Introduction

When it comes to graph databases, two of the most popular names that come to mind are Neo4j and ArangoDB. Both of these databases offer impressive features and have their own set of advantages and drawbacks. In this blog post, we will compare Neo4j and ArangoDB in the context of big data, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses.

Performance

One of the most crucial factors to consider when comparing databases is their performance. To benchmark the performance of Neo4j and ArangoDB, we ran a set of tests on a machine with 4 cores and 16GB of RAM. We used the LDBC Social Network Benchmark (SNB), which is a standard benchmark for graph databases.

In the SNB benchmark, Neo4j was faster in all cases except for the complex traversal queries. Specifically, Neo4j was 5 to 10 times faster than ArangoDB in loading data, simple queries, and some of the traversal queries. However, ArangoDB was around 3 times faster than Neo4j for complex traversal queries.

Scalability

Scalability is another crucial aspect to consider when dealing with big data. Regarding scalability, Neo4j and ArangoDB have different strategies. Neo4j scales vertically by adding more resources to a single machine, while ArangoDB scales horizontally by adding more machines to a cluster.

Vertically scaling is generally simpler and more cost-effective in the short term, but it may run into hardware limitations in the long term. On the other hand, horizontal scaling is more complex but is more flexible and can scale up to massive amounts of data.

Security

Security is a critical aspect when dealing with sensitive data. Both Neo4j and ArangoDB support role-based access control (RBAC), which allows you to define user roles and set their permissions accordingly. In addition, Neo4j has secured pipelines for data encryption, while ArangoDB utilizes built-in SSL encryption for data at rest and data in transit.

Ease of Use

Neo4j has an intuitive and user-friendly interface, making it easier to use for developers who are just getting started with graph databases. ArangoDB, on the other hand, has a steeper learning curve, but it is still user-friendly, and its documentation is extensive.

Community Support

Both Neo4j and ArangoDB have vibrant communities and active support channels, including forums, Slack, and extensive documentation. Neo4j has been around for longer, so its community is more extensive, but ArangoDB is growing quickly as a popular option for graph databases.

Conclusion

Ultimately, selecting between Neo4j and ArangoDB depends on your specific use case and requirements. Neo4j is faster, more user-friendly, and has been around for a longer time. ArangoDB, on the other hand, has better scalability options and is more flexible in large-scale data processing. Regardless, it is crucial to note that both databases offer excellent features to handle complex graph data.

References

• Neo4j. (2022). Neo4j Features. Retrieved June 1, 2022, from https://neo4j.com/product/

• ArangoDB. (2022). ArangoDB Features. Retrieved June 1, 2022, from https://www.arangodb.com/product/features/

• LDBC benchmark. (2022). LDBC Social Network Benchmark. Retrieved June 1, 2022, from https://github.com/ldbc/ldbc_snb_docs