graphik

Graphik is a Backend as a Service implemented as an identity-aware document & graph database with support for gRPC and graphQL

This project is maintained by graphikDB

graphik

https://graphikdb.github.io/graphik/

GoDoc

Graphik is a Backend as a Service implemented as an identity-aware, permissioned, persistant document/graph database & pubsub server written in Go.

Support: support@graphikdb.io

Quick Start

Download sample .env & docker-compose file for configuration:

curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/graphikDB/graphik/master/.sample.env >> .env
curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/graphikDB/graphik/master/docker-compose.yml >> docker-compose.yml

Change GRAPHIK_ROOT_USERS in .env to your email address

Start the server:

  docker-compose -f docker-compose.yml pull
  docker-compose -f docker-compose.yml up -d

Visit localhost:7820/ui and login to get started. See Sample GraphQL Queries for sample graphQL queries.

when you’re done, you may shutdown the server:

docker-compose -f docker-compose.yml down --remove-orphans

Problem Statement

Traditional relational databases are powerful but come with a number of issues that interfere with agile development methodologies:

Because of these reasons, proper database adminstration requires a skilled database adminstration team(DBA).

This is bad for the following reasons:

sql-schema-change-workflow

Traditional non-relational databases are non-relational

Because of these reasons, APIs often end up developing anti-patterns

Traditional non-relational databases often don’t have a declarative query language

Traditional non-relational databases often don’t support custom constraints

nosql-constraints

No awareness of origin/end user accessing the records(only the API/dba making the request)

This is bad for the following reasons:

Solution

Features

Key Dependencies

Flags

please note that the following flags are required:

      --allow-headers strings               cors allow headers (env: GRAPHIK_ALLOW_HEADERS) (default [*])
      --allow-methods strings               cors allow methods (env: GRAPHIK_ALLOW_METHODS) (default [HEAD,GET,POST,PUT,PATCH,DELETE])
      --allow-origins strings               cors allow origins (env: GRAPHIK_ALLOW_ORIGINS) (default [*])
      --ca-cert string                      client CA certificate path for establishing mtls (env: GRAPHIK_CA_CERT)
      --debug                               enable debug logs (env: GRAPHIK_DEBUG)
      --enable-ui                           enable user interface (env: GRAPHIK_ENABLE_UI) (default true)
      --environment string                  deployment environment (k8s) (env: GRAPHIK_ENVIRONMENT)
      --join-raft string                    join raft cluster at target address (env: GRAPHIK_JOIN_RAFT)
      --listen-port int                     serve gRPC & graphQL on this port (env: GRAPHIK_LISTEN_PORT) (default 7820)
      --mutual-tls                          require mutual tls (env: GRAPHIK_MUTUAL_TLS)
      --open-id string                      open id connect discovery uri ex: https://accounts.google.com/.well-known/openid-configuration (env: GRAPHIK_OPEN_ID) (required) (default "https://accounts.google.com/.well-known/openid-configuration")
      --raft-max-pool int                   max nodes in pool (env: GRAPHIK_RAFT_MAX_POOL) (default 5)
      --raft-peer-id string                 raft peer ID - one will be generated if not set (env: GRAPHIK_RAFT_PEER_ID)
      --raft-secret string                  raft cluster secret (so only authorized nodes may join cluster) (env: GRAPHIK_RAFT_SECRET)
      --require-request-authorizers         require request authorizers for all methods/endpoints (env: GRAPHIK_REQUIRE_REQUEST_AUTHORIZERS)
      --require-response-authorizers        require request authorizers for all methods/endpoints (env: GRAPHIK_REQUIRE_RESPONSE_AUTHORIZERS)
      --root-users strings                  a list of email addresses that bypass registered authorizers (env: GRAPHIK_ROOT_USERS)  (required) (default [coleman.word@graphikdb.io])
      --storage string                      persistant storage path (env: GRAPHIK_STORAGE_PATH) (default "/tmp/graphik")
      --tls-cert string                     path to tls certificate (env: GRAPHIK_TLS_CERT)
      --tls-key string                      path to tls key (env: GRAPHIK_TLS_KEY)
      --ui-oauth-authorization-url string   user authentication: oauth authorization url (env: GRAPHIK_UI_OAUTH_AUTHORIZATION_URL) (default "https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/v2/auth")
      --ui-oauth-client-id string           user authentication: oauth client id (env: GRAPHIK_UI_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID) (default "723941275880-6i69h7d27ngmcnq02p6t8lbbgenm26um.apps.googleusercontent.com")
      --ui-oauth-client-secret string       user authentication: oauth client secret (env: GRAPHIK_UI_OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRET) (default "E2ru-iJAxijisJ9RzMbloe4c")
      --ui-oauth-redirect-url string        user authentication: oauth redirect url (env: GRAPHIK_UI_OAUTH_REDIRECT_URL) (default "http://localhost:7820/ui/login")
      --ui-oauth-scopes strings             user authentication: oauth scopes (env: GRAPHIK_UI_OAUTH_SCOPES) (default [openid,email,profile])
      --ui-oauth-token-url string           user authentication: token url (env: GRAPHIK_UI_OAUTH_TOKEN_URL) (default "https://oauth2.googleapis.com/token")
      --ui-session-secret string            user authentication: session secret (env: GRAPHIK_UI_SESSION_SECRET) (default "change-me-xxxx-xxxx")

