GRAPH.EXPLAIN

Constructs a query execution plan but does not run it. Inspect this execution plan to better understand how your query will get executed.

Arguments: Graph name, Query

Returns: String representation of a query execution plan

python javascript rust java shell


from falkordb import FalkorDB
client = FalkorDB()
graph = client.select_graph('us_government')
query = "MATCH (p:President)-[:BORN]->(h:State {name:'Hawaii'}) RETURN p"
result = graph.explain(query)
print(result)


import { FalkorDB } from 'falkordb';
const client = await FalkorDB.connect();
const graph = client.selectGraph('us_government');
const query = "MATCH (p:President)-[:BORN]->(h:State {name:'Hawaii'}) RETURN p";
const result = await graph.explain(query);
console.log(result);


use falkordb::{FalkorClientBuilder, FalkorConnectionInfo};

let connection_info: FalkorConnectionInfo = "falkor://127.0.0.1:6379"
    .try_into().expect("Invalid connection info");
let client = FalkorClientBuilder::new()
    .with_connection_info(connection_info)
    .build().expect("Failed to build client");
let graph = client.select_graph("us_government");
let query = r#"MATCH (p:President)-[:BORN]->(h:State {name:'Hawaii'}) RETURN p"#;
let result = graph.explain(query)?;
println!("{}", result);


import com.falkordb.*;

Driver driver = FalkorDB.driver("localhost", 6379);
Graph graph = driver.graph("us_government");
String query = "MATCH (p:President)-[:BORN]->(h:State {name:'Hawaii'}) RETURN p";
String result = graph.explain(query);
System.out.println(result);


GRAPH.EXPLAIN us_government "MATCH (p:President)-[:BORN]->(h:State {name:'Hawaii'}) RETURN p"

Frequently Asked Questions 4

Does GRAPH.EXPLAIN actually execute the query?

No. GRAPH.EXPLAIN only constructs the execution plan without running the query. No data is read or modified. Use GRAPH.PROFILE if you want to execute the query and see runtime metrics.

What can I learn from the execution plan?

The execution plan shows the sequence of operations (scans, filters, traversals, projections) the engine will perform. This helps you understand whether indexes are being used and identify potential performance bottlenecks.

How do I know if my query is using an index?

In the execution plan output, look for operations like Index Scan instead of Node By Label Scan. An index scan indicates the query is leveraging an index for faster lookups.

Can I use GRAPH.EXPLAIN with parameterized queries?

Yes. You can pass parameterized queries to GRAPH.EXPLAIN using the same CYPHER param=val syntax as GRAPH.QUERY.