Apache HugeGraph vs Neo4j
Both are property graph databases queried with openCypher. Apache HugeGraph (2018-08, Apache-2.0, Java) ranks #45 this month; Neo4j (2007, GPL-3.0, Java) ranks #1. They differ on 13 of 46 surveyed features.
Choosing between them
HugeGraph is an Apache-2.0, TinkerPop 3 compatible graph database queried with Gremlin and openCypher. Since version 1.7.0 its storage backends are memory, RocksDB, HBase and HStore, its distributed store; the Cassandra, ScyllaDB, MySQL and PostgreSQL backends were removed, so deployments on those must stay on 1.5.x. Pick HugeGraph for Gremlin workloads that need a distributed deployment under an Apache licence.
Neo4j is queried with Cypher and GQL. Its Community Edition is GPLv3 and runs as a single instance; clustering needs Enterprise Edition. Pick Neo4j when you want Cypher and Neo4j’s drivers and tooling.
| Attribute | Apache HugeGraph | Neo4j |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Rank | #45 | #1 |
| Score | 48.7 | 88.8 |
| GitHub stars | 3.2k | 17.4k |
| Popularity | 60.2 | 98.6 |
| Activity | 51.0 | 86.5 |
| Community | 31.3 | 73.8 |
| Research | 50.0 | 98.7 |
| Fundamentals | ||
| Description | A TinkerPop 3-compliant property graph database with a pluggable storage layer supporting RocksDB, Cassandra, and HBase. Uses edge-cut partitioning for distributed graph processing. | A property graph database that stores data as fixed-size records in linked lists for index-free adjacency traversal. Offers community and commercial editions with an extensive graph algorithms library. |
| Vendor | Apache Software Foundation | Neo4j Inc |
| Model | Property Graph | Property Graph |
| Kind | database | database |
| Category | Established | Established |
| First released | 2018-08 | 2007 |
| Status | active | active |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Java | Java |
| Query languages | Gremlin, openCypher | Cypher, GQL |
| gdotv support | no | yes |
Feature scores 13 of 46 rows differ
| Feature | Apache HugeGraph | Neo4j |
|---|---|---|
| Community & Business | ||
| Active development | ✓ | ✓ |
| Commercial support | · | ✓ |
| Live community | ✓ | ✓ |
| Open Source | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing | · | 0.5 |
| Trendiness | ✓ | ✓ |
| Deployment | ||
| Containerization | ✓ | ✓ |
| Work as dedicated instance | ✓ | ✓ |
| Work as embedded | · | ✓ |
| Testing in-memory version | ✓ | ✓ |
| Platform | ||
| Operating on Linux | ✓ | ✓ |
| Operating on Windows | ✓ | ✓ |
| SaaS offering | · | ✓ |
| Operations | ||
| Automatic updates | ✓ | · |
| Client side caching | · | · |
| Data versioning support | · | · |
| Live backups | ✓ | ✓ |
| Distribution | ||
| Cluster Re-balancing | ✓ | · |
| Data Distribution | ✓ | ✓ |
| High-Availability | ✓ | ✓ |
| Query Distribution | ✓ | ✓ |
| Replication support | ✓ | ✓ |
| Developer Experience | ||
| Data types defined | 0.5 | ✓ |
| Logging/Auditing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Object-Graph Mapper | ✓ | ✓ |
| Reactive programming | · | ✓ |
| Documentation up-to-date | ✓ | ✓ |
| Binary protocol | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLI | ✓ | ✓ |
| GUI | ✓ | ✓ |
| Data Model | ||
| Multi-database | · | ✓ |
| Graph-native data | ✓ | ✓ |
| REST API | ✓ | ✓ |
| Query Language | ✓ | ✓ |
| Transactions | ||
| Granular locking | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multiple isolation levels | 0.5 | ✓ |
| Read committed transaction | ✓ | ✓ |
| Transaction support | ✓ | ✓ |
| Schema & Security | ||
| Constraints | · | ✓ |
| Schema support | ✓ | ✓ |
| Secondary indexes | ✓ | ✓ |
| Server side procedures | · | ✓ |
| Triggers | · | ✓ |
| Authentication | ✓ | ✓ |
| Authorization | ✓ | ✓ |
| Data encryption | · | · |
Links
- Apache HugeGraph · website · github · full profile
- Neo4j · website · github · full profile