GQL vs Other Languages

This page compares GQL with other popular graph query languages to help you understand the differences and similarities.

GQL vs Cypher

Cypher is a query language created by Neo4j. GQL (ISO/IEC 39075) is the international standard that drew inspiration from Cypher but is vendor-neutral and designed for interoperability.

Syntax Comparison

Example Comparison

GQL:

GQL
MATCH (c:Customer)-[:BUYS]->(p:Product)
RETURN c.firstName AS customer,
       sum(p.price) AS totalSpent,
       collect(p.name) AS productsBought
       GROUP BY customer
ORDER BY totalSpent DESC

Cypher:

Cypher
MATCH (c:Customer)-[:BUYS]->(p:Product)
WITH c.firstName AS customer,
     sum(p.price) AS totalSpent,
     collect(p.name) AS productsBought
RETURN customer,
       totalSpent,
       productsBought
ORDER BY totalSpent DESC

GQL variable-length paths:

GQL
MATCH (:Person {name: 'Alice'})-[:KNOWS]-{1,3}(b:Person)
RETURN b.name

Cypher equivalent:

Cypher
MATCH (:Person {name: 'Alice'})-[:KNOWS*1..3]->(b:Person)
RETURN b.name

GQL vs GraphQL

Despite the similar names, GQL and GraphQL are fundamentally different:

Conceptual Difference

GQL is designed for querying graph databases where relationships (edges) are first-class citizens:

GQL
// Find friends of friends in GQL
MATCH (:Person {name: 'Alice'})-[:KNOWS]-{2}(fof:Person)
RETURN fof.name

GraphQL is designed for APIs where you request specific fields:

Graphql
# Request data from an API in GraphQL
query {
  person(name: "Alice") {
    friends {
      friends {
        name
      }
    }
  }
}