path) | rel.distance]) AS total_distance // All shortest paths (if multiple exist) MATCH path = ALL_SHORTEST_PATHS((a:User)-[:KNOWS*]-(b:User)) WHERE a.name = 'Alice' AND b.name = 'Bob' RETURN path </code></pre></div> <h3 id="complex-pattern-matching" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Complex 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="complex-pattern-matching" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Complex Pattern Matching"> Share link </button> </h3> <h4 id="multiple-patterns-in-single-query" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Multiple Patterns in Single Query <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="multiple-patterns-in-single-query" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Multiple Patterns in Single Query"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">// Independent patterns (Cartesian product) MATCH (u:User), (p:Product) WHERE u.location = p.available_region RETURN u, p // Connected patterns MATCH (u:User)-[:PURCHASED]->(p:Product), (p)<-[:MANUFACTURED]-(c:Company) RETURN u.name, p.name, c.name // Sequential patterns with filtering MATCH (u:User)-[:FOLLOWS]->(influencer:User) MATCH (influencer)-[:POSTED]->(p:Post) WHERE p.likes > 1000 RETURN u.name, COUNT(DISTINCT p) AS viral_posts_from_influencers </code></pre></div> <h4 id="optional-patterns" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Optional 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="optional-patterns" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Optional Patterns"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">// Users with or without posts MATCH (u:User) OPTIONAL MATCH (u)-[:POSTED]->(p:Post) RETURN u.name, COUNT(p) AS post_count // Multiple optional patterns MATCH (u:User) OPTIONAL MATCH (u)-[:POSTED]->(p:Post) OPTIONAL MATCH (u)-[:FOLLOWS]->(f:User) RETURN u.name, COUNT(DISTINCT p) AS posts, COUNT(DISTINCT f) AS following // Optional with WHERE clause MATCH (u:User) OPTIONAL MATCH (u)-[:POSTED]->(p:Post) WHERE p.published = true RETURN u.name, COLLECT(p.title) AS published_posts </code></pre></div> <h4 id="pattern-predicates-in-where" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Pattern Predicates in WHERE <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-predicates-in-where" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Pattern Predicates in WHERE"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">// Existence check MATCH (u:User) WHERE (u)-[:POSTED]->(:Post) RETURN u.name // Non-existence check MATCH (u:User) WHERE NOT (u)-[:POSTED]->(:Post) RETURN u.name AS users_with_no_posts // Complex existence patterns MATCH (u:User) WHERE (u)-[:POSTED]->(:Post {featured: true}) AND NOT (u)-[:BANNED]->() RETURN u // Count in pattern predicate MATCH (u:User) WHERE SIZE((u)-[:FOLLOWS]->(:User)) > 100 RETURN u.name AS influencer // Pattern with properties MATCH (u:User) WHERE (u)-[:RATED {score: 5}]->(:Product) RETURN u.name </code></pre></div> <h4 id="nested-patterns" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Nested 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="nested-patterns" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Nested Patterns"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">// Subquery with pattern MATCH (u:User) WHERE EXISTS { MATCH (u)-[:POSTED]->(p:Post) WHERE p.likes > 100 } RETURN u.name // List comprehension with pattern MATCH (u:User) RETURN u.name, [(u)-[:FOLLOWS]->(f:User) WHERE f.verified = true | f.name] AS verified_following // Pattern within aggregation MATCH (u:User) RETURN u.name, COUNT {(u)-[:POSTED]->(p:Post) WHERE p.published = true} AS published_count </code></pre></div> <h3 id="pattern-matching-strategies" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Pattern Matching Strategies <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-matching-strategies" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Pattern Matching Strategies"> Share link </button> </h3> <h4 id="anchor-pattern-first" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Anchor Pattern First <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="anchor-pattern-first" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Anchor Pattern First"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">// Good: Start with specific anchor MATCH (u:User {email: 'alice@example.com'}) MATCH (u)-[:POSTED]->(p:Post) RETURN p // Avoid: Starting with broad pattern MATCH (u:User)-[:POSTED]->(p:Post) WHERE u.email = 'alice@example.com' RETURN p </code></pre></div>Why: Starting with a specific anchor (indexed property) dramatically reduces the search space. <h4 id="filter-early" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Filter Early <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="filter-early" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Filter