openCypher aims to bring graph querying to the masses

openCypher, is an open source project that will make Cypher, a popular graph query language available to technology providers as a universal language for querying graph data. Cypher is a graph query language that allows for expressive and efficient querying of graph data. Cypher is intuitive, powerful and easy to learn.It lets you write graph queries by describing patterns in your data. Because graphs already describe your domain, Cypher lets you focus on your domain instead of getting lost in the mechanics of data access.

The creation of openCypher is a pivotal moment in the evolution of the graph data space. Much like SQL did for relational databases, Cypher promises to accelerate the usage of graph processing and analysis worldwide by making it easier for any data storage, analytics or tooling platform to offer access to graph capabilities using a universal query language.

Hundreds of thousands of developers and data analysts already use Cypher, and the majority of people learning about graph databases do so with Cypher. Besides having garnered wide enthusiasm from the user community, Cypher is currently supported by numerous tooling providers, providing a strong foundation of existing skills and support. The query language has a robust history and has been well proven in the field, with tens of thousands of deployments.

openCypher promises to accelerate an already rapidly expanding graph data space: offering users increased skills marketability and reuse, tooling providers easy support for multiple database backends, and organizations and end users the benefits of technology independence.Initial supporters of openCypher include: Neo Technology, Oracle, Databricks (the company behind Apache Spark), Tableau, GraphAware, GrapheneDB, Graph Story, GraphGrid, Information Analysis Incorporated (IAI), Linkurious, Structr, ThoughtWorks and Tom Sawyer Software.

The openCypher project aims to make it easy for technology providers to implement Cypher inside of their tools and platforms. openCypher will be a place where users can go to find Cypher-compatible products and will also over time include:

• A Cypher language specification licensed under the creative commons license
• A reference implementation distributed under Apache 2.0 license that includes key building blocks needed to implement Cypher, available under a permissive open source license
• A Technology Compatibility Kit (TCK) that includes tests for vendors
• Reference documentation for versioned releases of Cypher

As a graph query language, Cypher allows users to focus on their domain instead of getting lost in the mechanics of data access. It aims to be accessible to both developers and operations professionals alike. Both expressive and efficient, Cypher is intuitive and immediately familiar, without the high learning curve that normally comes with learning a new language. It’s a language that users love, making it an especially strong candidate technically: for its power, familiarity and ease.