VertexDB
discontinuedby Steve Dekorte and Rich Collins · since 2009 · also known as Vertex
Small C graph database server over HTTP/JSON on Tokyo Cabinet with automatic garbage collection.
discontinued. No meaningful development since about 2010; last commit was a README fix in 2018. Depends on the abandoned Tokyo Cabinet.
Overview
VertexDB is a graph database server written in C by Steve Dekorte and Rich Collins in 2009. It stores nodes with named links in a Tokyo Cabinet B-tree file, serves them from a single-threaded libevent HTTP server with JSON responses, and garbage-collects nodes no longer reachable from the root, so applications never delete orphans by hand. Its API is modelled on the FUSE filesystem API (paths, links, listings) plus query and atomic queue operations, so it can double as a persistent queue. The authors ran it in production, but almost all commits date from 2009-2010; later changes were README fixes.
Strengths & trade-offs
Strengths
- +Automatic garbage collection of unreachable nodes
- +Tiny C server with an HTTP/JSON interface any language can call
- +Filesystem-like path API plus atomic queue operations
Trade-offs
- −Abandoned, and its Tokyo Cabinet dependency is abandoned too
- −No query language, replication or clustering
- −No authentication; meant to run on an isolated network
Great for
- +Studying a minimal graph store design
- +Hobby projects needing a persistent object tree
Think twice for
- −Production systems
- −Analytical graph queries
Capabilities
Native or official first-party support · 1 of 25 tracked
Scale & consistency
- Comfortable data size
- Small · ≤ 100 GB
- Horizontal scaling
- None
- Multi-region
- No
- Transactions
- Limited ACID
- Consistency
- Strong
- Schema
- Schemaless
- Architecture
- Single node, Client server
- Query languages
- HTTP path API
Deployment
Ecosystem
Alternatives to VertexDB
The default property-graph database, with Cypher, a big ecosystem and a managed cloud.
vertexdb vs neo4j →In-memory, Cypher-compatible graph database in C++ for streaming and real-time graph workloads.
vertexdb vs memgraph →Native multi-model database: documents, graphs, search and vectors behind one query language.
vertexdb vs arangodb →Go graph database inspired by Google's Knowledge Graph, dormant since its 2019 release.
vertexdb vs cayley →Embedded Java hypergraph database where edges can link any number of atoms, including other edges.
vertexdb vs hypergraphdb →Apache TinkerPop's reference server for running Gremlin traversals over any compatible graph.
vertexdb vs apache-tinkerpop-gremlin-server →VertexDB FAQ
What is VertexDB?
VertexDB is a graph database by Steve Dekorte and Rich Collins, first released in 2009. VertexDB is a graph database server written in C by Steve Dekorte and Rich Collins in 2009. It stores nodes with named links in a Tokyo Cabinet B-tree file, serves them from a single-threaded libevent HTTP server with JSON responses, and garbage-collects nodes no longer reachable from the root, so applications never delete orphans by hand. Its API is modelled on the FUSE filesystem API (paths, links, listings) plus query and atomic queue operations, so it can double as a persistent queue. The authors ran it in production, but almost all commits date from 2009-2010; later changes were README fixes.
Is VertexDB open source?
Yes. VertexDB is open source. License: BSD License.
Does VertexDB support ACID transactions?
Partly. VertexDB offers limited ACID guarantees (for example, single-record or single-partition transactions), with strong consistency.
Does VertexDB scale horizontally?
VertexDB does not scale horizontally; it runs on a single node, so you scale it up rather than out. It is comfortable at small scale (≤ 100 GB).
How can I run VertexDB?
You can self-host it.
What is VertexDB best for?
VertexDB is a strong fit for studying a minimal graph store design and hobby projects needing a persistent object tree. Think twice for production systems.
What are the best alternatives to VertexDB?
Common alternatives to VertexDB include Neo4j, Memgraph, ArangoDB, Cayley and HyperGraphDB. The right choice depends on your workload, scale and hosting; WhichDB's smart match ranks them against your requirements.
Is VertexDB still maintained?
VertexDB is discontinued. No meaningful development since about 2010; last commit was a README fix in 2018. Depends on the abandoned Tokyo Cabinet.
How popular is VertexDB?
VertexDB ranks #643 of 844 databases on the WhichDB Score (0.5/100), and #42 among graph databases. The score combines public adoption signals such as package downloads, GitHub activity, job posts and developer discussion.