sample .env file:

# change to a list of root user emails that have full access to all database operations
GRAPHIK_ROOT_USERS=coleman.word@graphikdb.io
GRAPHIK_OPEN_ID=https://accounts.google.com/.well-known/openid-configuration
GRAPHIK_ALLOW_HEADERS=*
GRAPHIK_ALLOW_METHOD=*
GRAPHIK_ALLOW_ORIGINS=*

# use for testing only
GRAPHIK_UI_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID=723941275880-6i69h7d27ngmcnq02p6t8lbbgenm26um.apps.googleusercontent.com
# use for testing only
GRAPHIK_UI_CLIENT_SECRET=E2ru-iJAxijisJ9RzMbloe4c
# change localhost:7820 to your deployed domain name when not running locally
GRAPHIK_UI_OAUTH_REDIRECT_URL=http://localhost:7820/ui/login
GRAPHIK_UI_OAUTH_SCOPES=openid,email,profile
GRAPHIK_UI_OAUTH_AUTHORIZATION_URL=https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/v2/auth
GRAPHIK_UI_OAUTH_TOKEN_URL=https://oauth2.googleapis.com/token
GRAPHIK_UI_SESSION_SECRET=changeme-xxxxx-xxxx

gRPC Client SDKs

User Interface

The flag –enable-ui controls whether the UI is enabled or not. By default, it is enabled and available at the path :7820/ui. By default, it is configured to use an oauth client for testing purposes only.

UI related flags:

--enable-ui                           enable user interface (env: GRAPHIK_ENABLE_UI) (default true)
--ui-oauth-authorization-url string   user authentication: oauth authorization url (env: GRAPHIK_UI_OAUTH_AUTHORIZATION_URL) (default "https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/v2/auth")
--ui-oauth-client-id string           user authentication: oauth client id (env: GRAPHIK_UI_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID) (default "723941275880-6i69h7d27ngmcnq02p6t8lbbgenm26um.apps.googleusercontent.com")
--ui-oauth-client-secret string       user authentication: oauth client secret (env: GRAPHIK_UI_OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRET) (default "E2ru-iJAxijisJ9RzMbloe4c")
--ui-oauth-redirect-url string        user authentication: oauth redirect url (env: GRAPHIK_UI_OAUTH_REDIRECT_URL) (default "http://localhost:7820/ui/login")
--ui-oauth-scopes strings             user authentication: oauth scopes (env: GRAPHIK_UI_OAUTH_SCOPES) (default [openid,email,profile])
--ui-oauth-token-url string           user authentication: token url (env: GRAPHIK_UI_OAUTH_TOKEN_URL) (default "https://oauth2.googleapis.com/token")
--ui-session-secret string            user authentication: session secret (env: GRAPHIK_UI_SESSION_SECRET) (default "change-me-xxxx-xxxx")