Early"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">// Good: Filter on first MATCH MATCH (u:User) WHERE u.verified = true MATCH (u)-[:POSTED]->(p:Post) WHERE p.published = true RETURN u, p // Avoid: Late filtering MATCH (u:User)-[:POSTED]->(p:Post) WHERE u.verified = true AND p.published = true RETURN u, p </code></pre></div> <h4 id="use-relationship-direction" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Use Relationship Direction <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="use-relationship-direction" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Use Relationship Direction"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">// Good: Specify direction when known MATCH (author:User)-[:POSTED]->(p:Post) RETURN author, p // Slower: Undirected when direction is known MATCH (author:User)-[:POSTED]-(p:Post) RETURN author, p </code></pre></div> <h3 id="pattern-examples-by-use-case" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Pattern 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="pattern-examples-by-use-case" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Pattern Examples by Use Case"> Share link </button> </h3> <h4 id="social-network-analysis" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Social Network Analysis <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-network-analysis" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Social Network Analysis"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">// Find mutual followers MATCH (me:User {id: $my_id})-[:FOLLOWS]->(mutual:User)<-[:FOLLOWS]-(you:User {id: $your_id}) RETURN mutual.name, mutual.profile_image // Second-degree connections (friends of friends) MATCH (me:User {id: $my_id})-[:KNOWS]->(:User)-[:KNOWS]->(suggestion:User) WHERE NOT (me)-[:KNOWS]->(suggestion) AND me <> suggestion RETURN DISTINCT suggestion.name, COUNT(*) AS mutual_friends ORDER BY mutual_friends DESC LIMIT 10 // Influencer detection (users with many followers) MATCH (u:User)<-[:FOLLOWS]-(follower:User) WITH u, COUNT(follower) AS follower_count WHERE follower_count > 1000 RETURN u.name, follower_count ORDER BY follower_count DESC </code></pre></div> <h4 id="knowledge-graph-queries" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Knowledge Graph Queries <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="knowledge-graph-queries" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Knowledge Graph Queries"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">// Find related topics through shared papers MATCH (topic1:Topic {name: 'Machine Learning'})<-[:ABOUT]-(paper:Paper)-[:ABOUT]->(topic2:Topic) WHERE topic1 <> topic2 RETURN topic2.name, COUNT(paper) AS shared_papers ORDER BY shared_papers DESC // Author collaboration networks MATCH (author1:Author)-[:WROTE]->(paper:Paper)<-[:WROTE]-(author2:Author) WHERE author1 <> author2 RETURN author1.name, author2.name, COUNT(paper) AS collaborations ORDER BY collaborations DESC // Citation chains (papers citing papers) MATCH path = (start:Paper {title: 'Attention Is All You Need'})<-[:CITES*1..3]-(citing:Paper) RETURN citing.title, citing.year, LENGTH(path) AS citation_distance ORDER BY citation_distance, citing.year DESC </code></pre></div> <h4 id="e-commerce-recommendations" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> E-Commerce Recommendations <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="e-commerce-recommendations" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: E-Commerce Recommendations"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">// Products bought together MATCH (p:Product {id: $product_id})<-[:CONTAINS]-(order:Order)-[:CONTAINS]->(rec:Product) WHERE p <> rec RETURN rec.name, COUNT(order) AS times_bought_together ORDER BY times_bought_together DESC LIMIT 10 // Personalized recommendations (collaborative filtering) MATCH (user:User {id: $user_id})-[:PURCHASED]->(p:Product)<-[:PURCHASED]-(similar:User) MATCH (similar)-[:PURCHASED]->(recommendation:Product) WHERE NOT (user)-[:PURCHASED]->(recommendation) RETURN recommendation.name, COUNT(DISTINCT similar) AS similar_users, AVG(recommendation.rating) AS avg_rating ORDER BY similar_users DESC, avg_rating DESC LIMIT 20 // Browse hierarchy navigation MATCH path = (root:Category {name: 'Electronics'})-[:SUBCATEGORY*]->(leaf:Category) WHERE NOT (leaf)-[:SUBCATEGORY]->() RETURN leaf.name, [node IN NODES(path) | node.name] AS breadcrumb </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">// Detect suspicious account networks MATCH (account:Account)-[:TRANSFER*2..4]->(suspicious:Account) WHERE suspicious.flagged = true AND account <> suspicious RETURN DISTINCT account.id, account.holder_name // Find circular payment patterns MATCH path = (a:Account)-[:TRANSFER*3..5]->(a) WHERE ALL(rel IN RELATIONSHIPS(path) WHERE rel.amount > 1000) AND ALL(node IN NODES(path) WHERE node.created_at > DATE() - DURATION('P30D')) RETURN path, SUM([rel IN RELATIONSHIPS(path) | rel.amount]) AS total_amount // Shared contact information MATCH (user1:User)-[:HAS_PHONE|HAS_EMAIL]->(contact)<-[:HAS_PHONE|HAS_EMAIL]-(user2:User) WHERE user1 <> user2 AND user1.created_at > DATE() - DURATION('P7D') AND user2.created_at > DATE() - DURATION('P7D') RETURN user1, user2, COLLECT(contact) AS shared_contacts </code></pre></div> <h3 id="performance-optimization" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Performance Optimization <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="performance-optimization" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Performance Optimization"> Share link </button> </h3> <h4 id="index-usage" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Index Usage <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="index-usage" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Index Usage"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">// Create indexes on pattern anchor points CREATE INDEX FOR (u:User) ON (u.email) CREATE INDEX FOR (p:Product) ON (p.id) CREATE INDEX FOR (o:Order) ON (o.date) // Query uses index on anchor MATCH (u:User {email: 'alice@example.com'}) // Index seek MATCH (u)-[:PURCHASED]->(p:Product) RETURN p </code></pre></div> <h4 id="bound-variable-length-paths" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Bound Variable-Length Paths <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="bound-variable-length-paths" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Bound Variable-Length Paths"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">// Good: Bounded traversal MATCH (a)-[:KNOWS*1..4]->(b) RETURN a, b // Risky: Unbounded traversal MATCH (a)-[:KNOWS*]->(b) RETURN a, b LIMIT 100 // LIMIT doesn't prevent full traversal! </code></pre></div> <h4 id="pattern-complexity" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Pattern Complexity <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-complexity" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Pattern Complexity"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">// Efficient: Simple linear pattern MATCH (a)-[:R1]->(b)-[:R2]->(c) RETURN a, b, c // More complex: Star pattern (one node, many relationships) MATCH (center) WHERE (center)-[:R1]->() AND (center)-[:R2]->() AND (center)-[:R3]->() RETURN center // Most complex: Cyclic pattern MATCH (a)-[:R1]->(b)-[:R2]->(c)-[:R3]->(a) RETURN a, b, c </code></pre></div> <h3 id="client-library-examples" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Client Library Examples <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="client-library-examples" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Client Library Examples"> Share link </button> </h3> <h4 id="python" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Python <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="python" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Python"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-python" data-lang="python">from geode_client import Client client = Client(host="localhost", port=3141) async with client.connection() as conn: # Simple pattern match result, _ = await conn.query(""" MATCH (u:User)-[:FOLLOWS]->(followed:User) WHERE u.id = $user_id RETURN followed.name, followed.bio """, {"user_id": 123}) for row in result.rows: print(f"{row['name']}: {row['bio']}") # Variable-length path result, _ = await conn.query(""" MATCH path = (a:User {id: $from})-[:KNOWS*1..3]->(b:User {id: $to}) RETURN LENGTH(path) AS degrees, [node IN NODES(path) | node.name] AS path_names ORDER BY degrees LIMIT 1 """, {"from": 1, "to": 100}) </code></pre></div> <h4 id="go" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Go <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="go" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Go"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-go" data-lang="go">import "database/sql" import _ "geodedb.com/geode" db, _ := sql.Open("geode", "quic://localhost:3141") // Pattern with multiple relationships rows, _ := db.Query(` MATCH (u:User)-[:POSTED]->(p:Post)<-[:LIKED]-(liker:User) WHERE u.id = $1 RETURN p.title, COUNT(DISTINCT liker) AS like_count ORDER BY like_count DESC LIMIT 10 `, 123) for rows.Next() { var title string var likeCount int rows.Scan(&title, &likeCount) fmt.Printf("%s: %d likes\n", title, likeCount) } </code></pre></div> <h4 id="rust" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Rust <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="rust" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Rust"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-rust" data-lang="rust">use