CREATE

The CREATE clause is used to introduce new nodes and relationships into the graph.

Creating Nodes

The simplest example creates a single node without any labels or properties:

CREATE (n)

You can create multiple entities by separating them with commas:

CREATE (n),(m)

Create a node with a label and properties:

CREATE (:Person {name: 'Kurt', age: 27})

Creating Relationships

To add relationships between nodes, you typically match existing nodes first, then create the relationship. In this example, we find an existing source node and create a new relationship with a new destination node:

GRAPH.QUERY DEMO_GRAPH
"MATCH (a:Person)
WHERE a.name = 'Kurt'
CREATE (a)-[:MEMBER]->(:Band {name:'Nirvana'})"

Here the source node (a:Person) is matched (bound), while the destination node (:Band) is unbound and will be created.

This query creates a new node representing the band Nirvana and a new MEMBER relationship connecting Kurt to the band.

Creating Complete Patterns

You can create entire graph patterns in a single statement. All entities within the pattern that are not bound (matched) will be created:

GRAPH.QUERY DEMO_GRAPH
"CREATE (jim:Person{name:'Jim', age:29})-[:FRIENDS]->(pam:Person {name:'Pam', age:27})-[:WORKS]->(:Employer {name:'Dunder Mifflin'})"

This query creates three nodes (Jim, Pam, and an Employer) and two relationships (FRIENDS and WORKS), establishing a complete graph pattern in one operation.

Frequently Asked Questions 4

Can I create nodes and relationships in a single query?

Yes. You can create entire graph patterns in one CREATE statement. All unbound entities in the pattern will be created as new nodes and relationships.

How do I create a relationship between existing nodes?

Use MATCH to find the existing nodes first, then CREATE the relationship: MATCH (a:Person {name: 'Alice'}), (b:Person {name: 'Bob'}) CREATE (a)-[:KNOWS]->(b).

What happens if I CREATE a node without a label?

FalkorDB allows creating nodes without labels using CREATE (n). The node will exist in the graph but cannot be efficiently queried by label-based index scans.

Can I set properties during CREATE?

Yes. Include properties in curly braces: CREATE (:Person {name: 'Alice', age: 30}). Multiple properties are separated by commas.