Property Graph
A property graph is a data model that represents entities (nodes) and their relationships (edges) in a graph structure, where both nodes and edges can have properties (key-value pairs) attached to them. It is widely used for modeling complex, interconnected data in domains like social networks, recommendation systems, and fraud detection. This model enables efficient querying and traversal of relationships, making it ideal for scenarios where connections between data points are as important as the data itself.
Developers should learn property graphs when working with highly connected data, such as in social media platforms, knowledge graphs, or network analysis, where traditional relational databases may struggle with complex joins. They are particularly useful for applications requiring real-time relationship queries, pattern matching, or pathfinding, as seen in recommendation engines, supply chain optimization, and cybersecurity threat detection. Understanding property graphs helps in leveraging graph databases like Neo4j or Amazon Neptune to build scalable, performant systems.