whichdb
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Dgraph vs NebulaGraph

Dgraph: Distributed, horizontally scalable graph database in Go with native GraphQL and DQL. NebulaGraph: Shared-nothing distributed graph database for trillion-edge graphs, with GQL in Enterprise v5.

key differences

  • Transactions: Dgraph offers full ACID; NebulaGraph offers limited.
  • Only Dgraph has transactions, vector search, geospatial, json, change data capture.
  • Only NebulaGraph has ttl / expiry.

choose dgraph for

  • +GraphQL application backends
  • +Knowledge graphs and content relationships
  • +Real-time recommendations
  • +Metadata and lineage graphs

best at · OLTP, Traversal, Knowledge graph

choose nebulagraph for

  • +Social and relationship graphs at internet scale
  • +Risk control and anti-fraud in finance
  • +Knowledge graphs for search and recommendation
  • +Device and account linkage graphs

best at · Traversal, Graph analytics, Knowledge graph

DgraphDistributed, horizontally scalable graph database in Go with native GraphQL and DQL.
NebulaGraphShared-nothing distributed graph database for trillion-edge graphs, with GQL in Enterprise v5.
overview
Primary model
Graph
Graph
Also supports
Vector
–
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Istari Digital
Vesoft Inc.
First release
2016
2019
Latest version
25.5.1 (Oct 22, 2026)
3.8.0 (May 17, 2024)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0 (open-source edition); Enterprise is commercial
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
22.4
18.1
Rank
#137
#183
GitHub stars
21.8K
12.5K
Stack Overflow questions
108
119
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
None
None
ACID
Full
Limited
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Flexible
Strict
Architecture
Distributed, Client server
Distributed, Client server
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
—
—
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
–
–
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
DQL, GraphQL
nGQL, openCypher (subset), GQL (Enterprise v5)
Client languages
Go, Java, JavaScript, Python, C#
Java, Python, Go, C++, JavaScript (community)
Best for
OLTP, Traversal, Knowledge graph, Vector search
Traversal, Graph analytics, Knowledge graph, OLTP
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Dgraph vs NebulaGraph: FAQ

What is the difference between Dgraph and NebulaGraph?

Dgraph: Distributed, horizontally scalable graph database in Go with native GraphQL and DQL. NebulaGraph: Shared-nothing distributed graph database for trillion-edge graphs, with GQL in Enterprise v5. Transactions: Dgraph offers full ACID; NebulaGraph offers limited. Only Dgraph has transactions, vector search, geospatial, json, change data capture. Only NebulaGraph has ttl / expiry.

When should I choose Dgraph over NebulaGraph?

Choose Dgraph for GraphQL application backends; knowledge graphs and content relationships; and real-time recommendations. Choose NebulaGraph for social and relationship graphs at internet scale; risk control and anti-fraud in finance; and knowledge graphs for search and recommendation.

Is Dgraph or NebulaGraph more popular?

Dgraph ranks #137 on the WhichDB Score (22.4/100) and NebulaGraph ranks #183 (18.1/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Dgraph and NebulaGraph open source?

Yes. Dgraph is open source. License: Apache License 2.0. Yes. NebulaGraph is open source. License: Apache License 2.0 (open-source edition); Enterprise is commercial.