https://github.com/geldata/gel
Gel supercharges Postgres with a modern data model, graph queries, Auth & AI solutions, and much more.
https://github.com/geldata/gel
database edgedb edgeql gel graph-relational high-performance relational-database
Last synced: 7 days ago
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Gel supercharges Postgres with a modern data model, graph queries, Auth & AI solutions, and much more.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/geldata/gel
- Owner: geldata
- License: apache-2.0
- Created: 2017-06-29T20:30:48.000Z (almost 8 years ago)
- Default Branch: master
- Last Pushed: 2025-04-05T00:45:24.000Z (10 days ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-04-05T11:42:56.289Z (9 days ago)
- Topics: database, edgedb, edgeql, gel, graph-relational, high-performance, relational-database
- Language: Python
- Homepage: https://geldata.com
- Size: 69.6 MB
- Stars: 13,540
- Watchers: 99
- Forks: 407
- Open Issues: 885
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- Contributing: CONTRIBUTING.rst
- License: LICENSE
- Code of conduct: CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
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README
What is Gel?
Gel is a new kind of database
that takes the best parts of
relational databases, graph
databases, and ORMs. We call it
a graph-relational database.
🧩 Types, not tables 🧩
Schema is the foundation of your application. It should be something you can
read, write, and understand.
Forget foreign keys; tabular data modeling is a relic of an older age, and it
[isn't compatible](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Object%E2%80%93relational_impedance_mismatch)
with modern languages. Instead, Gel thinks about schema the same way you do:
as **object types** containing **properties** connected by **links**.
```esdl
type Person {
required name: str;
}
type Movie {
required title: str;
multi actors: Person;
}
```
This example is intentionally simple, but Gel supports everything you'd
expect from your database: a strict type system, indexes, constraints, computed
properties, stored procedures...the list goes on. Plus it gives you some shiny
new features too: link properties, schema mixins, and best-in-class JSON
support. Read the [schema docs](https://docs.geldata.com/reference/datamodel)
for details.
🌳 Objects, not rows 🌳
Gel's super-powered query language EdgeQL is designed as a ground-up
redesign of SQL. EdgeQL queries produce rich, structured objects, not flat
lists of rows. Deeply fetching related objects is painless...bye, bye, JOINs.
```esdl
select Movie {
title,
actors: {
name
}
}
filter .title = "The Matrix"
```
EdgeQL queries are also _composable_; you can use one EdgeQL query as an
expression inside another. This property makes things like _subqueries_ and
_nested mutations_ a breeze.
```esdl
insert Movie {
title := "The Matrix Resurrections",
actors := (
select Person
filter .name in {
'Keanu Reeves',
'Carrie-Anne Moss',
'Laurence Fishburne'
}
)
}
```
There's a lot more to EdgeQL: a comprehensive standard library, computed
properties, polymorphic queries, `with` blocks, transactions, and much more.
Read the [EdgeQL docs](https://docs.geldata.com/reference/edgeql) for the full
picture.
🦋 More than a mapper 🦋
While Gel solves the same problems as ORM libraries, it's so much more. It's
a full-fledged database with a
[powerful and elegant query language](https://docs.geldata.com/reference/edgeql), a
[migrations system](https://docs.geldata.com/learn/migrations), a
[suite of client libraries](https://docs.geldata.com/reference/clients) in
different languages, a
[command line tool](https://docs.geldata.com/learn/cli), and a managed
[cloud service](https://geldata.com/cloud).
The goal is to rethink every aspect of how developers model, migrate,
manage, and query their database.
Here's a taste-test of Gel's next-level developer experience: you can
install our CLI, spin up an instance, and open an interactive EdgeQL shell with
just three commands.
```
$ curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://geldata.com/sh | sh
$ edgedb project init
$ edgedb
edgedb> select "Hello world!"
```
Windows users: use this Powershell command to install the CLI.
```
PS> iwr https://geldata.com/ps1 -useb | iex
```
## Get started
To start learning about Gel, check out the following resources:
- **[The quickstart](https://docs.geldata.com/learn/quickstart/overview/nextjs)**. If
you're just starting out, the 10-minute quickstart guide is the fastest way
to get up and running.
- **[Gel Cloud 🌤️](https://www.geldata.com/cloud)**. The best
most effortless way to host your Gel database in the cloud.
- **The docs.** Jump straight into the docs for
[schema modeling](https://docs.geldata.com/reference/datamodel) or
[EdgeQL](https://docs.geldata.com/reference/edgeql)!
## Contributing
PRs are always welcome! To get started, follow
[this guide](https://docs.geldata.com/resources/guides/contributing) to build Gel from
source on your local machine.
[File an issue 👉](https://github.com/geldata/gel/issues/new/choose)
[Start a Discussion 👉](https://github.com/geldata/gel/discussions/new)
[Join the discord 👉](https://discord.gg/gel)
## License
The code in this repository is developed and distributed under the
Apache 2.0 license. See [LICENSE](LICENSE) for details.
