Using Neo4j with Ruby and Neography. Code examples here: https://github.com/seenickcode/nycneo4j-sinatra-example-1

1. Meetup Jan 29th, 2014
Realistic Neo4j: Neo4j + Ruby (part 1)
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2. Neo4j Quick Review
• Benefits of a Graph Database
– Super fast when querying complex, highly connected data
– Schema-less and Efficient storage of Semi Structured Information
– Fast deep traversal instead of slow SQL queries that span many table
joins
– Very natural to express graph related problems with traversals
(recommendation engine, shortest parth etc..)
source:
http://neo4j.rubyforge.org/guides/why_gra
ph_db.html

3. Neo4j Quick Review
•
Graph Database
– A graph database is a database that uses graph structures with nodes, edges, and properties
to represent and store data (Wikipedia)
•
Node
– An entity in the database typically representing a “thing”
•
Relationship
– A one way link between two nodes
•
Node/Relationship Property
– A key-value pair that can be attached to a node or relationship
– example: { “name” : “Nicholas” }
•
Label
– A “tag” that can be attached to a node in order to make querying faster and more convenient
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4. Example
node
node
property: value
property: value
property: value
relationship type
label
name: ‘Joe’
age: 27
label
:UPLOADS
filename: ‘cat.png’
on: 2013-11-18
:User
:Photo
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5. Example
:User
:FOLLOWS
name: ‘Joe’
age: 27
weight: 10
name: ‘Jane’
bday: 19800115
:FOLLOWS
:PHOTO
weight: 2
filename: ‘cat.png’
:LIKES
name: ‘Joe’
age: 27
on: 20131118
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6. Queries are Traversals
start
end
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7. What Are Our Options?
• Java
– Kind of heavyweight. Bit more complex to host. But good for
control and optimizing queries.
• Ruby
– Neo4j.rb
• Uses JRuby which is still Java under the hood.
– Neography
• Uses Neo4j’s RESTful HTTP web services
• Not as fast as other options, but simple and easier to deploy and host
• Other Options
– Node.js, Python, PHP, .NET, Go, etc
– http://www.neo4j.org/develop/drivers
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8. Our Example Today
• Why Ruby?
– Simple, popular, easy to learn.
• Why Not X Instead of Ruby?
• Why Neography?
– Communicates with Neo4j via HTTP, simply point your code to a
Neo4j server and get started
– Downside: not the best documentation or examples for newcomers
(hence this meetup)
– https://github.com/maxdemarzi/neography
• Why aren’t we looking at a Rails example?
• Thoughts on ActiveRecord
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9. Today (part 1) We’ll Cover
• Writing Code That:
– creates nodes for Users
– creates relationships for Users
– using indexes
• Writing a Few Tests To Demonstrate
• (No webpages, Sorry , Keeping it Simple)
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10. Technologies We’ll Cover
•
Neo4j
– Download, start and make sure Neo4j is running
– Checkout the Data Browser at http://localhost:7474
•
Ruby
– Ruby is a programming language we will use to talk to the Neo4j server
– Install Ruby: https://www.ruby-lang.org/en/installation
– Run `ruby –v` to make sure it is installed properly
•
Sinatra
– A simple framework for writing Ruby web applications or web service APIs
– Remember, use whatever language and framwork you like. Sinatra is just an example.
– (more information: http://www.sinatrarb.com)
– (great intro: http://www.slideshare.net/knaveofdiamonds/web-simplicity-ruby-sinatra-rack )
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11. Finding Help
– https://github.com/seenickcode/nycneo4j-sinatraexample-1/tree/master/meetup-003-sinatra-example1
– Neography
– http://maxdemarzi.com/2012/01/04/getting-startedwith-ruby-and-neo4j/
– https://github.com/neo4j-contrib/neo4j-herokuseeds/tree/master/ruby/sinatra-neography
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12. Thanks for Coming
• @seenickcode
• nicholas.manning@gmail.com for
questions
• Next time we’ll expand on this!
• Want to present? Let me know.
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