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Graph Query Languages (GQLs)

The languages used to query graph data: the new ISO standards, the property graph and traversal languages behind them, and the RDF language SPARQL.

40 topics•7 categories•Updated October 2026

ISO Standards: GQL and SQL/PGQ

5 entries

Two published standards bring graph querying into the ISO family. GQL (ISO/IEC 39075:2024, April 2024) is a stand-alone declarative language for property graphs. SQL/PGQ, part of SQL:2023, adds property graph queries to SQL itself. Neither has an official conformance test suite, so vendor claims are self-assessed.

01GQL standards siteInformation about the GQL standard from the community behind it. 02Neo4j GQL conformanceNeo4j's feature-by-feature statement of which mandatory and optional GQL features Cypher supports. 03Oracle property graphOracle documentation for property graphs, including SQL property graph queries. 04DuckPGQDuckDB community extension implementing SQL/PGQ, which started as a research project at CWI. 05Apache AGEGraph extension for PostgreSQL that supports openCypher.

Property Graph Languages

13 entries

Declarative languages that match patterns of nodes and relationships. Cypher led the group, and GQL draws on Cypher, PGQL, GSQL and G-CORE.

06openCypherOpen specification of Cypher that vendors and projects implement, now incorporating GQL features. 07Cypher manual (Neo4j)Reference for Neo4j's Cypher. 08Cypher overview (Neo4j)Introduction to the Cypher language. 09PGQLOracle-led SQL-like language for property graphs; the GitHub repository's last commit was in March 2025. 10GSQL (TigerGraph)TigerGraph's native language for graph traversal and analytics. 11GSQL referenceLanguage reference for GSQL. 12AQL (ArangoDB)ArangoDB's declarative language, covering documents, graphs and search in one query. 13Memgraph CypherMemgraph's Cypher-compatible querying documentation. 14FalkorDBGraph database that uses Cypher, aimed at AI and GraphRAG workloads. 15NebulaGraph nGQLNebulaGraph documentation, including its nGQL language. 16Amazon NeptuneManaged service that supports openCypher, Gremlin and SPARQL. 17LadybugDBEmbedded graph database that continues the Kuzu codebase and keeps Cypher. 18KuzuEmbedded Cypher graph database; the repository was archived in October 2025, so new projects should evaluate forks such as LadybugDB.

Traversal Languages

3 entries

Languages that describe how to walk a graph step by step.

19GremlinTraversal language of Apache TinkerPop, supported by many graph databases. 20Apache TinkerPopGraph computing framework behind Gremlin; version 4.0 has been in beta, so check the site for the current release. 21SociaLiteDatalog-inspired language for large-scale graph analysis from an academic project; the site is static.

RDF and Semantic Web Languages

5 entries

Query languages for triple stores and knowledge graphs.

22SPARQL 1.1 QueryThe current W3C Recommendation for querying RDF. 23SPARQL 1.2 Query (draft)Draft of the next version from the W3C; check its status before relying on it. 24RDF 1.2 ConceptsDraft of the RDF 1.2 data model, which adds triple terms. 25What's new in RDF 1.2W3C overview of RDF 1.2 changes. 26Apache Jena ARQSPARQL engine for the Jena framework.

Related Languages

3 entries

Languages that are often compared with graph query languages.

27TypeQL (TypeDB)Query language of TypeDB's typed knowledge graph database. 28GraphQLAPI query language for fetching nested data; it is not a graph database language. 29G-COREResearch proposal for a graph query language that treats paths as first-class, an input to GQL.

Learning & Books

5 entries

Start with the survey and the vendor tutorials.

30Foundations of Modern Query Languages for Graph DatabasesSurvey of graph query language foundations by Angles and colleagues. 31Neo4j GraphAcademyFree courses on Cypher and graph databases. 32A Book on Graph Neural Networks (Springer)Book by the author of this site. 33Graph Data Science: A Book (IET)Book by the author of this site; the publisher's site blocks automated checks. 34My BooksBooks by the author of this site.

Related Pages

6 entries

Neighbouring pages on this site.

35Graph DatabasesGraph database management systems. 36Graph Data PlatformsGraph data platforms. 37RDF Graph Databases and Semantic GraphsRDF stores and semantic graphs. 38Knowledge GraphsKnowledge graph tools. 39DatabasesDatabase systems hub. 40Knowledge EngineeringKnowledge engineering hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GQL?

GQL is the ISO/IEC 39075:2024 standard for querying property graphs, published in April 2024. It draws on Cypher, PGQL, GSQL and G-CORE and is separate from SQL, though SQL:2023 also added property graph queries as SQL/PGQ.

How are Cypher and GQL related?

Cypher was the most widely used property graph language and a major influence on GQL. Neo4j says its Cypher supports most mandatory GQL features, and openCypher is incorporating GQL features, but each product implements its own subset.

When should I use Gremlin instead of Cypher?

Gremlin describes traversals step by step and is supported across many TinkerPop-compatible systems. Cypher-style languages describe patterns declaratively and are often easier to read for pattern matching. Many managed services, such as Amazon Neptune, support both.

How does SPARQL differ from property graph languages?

SPARQL queries RDF triples with a W3C standard and uses URIs for identity, which suits linked data and knowledge graphs. Property graph languages query nodes and relationships that carry properties.

Is GraphQL a graph query language?

No. GraphQL is a query language for APIs that fetches nested data from any back end. It does not query graph databases directly.

How current is this page?

Links and project activity were checked in October 2026. Standards are still evolving: GQL and SQL/PGQ are published ISO standards, but vendors implement them to different degrees and no official conformance test suite is published, so check each product's own conformance page. SPARQL 1.2 and RDF 1.2 were still W3C drafts or candidate recommendations when checked. Sites that block automated checks are kept.