Graph databases are one of the most interesting but least talked about areas of non-relational/NoSQL database development. We hear a lot about MongoDB, Apache Cassandra and Redis, and much less about Neo4j and DEX. That can make it hard to know where to start in terms of evaluating graph databases. Fortunately Jasper Peilee has done a detailed survey of graph databases with the needs of Java developers in mind. Even if you’re not a Java shop it’s a great place to start if you think you may need the capabilities of a graph database.

Peilee looks at the following, noting their strengths and weaknesses:

• Neo4J
• Infinite Graph
• DEX
• InfoGrid
• HyperGraphDB
• Trinity
• AllegroGraph

He concludes:

Which one is the best? The answer is usually “it depends”. Although it is always controversial to rank products with different characteristics, sometimes we need to make a hard decision. I show the following general rules based on my personal understanding:

• If you need to store RDF triples, go to AllegroGraph;
• For property graph, make Neo4J and DEX the first class citizen;
• For Hypergraph, go to HyperGraphDB.

One interesting project not mentioned here is GoldenOrb, a graph database based on Google Pregel and built on top of Apache Hadoop. There’s also Twitter’s FlockDB, but since it doesn’t support graph traversal it’s often not considered a true graph database.

Peilee also takes a further look at Property Graph vs. Hypergraph here, and gives advise on getting started with DEX here. Peilee’s blog definitely looks like one to watch for practitioners working with big data.

Lead image by Steve Jurvetson