Implemenation Details

Primitives

message Ref {
  // gtype is the type of the doc/connection ex: pet
  string gtype =1 [(validator.field) = {regex : "^.{1,225}$"}];
  // gid is the unique id of the doc/connection within the context of it's type
  string gid =2 [(validator.field) = {regex : "^.{1,225}$"}];
}

message Doc {
    // ref is the ref to the doc
    Ref ref =1 [(validator.field) = {msg_exists : true}];
    // k/v pairs
    google.protobuf.Struct attributes =2;
}

message Connection {
  // ref is the ref to the connection
  Ref ref =1 [(validator.field) = {msg_exists : true}];
  // attributes are k/v pairs
  google.protobuf.Struct attributes =2;
  // directed is false if the connection is bi-directional
  bool directed =3;
  // from is the doc ref that is the source of the connection
  Ref from =4 [(validator.field) = {msg_exists : true}];
  // to is the doc ref that is the destination of the connection
  Ref to =5 [(validator.field) = {msg_exists : true}];
}

Identity Graph

Login/Authorization/Authorizers

please note:

Authorizers Examples

1) only allow access to the GetSchema method if the users email contains coleman AND their email is verified

mutation {
  setAuthorizers(input: {
    authorizers: [{
      name: "getSchema",
      method: "/api.DatabaseService/GetSchema",
      expression: "this.user.attributes.email.contains('coleman') && this.user.attributes.email_verified"
      target_requests:true,
      target_responses: true
    }]
  })
}

2) only allow access to the CreateDoc method if the users email endsWith acme.com AND the users email is verified AND the doc to create is of type note

mutation {
  setAuthorizers(input: {
    authorizers: [{
      name: "createNote",
      method: "/api.DatabaseService/CreateDoc",
      expression: "this.user.attributes.email.endsWith('acme.com') && this.user.attributes.email_verified && this.target.ref.gtype == 'note'"
      target_requests:true,
      target_responses: false
    }]
  })
}

Secondary Indexes

please note:

Secondary Index Examples

1) index documents of type product that have a price > 100

mutation {
  setIndexes(input: {
    indexes: [{
    	name: "expensiveProducts"
			gtype: "product"
			expression: "int(this.attributes.price) > 100"
			target_docs: true
			target_connections: false
    }]
  })
}

you can search for the document within the new index like so:

query {
	searchDocs(where: {
		gtype: "product"
		limit: 1
		index: "expensiveProducts"
	}){
		docs {
			ref {
				gid
				gtype
			}
			attributes
		}
	}
}

{
  "data": {
    "searchDocs": {
      "docs": [
        {
          "ref": {
            "gid": "1lw7gcc5yQ01YbLcsgMX0iz0Sgx",
            "gtype": "product"
          },
          "attributes": {
            "price": 101,
            "title": "this is a product"
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  },
  "extensions": {}
}

Constraints

please note:

Constraint Examples

1) ensure all documents of type ‘note’ have a title

mutation {
  setConstraints(input: {
    constraints: [{
    	name: "noteValidator"
			gtype: "note"
			expression: "this.attributes.title != ''"
			target_docs: true
			target_connections: false
    }]
  })
}

2) ensure all documents of type ‘product’ have a price greater than 0

mutation {
  setConstraints(input: {
    constraints: [{
    	name: "productValidator"
			gtype: "product"
			expression: "int(this.attributes.price) > 0"
			target_docs: true
			target_connections: false
    }]
  })
}

Triggers

Trigger Examples

1) automatically add updated_at & created_at timestamp to all documents & connections

mutation {
	setTriggers(input: {
		triggers: [
		{
				name: "updatedAt"
				gtype: "*"
				expression: "true"
				trigger: "{'updated_at': now()}"
				target_docs: true
				target_connections: true
		},
		{
				name: "createdAt"
				gtype: "*"
				expression: "!has(this.attributes.created_at)"
				trigger: "{'created_at': now()}"
				target_docs: true
				target_connections: true
		},
		]
	})
}

{
  "data": {
    "setTriggers": {}
  },
  "extensions": {}
}

User Interface

Please take a look at the following options for graphik user-interface clients:

GraphQL vs gRPC API

In my opinion, gRPC is king for svc-svc communication & graphQL is king for developing user interfaces & exploring data.

In graphik the graphQL & gRPC are nearly identical, but every request flows through the gRPC server natively - the graphQL api is technically a wrapper that may be used for developing user interfaces & querying the database from the graphQL playground.

The gRPC server is more performant so it is advised that you import one of the gRPC client libraries as opposed to utilizing the graphQL endpoint when developing backend APIs.

The graphQL endpoint is particularly useful for developing public user interfaces against since it can be locked down to nearly any extent via authorizers, cors, constraints, & tls.

Streaming/PubSub

Graphik supports channel based pubsub as well as change-based streaming.

