Cypher vs GQL Syntax¶

Both Cypher and GQL are supported in Grafeo. This page documents the syntax differences for users who want to understand both or switch between them.

Creating Nodes¶

CREATE (n:Person {name: 'Alice', age: 30})
RETURN n

INSERT (:Person {name: 'Alice', age: 30})

Creating Relationships¶

MATCH (a:Person {name: 'Alice'}), (b:Person {name: 'Bob'})
CREATE (a)-[r:KNOWS {since: 2020}]->(b)
RETURN r

MATCH (a:Person {name: 'Alice'}), (b:Person {name: 'Bob'})
INSERT (a)-[:KNOWS {since: 2020}]->(b)

Identical Syntax¶

Many features are identical in both languages:

-- Works in both Cypher and GQL
MATCH (p:Person)
WHERE p.age > 25
RETURN p.name, p.age
ORDER BY p.age DESC
LIMIT 10

Pattern Matching¶

-- Same in both
MATCH (a:Person)-[:KNOWS]->(b:Person)-[:KNOWS]->(c:Person)
WHERE a <> c
RETURN a.name, c.name

Variable-Length Paths¶

MATCH path = (a:Person)-[:KNOWS*1..3]->(b:Person)
RETURN path

MATCH path = (a:Person)-[:KNOWS*1..3]->(b:Person)
RETURN path

The syntax is identical for variable-length paths.

Function Differences¶

UNWIND vs FOR¶

UNWIND [1, 2, 3] AS x
RETURN x

FOR x IN [1, 2, 3]
RETURN x

Summary¶