geode_client::Client; let client = Client::connect("localhost:3141").await?; // Pattern with path variable let result = client.query( r#" MATCH path = (start:City {name: $from})-[:ROAD*]->(end:City {name: $to}) WHERE ALL(node IN NODES(path) WHERE node.accessible = true) RETURN path, LENGTH(path) AS hops, SUM([rel IN RELATIONSHIPS(path) | rel.distance]) AS total_distance ORDER BY total_distance LIMIT 1 "#, &[ ("from", &"New York"), ("to", &"Los Angeles"), ], ).await?; </code></pre></div> <h3 id="best-practices" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Best Practices <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="best-practices" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Best Practices"> Share link </button> </h3><ol> <li>Start Specific: Begin patterns with the most selective constraints (indexed properties)</li> <li>Use Indexes: Create indexes on properties used as pattern anchors</li> <li>Bound Paths: Always limit variable-length paths with reasonable max hops</li> <li>Filter Early: Apply WHERE clauses immediately after matching the relevant nodes</li> <li>Know Direction: Use directed relationships when direction is known</li> <li>Avoid Cycles: Be cautious with patterns that create cycles (can be expensive)</li> <li>Test Performance: Use EXPLAIN/PROFILE to understand pattern matching costs</li> <li>Limit Results: Add LIMIT clauses to prevent returning massive result sets</li> </ol> <h3 id="common-pitfalls" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Common Pitfalls <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="common-pitfalls" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Common Pitfalls"> Share link </button> </h3> <h4 id="cartesian-products" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Cartesian Products <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="cartesian-products" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Cartesian Products"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">// Avoid: Creates Cartesian product MATCH (u:User), (p:Post) WHERE u.location = p.location RETURN u, p // Better: Connect patterns with relationships MATCH (u:User)-[:LOCATED_IN]->(loc:Location)<-[:LOCATED_IN]-(p:Post) RETURN u, p </code></pre></div> <h4 id="unbounded-traversals" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Unbounded Traversals <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="unbounded-traversals" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Unbounded Traversals"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">// Dangerous: Can traverse entire graph MATCH (a)-[:KNOWS*]->(b) RETURN a, b // Safe: Bounded traversal MATCH (a)-[:KNOWS*1..4]->(b) RETURN a, b LIMIT 100 </code></pre></div> <h4 id="late-filtering" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Late Filtering <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="late-filtering" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Late Filtering"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">// Inefficient: Filters after expensive pattern match MATCH (u:User)-[:FOLLOWS*2..3]->(recommendation:User) WHERE u.id = 123 RETURN recommendation // Efficient: Anchor first, then traverse MATCH (u:User {id: 123})-[:FOLLOWS*2..3]->(recommendation:User) RETURN recommendation </code></pre></div> <h3 id="related-topics" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Related Topics <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="related-topics" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Related Topics"> Share link </button> </h3><ul> <li>MATCH Clause: Complete MATCH syntax documentation</li> <li>Query Language: Full GQL query language guide</li> <li>EXPLAIN: Analyze pattern matching execution plans</li> <li>Indexing: Optimize pattern matching with indexes</li> <li>Performance: Pattern matching performance tuning</li> </ul> <h3 id="further-reading" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Further Reading <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="further-reading" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Further Reading"> Share link </button> </h3><ul> <li><a href="/tags/match/" >MATCH Clause</a> - Complete MATCH clause reference</li> <li><a href="/tags/query-language/" >Query Language</a> - Full GQL guide</li> <li><a href="/tags/explain/" >EXPLAIN</a> - Query execution analysis</li> <li><a href="/tags/performance/" >Performance</a> - Optimization strategies</li> <li><a href="/tags/gql-reference/" >GQL Reference</a> - Complete GQL documentation</li> </ul> Pattern matching in Geode provides intuitive, powerful graph querying capabilities that scale from simple lookups to complex graph analytics across billions of nodes and relationships.

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