Basic Queries¶
This guide covers the fundamentals of querying graphs with Cypher.
MATCH Clause¶
The MATCH clause finds patterns in the graph:
// Match all nodes
MATCH (n)
RETURN n
// Match nodes with a label
MATCH (p:Person)
RETURN p
// Match nodes with properties
MATCH (p:Person {name: 'Alix'})
RETURN p
RETURN Clause¶
The RETURN clause specifies what to return:
// Return entire nodes
MATCH (p:Person)
RETURN p
// Return specific properties
MATCH (p:Person)
RETURN p.name, p.age
// Return with aliases
MATCH (p:Person)
RETURN p.name AS name, p.age AS age
Combining MATCH and RETURN¶
// Find all people and return their names
MATCH (p:Person)
RETURN p.name
// Find people over 30
MATCH (p:Person)
WHERE p.age > 30
RETURN p.name, p.age
// Find Alix's friends
MATCH (a:Person {name: 'Alix'})-[:KNOWS]->(friend)
RETURN friend.name
Ordering Results¶
// Order by property
MATCH (p:Person)
RETURN p.name, p.age
ORDER BY p.age
// Descending order
MATCH (p:Person)
RETURN p.name, p.age
ORDER BY p.age DESC
// Multiple sort keys
MATCH (p:Person)
RETURN p.name, p.age
ORDER BY p.age DESC, p.name ASC
Nulls sort last in ascending order and first in descending order.
Values of different types in one sort key, such as a property that holds a number on some nodes and a string on others, follow the openCypher order: maps, lists, paths, temporal values (zoned datetimes, datetimes, dates, zoned times, times, durations), strings, booleans, numbers, then null. Integers and floats compare as numbers, with NaN after infinity. Lists compare element by element with a prefix first, and maps by size, then keys, then values. Grafeo's own types fit in as follows: vectors after paths, bytes before strings and counters before numbers.
Limiting Results¶
// Return first 10 results
MATCH (p:Person)
RETURN p.name
LIMIT 10
// Skip and limit (pagination)
MATCH (p:Person)
RETURN p.name
ORDER BY p.name
SKIP 20 LIMIT 10