whichdb
vs

Amazon Neptune vs Apache TinkerPop Gremlin Server

Amazon Neptune: AWS's managed graph database speaking Gremlin, openCypher and SPARQL on shared storage. Apache TinkerPop Gremlin Server: Apache TinkerPop's reference server for running Gremlin traversals over any compatible graph.

key differences

  • Licensing: Amazon Neptune is proprietary (Proprietary (AWS service)); Apache TinkerPop Gremlin Server is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0).
  • Amazon Neptune is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than Apache TinkerPop Gremlin Server (≤ 100 GB).
  • Transactions: Amazon Neptune offers full ACID; Apache TinkerPop Gremlin Server offers none.
  • Only Amazon Neptune has transactions, change data capture, durable persistence, encryption at rest, role-based access.
  • Only Apache TinkerPop Gremlin Server has in-memory.
  • Amazon Neptune has a serverless option; Apache TinkerPop Gremlin Server does not.
  • Apache TinkerPop Gremlin Server can run embedded in your application process.

choose amazon-neptune for

  • +Identity graphs and customer 360 on AWS
  • +Fraud detection
  • +Knowledge graphs with SPARQL
  • +Security and network graphs

best at · Traversal, Knowledge graph, OLTP

choose apache-tinkerpop-gremlin-server for

  • +Local testing for Neptune or JanusGraph apps
  • +Prototyping Gremlin traversals
  • +Hosting a custom TinkerPop graph provider
  • +Teaching graph traversal concepts

best at · Traversal, Graph analytics

Amazon NeptuneAWS's managed graph database speaking Gremlin, openCypher and SPARQL on shared storage.
Apache TinkerPop Gremlin ServerApache TinkerPop's reference server for running Gremlin traversals over any compatible graph.
overview
Primary model
Graph
Graph
Also supports
RDF / Triple Store
–
Type
Managed service
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Amazon Web Services
Apache Software Foundation
First release
2017
2015
Latest version
1.4.8.1 (Oct 6, 2026)
3.8.2 (Sep 1, 2026)
License
ProprietaryProprietary (AWS service)
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
15.2
32.1
Rank
#219
#73
GitHub stars
–
2.2K
Stack Overflow questions
1K
531
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Small (≤ 100 GB)
Horizontal scaling
None
None
Multi-region
Read replicas
None
ACID
Full
None
Consistency
Strong, Eventual
Strong
Schema
Schemaless
Schemaless
Architecture
Primary replica, Shared storage, Serverless
In memory, Client server, Single node
deployment
Self-hosted
—
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
✓
—
Serverless
✓
—
Embedded
—
✓
Edge
—
—
Clouds
AWS
–
capabilities
Transactions
✓
—
Joins
—
—
Secondary indexes
—
—
Full-text search
—
—
Vector search
—
—
Geospatial
✓
✓
JSON
—
—
Change data capture
✓
—
Triggers
—
—
Stored procedures
—
—
Materialized views
—
—
TTL / expiry
—
—
Pub/Sub
—
—
Columnar storage
—
—
In-memory
—
✓
Durable persistence
✓
—
Compression
—
—
Encryption at rest
✓
—
Role-based access
✓
—
Time travel
—
—
Branching
—
—
Online schema changes
✓
—
Streaming ingest
—
—
Offline sync
—
—
Runs in WebAssembly
—
—
interfaces
Query languages
Gremlin, openCypher, SPARQL
Gremlin
Client languages
Java, Python, JavaScript, .NET, Go
Java, Python, JavaScript, .NET, Go
Best for
Traversal, Knowledge graph, OLTP, RAG
Traversal, Graph analytics
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Amazon Neptune vs Apache TinkerPop Gremlin Server: FAQ

What is the difference between Amazon Neptune and Apache TinkerPop Gremlin Server?

Amazon Neptune: AWS's managed graph database speaking Gremlin, openCypher and SPARQL on shared storage. Apache TinkerPop Gremlin Server: Apache TinkerPop's reference server for running Gremlin traversals over any compatible graph. Licensing: Amazon Neptune is proprietary (Proprietary (AWS service)); Apache TinkerPop Gremlin Server is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0). Amazon Neptune is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than Apache TinkerPop Gremlin Server (≤ 100 GB). Transactions: Amazon Neptune offers full ACID; Apache TinkerPop Gremlin Server offers none.

When should I choose Amazon Neptune over Apache TinkerPop Gremlin Server?

Choose Amazon Neptune for identity graphs and customer 360 on AWS; fraud detection; and knowledge graphs with SPARQL. Choose Apache TinkerPop Gremlin Server for local testing for Neptune or JanusGraph apps, prototyping Gremlin traversals and hosting a custom TinkerPop graph provider.

Is Amazon Neptune or Apache TinkerPop Gremlin Server more popular?

Apache TinkerPop Gremlin Server ranks #73 on the WhichDB Score (32.1/100) and Amazon Neptune ranks #219 (15.2/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Amazon Neptune and Apache TinkerPop Gremlin Server open source?

No. Amazon Neptune is proprietary, closed-source software. Yes. Apache TinkerPop Gremlin Server is open source. License: Apache License 2.0.