All server -> client stream/subscriptions are started via the Stream() endpoint in gRPC or graphQL. All messages received on this channel include the user that triggered/sent the message. Messages on channels may be filtered via CEL expressions so that only messages are pushed to clients that they want to receive. Messages may be sent directly to channels via the Broadcast() method in gRPC & graphQL. All state changes in the graph are sent by graphik to the state channel which may be subscribed to just like any other channel.

Additional Details

Sample GraphQL Queries

Get Currently Logged In User(me)

query {
  me(where: {}) {
    ref {
      gid
      gtype
    }
		attributes
  }
}

{
  "data": {
    "me": {
      "ref": {
        "gid": "coleman.word@graphikdb.io",
        "gtype": "user"
      },
      "attributes": {
        "email": "coleman.word@graphikdb.io",
        "email_verified": true,
        "family_name": "Word",
        "given_name": "Coleman",
        "hd": "graphikdb.io",
        "locale": "en",
        "name": "Coleman Word",
        "picture": "https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--LNU8XICB1A/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAAAA/AMZuuckp6gwH9JVkhlRkk-PTZdyDFctArg/s96-c/photo.jpg",
        "sub": "105138978122958973720"
      }
    }
  },
  "extensions": {}
}

Get the Graph Schema

query {
  getSchema(where: {}) {
    doc_types
		connection_types
    authorizers {
      authorizers {
        name
        expression
      }
    }
		constraints {
			constraints {
				name
				expression
			}
		}
		indexes {
			indexes {
				name
				expression
			}
		}
  }
}

{
  "data": {
    "getSchema": {
      "doc_types": [
        "dog",
        "human",
        "note",
        "user"
      ],
      "connection_types": [
        "created",
        "created_by",
        "edited",
        "edited_by",
        "owner"
      ],
      "authorizers": {
        "authorizers": [
          {
            "name": "testing",
            "expression": "this.user.attributes.email.contains(\"coleman\")"
          }
        ]
      },
      "constraints": {
        "constraints": [
          {
            "name": "testing",
            "expression": "this.user.attributes.email.contains(\"coleman\")"
          }
        ]
      },
      "indexes": {
        "indexes": [
          {
            "name": "testing",
            "expression": "this.attributes.primary_owner"
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  },
  "extensions": {}
}

Set a Request Authorizer

mutation {
  setAuthorizers(input: {
    authorizers: [{
      name: "testing",
      method: "/api.DatabaseService/GetSchema",
      expression: "this.user.attributes.email.contains('coleman') && this.user.attributes.email_verified"
      target_requests:true,
      target_responses: true
    }]
  })
}

{
  "data": {
    "setAuthorizers": {}
  },
  "extensions": {}
}

Create a Document

mutation {
  createDoc(input: {
    ref: {
  		gtype: "note"
    }
    attributes: {
      title: "do the dishes"
    }
  }){
    ref {
      gid
      gtype
    }
    attributes
  }
}

{
  "data": {
    "createDoc": {
      "ref": {
        "gid": "1lU0w0QjiI0jnNL8XMzWJHqQmTd",
        "gtype": "note"
      },
      "attributes": {
        "title": "do the dishes"
      }
    }
  },
  "extensions": {}
}

Traverse Documents

# Write your query or mutation here
query {
  traverse(input: {
    root: {
      gid: "coleman.word@graphikdb.io"
      gtype: "user"
    }
    algorithm: BFS
    limit: 6
		max_depth: 1
		max_hops: 10
  }){
    traversals {
      doc {
        ref {
          gid
          gtype
        }
      }
      traversal_path {
        gid
        gtype
      }
			depth
			hops
    }
  }
}

query {
	traverseMe(where: {
		max_hops: 100
		max_depth:1
		limit: 5
	}){
		traversals {
			traversal_path {
				gtype
				gid
			}
			depth
			hops
			doc {
				ref {
					gid
					gtype
				}
			}
		}
	}
}

{
  "data": {
    "traverseMe": {
      "traversals": [
        {
          "traversal_path": null,
          "depth": 0,
          "hops": 0,
          "doc": {
            "ref": {
              "gid": "coleman.word@graphikdb.io",
              "gtype": "user"
            }
          }
        },
        {
          "traversal_path": [
            {
              "gtype": "user",
              "gid": "coleman.word@graphikdb.io"
            }
          ],
          "depth": 1,
          "hops": 1,
          "doc": {
            "ref": {
              "gid": "1lU0w0QjiI0jnNL8XMzWJHqQmTd",
              "gtype": "note"
            }
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  },
  "extensions": {}
}

