![home shape home shape](https://arangodb.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/home-shape.webp)
Graph Database Basics
Unlock the Power of Connected Data: An Introductory Guide to Understanding and Implementing Graph Database Basics for Enhanced Analytics and Real-Time Insights.
![right blob img min right blob img min](https://usarangodb.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/right-blob-img-min.png)
Stored edges always have a direction _from
one vertex _to
another. Seen from a certain vertex, incoming edges are called inbound
and outgoing edges outbound
. During queries, the stored direction can be ignored by the actual query when deciding to follow any direction.
![image13 image13](https://usarangodb.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/image13.png)
![background img background img](https://usarangodb.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/background-img.png)
The simplest algorithm is a so-called graph traversal. A graph traversal begins to traverse the graph beginning at a defined start vertex and ends at a defined depth with the end vertex.
When applying filters during a graph traversal on the properties of a vertex or an edge the pattern matching algorithm is being used.
![image5 image5](https://usarangodb.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/image5.png)
You can also analyze the shortest distance between two given vertices or nodes. This query pattern is called shortest path.
![right blob img min right blob img min](https://usarangodb.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/right-blob-img-min.png)
![background img background img](https://usarangodb.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/background-img.png)
![right blob img min right blob img min](https://usarangodb.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/right-blob-img-min.png)
![background img background img](https://usarangodb.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/background-img.png)