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Graphite Docs

Welcome to Graphite documentation, here is a place for guides, examples, and API references of graphite module.

Graphite is a lightweight yet flexible graph database engine implemented in pure Python. It is designed to model graph-like data inside large Python codebases without introducing the complexity of an external database.

Features

Graphite provides an easy and robust way to use any graph-like data in Python projects, it's designed to provide:

  • 🧩 Embedded Database: Database can live inside your project and in same process, so you can modify data and its structure fast, secure, and without any server-interaction headache.
  • ⚙️ Hackable Behavior: Graphite is designed to provide all common features out-of-the-box, but is completely clean-coded to help you hack it easy and fast to shape it for your special needs.
  • 🐍 First-Class Python API: Graphite uses its DSL as optional utility layer, so you can do anything directly with refactor-safe and intelligent Python API. Use DSL just when you like.
  • 🔍 No Query String: Chain well-documented methods to query on data, no learning, parsing, error vanishing, or guessing. Your Python IDE helps you when you write! Just type engine.query and start.
  • 🔄 Runtime Evolution: Customize data structure without shutdown, and deeply control behavior with flexible functions.
  • 🧱 Structure-Oriented Modeling: Define types of nodes and relations with features like inheritance, typed fields, and valid patterns. Model your domain explicitly and safely.
  • 🧬 Node Inheritance: Model real-world data easy and robust. Use subtypes, limited relations, inherited properties, complex validations.
  • ✨ Really useful DSL: Use DSL to create data with more readable and less-duplicated minimal syntax.
  • 💾 Serializable: Persist the entire database into a single JSON file.

Usage

See quick start page for installation guide and a usage example.

Why Graphite?

Graphite was extracted from a large production codebase where Neo4j introduced more complexity than value.

Neo4j is a powerful tool — but in large projects, adding a separate graph database often increases:

  • infrastructure complexity
  • deployment cost
  • maintenance burden
  • cognitive load on developers

Graphite exists for cases where this cost is not justified.

It provides graph modeling without adding another system to operate.

Comparation

Feature Neo4j Graphite Custom Graph Engine
Bug Safety 🥇Very High:
Mature & tested		 🥈High:
Unit tests, monitored		 🥉Low-Medium:
You manage testing
Implementation 🥈High:
Setup & Cypher		 🥇Low:
Embed easily		 🥉Very High:
Build from scratch
Flexibility 🥈High:
Complex queries		 🥉Medium:
Limited but extendable		 🥇Very High:
Fully customizable
Performance 🥇High:
Optimized large data		 🥈Medium:
Good for small/medium		 ❓Unknown:
Depends on design
Scalability 🥇High:
Cluster & sharding		 🥈Medium:
Single-node & Base types		 ❓Unknown:
Possible but hard
Support / Community 🥇Very High:
Large & active		 🥈Medium:
Docstrings only		 🥉Low:
Internal only
Customizability 🥉Low:
Limited to API		 🥈High:
Open source		 🥇Very High:
Full control
Ease of Use 🥈Medium:
Learn Cypher		 🥇High:
Quick & simple		 🥉Low:
Needs study & test