Change Streaming

subscription {
	stream(where: {
		channel: "state"
	}){
		data
		user {
			gid
			gtype
		}
	}
}

{
  "data": {
    "stream": {
      "data": {
        "attributes": {
          "title": "do the dishes"
        },
        "ref": {
          "gid": "1lUAK3uwwmhQ503ByzC9nCvdH6W",
          "gtype": "note"
        }
      },
      "user": {
        "gid": "coleman.word@graphikdb.io",
        "gtype": "user"
      }
    }
  },
  "extensions": {}
}

Broadcasting a Message

mutation {
  broadcast(input: {
    channel: "testing"
    data: {
      text: "hello world!"
    }
  })
}

{
  "data": {
    "broadcast": {}
  },
  "extensions": {}
}

Filtered Streaming

subscription {
  stream(where: {
    channel: "testing"
		expression: "this.data.text == 'hello world!' && this.user.gid.endsWith('graphikdb.io')"
    
  }){
    data
		user {
			gid
			gtype
		}
  }
}

{
  "data": {
    "stream": {
      "data": {
        "text": "hello world!"
      },
      "user": {
        "gid": "coleman.word@graphikdb.io",
        "gtype": "user"
      }
    }
  },
  "extensions": {}
}

Deployment

Regardless of deployment methodology, please set the following environmental variables or include them in a ${pwd}/.env file

GRAPHIK_OPEN_ID=${open_id_connect_metadata_url}
#GRAPHIK_ALLOW_HEADERS=${cors_headers}
#GRAPHIK_ALLOW_METHOD=${cors_methos}
#GRAPHIK_ALLOW_ORIGINS=${cors_origins}
#GRAPHIK_ROOT_USERS=${root_users}
#GRAPHIK_TLS_CERT=${tls_cert_path}
#GRAPHIK_TLS_KEY=${tls_key_path}

Docker-Compose

add this docker-compose.yml to ${pwd}:

version: '3.7'
services:
  graphik:
    image: graphikdb/graphik:v1.4.1
    env_file:
      - .env
    ports:
      - "7820:7820"
      - "7821:7821"
    volumes:
      - default:/tmp/graphik
    networks:
      default:
        aliases:
          - graphikdb
networks:
  default:

volumes:
  default:

then run:

docker-compose -f docker-compose.yml pull
docker-compose -f docker-compose.yml up -d

to shutdown:

docker-compose -f docker-compose.yml down --remove-orphans

### Kubernetes(Multi-Node)

Given a running Kubernetes cluster, run:

curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/graphikDB/graphik/master/k8s.yaml >> k8s.yaml && \
  kubectl apply -f k8s.yaml

to view pods as they spin up, run:

kubectl get pods -n graphik -w

graphik plugs into kubernetes service discovery

### Mac/OSX (Homebrew)

brew tap graphik/tools git@github.com:graphikDB/graphik-homebrew.git

brew install graphik

brew install graphikctl

Open ID Connect Providers

When using an openid provider other than Google(default configuration), please replace the flag

Google

Microsoft

Okta

Auth0

Glossary

Term Definition Source
Application Programming Interface(API) An application programming interface (API) is a computing interface that defines interactions between multiple software intermediaries. It defines the kinds of calls or requests that can be made, how to make them, the data formats that should be used, the conventions to follow, etc. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/API#:~:text=An%20application%20programming%20interface%20(API,the%20conventions%20to%20follow%2C%20etc.
Structured Query Language(SQL) a domain-specific language used in programming and designed for managing data held in a relational database management system (RDBMS), or for stream processing in a relational data stream management system (RDSMS). It is particularly useful in handling structured data, i.e. data incorporating relations among entities and variables. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SQL
NOSQL (originally referring to “non-SQL” or “non-relational”) database provides a mechanism for storage and retrieval of data that is modeled in means other than the tabular relations used in relational databases https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NoSQL
Graph Database Very simply, a graph database is a database designed to treat the relationships between data as equally important to the data itself. It is intended to hold data without constricting it to a pre-defined model. Instead, the data is stored like we first draw it out - showing how each individual entity connects with or is related to others. https://neo4j.com/developer/graph-database/
Identity Provider An identity provider (abbreviated IdP or IDP) is a system entity that creates, maintains, and manages identity information for principals and also provides authentication services to relying applications within a federation or distributed network. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identity_provider
OAuth2 The OAuth 2.0 authorization framework enables a third-party https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6749
Open ID Connect(OIDC) application to obtain limited access to an HTTP service, either on behalf of a resource owner by orchestrating an approval interaction between the resource owner and the HTTP service, or by allowing the third-party application to obtain access on its own behalf. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenID_Connect
Open ID Connect Provider Metadata OpenID Providers supporting Discovery MUST make a JSON document available at the path formed by concatenating the string /.well-known/openid-configuration to the Issuer. https://openid.net/specs/openid-connect-discovery-1_0.html#ProviderMetadata
gRPC gRPC is a modern open source high performance RPC framework that can run in any environment. It can efficiently connect services in and across data centers with pluggable support for load balancing, tracing, health checking and authentication. It is also applicable in last mile of distributed computing to connect devices, mobile applications and browsers to backend services. https://grpc.io/
graphQL GraphQL is a query language for APIs and a runtime for fulfilling those queries with your existing data. GraphQL provides a complete and understandable description of the data in your API, gives clients the power to ask for exactly what they need and nothing more, makes it easier to evolve APIs over time, and enables powerful developer tools. https://graphql.org/
Client-Server Model Client–server model is a distributed application structure that partitions tasks or workloads between the providers of a resource or service, called servers, and service requesters, called clients. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Client%E2%80%93server_model
Publish-Subscribe Architecture(PubSub) In software architecture, publish–subscribe is a messaging pattern where senders of messages, called publishers, do not program the messages to be sent directly to specific receivers, called subscribers, but instead categorize published messages into classes without knowledge of which subscribers, if any, there may be. Similarly, subscribers express interest in one or more classes and only receive messages that are of interest, without knowledge of which publishers, if any, there are. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publish%E2%80%93subscribe_pattern
Database Administrator Database administrators ensure databases run efficiently. Database administrators use specialized software to store and organize data, such as financial information and customer shipping records. They make sure that data are available to users and secure from unauthorized access. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/database-administrators.htm#:~:text=Database%20administrators%20ensure%20databases%20run,and%20secure%20from%20unauthorized%20access.
Raft Raft is a consensus algorithm designed as an alternative to the Paxos family of algorithms. It was meant to be more understandable than Paxos by means of separation of logic, but it is also formally proven safe and offers some additional features.[1] Raft offers a generic way to distribute a state machine across a cluster of computing systems, ensuring that each node in the cluster agrees upon the same series of state transitions. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raft_(algorithm)
Raft Leader At any given time, the peer set elects a single node to be the leader. The leader is responsible for ingesting new log entries, replicating to followers, and managing when an entry is considered committed. https://www.consul.io/docs/architecture/consensus
Raft Quorum A quorum is a majority of members from a peer set: for a set of size N, quorum requires at least (N/2)+1 members. For example, if there are 5 members in the peer set, we would need 3 nodes to form a quorum. If a quorum of nodes is unavailable for any reason, the cluster becomes unavailable and no new logs can be committed. https://www.consul.io/docs/architecture/consensus
Raft Log The primary unit of work in a Raft system is a log entry. The problem of consistency can be decomposed into a replicated log. A log is an ordered sequence of entries. Entries includes any cluster change: adding nodes, adding services, new key-value pairs, etc. We consider the log consistent if all members agree on the entries and their order. https://www.consul.io/docs/architecture/consensus
High Availability High availability (HA) is a characteristic of a system which aims to ensure an agreed level of operational performance, usually uptime, for a higher than normal period. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_availability#:~:text=High%20availability%20(HA)%20is%20a,increased%20reliance%20on%20these%20systems.
Horizontal Scaleability Horizontal scaling means scaling by adding more machines to your pool of resources (also described as “scaling out”), whereas vertical scaling refers to scaling by adding more power (e.g. CPU, RAM) to an existing machine (also described as “scaling up”). https://www.section.io/blog/scaling-horizontally-vs-vertically/#:~:text=Horizontal%20scaling%20means%20scaling%20by,as%20%E2%80%9Cscaling%20up%E2%80%9D).
Database Trigger A database trigger is procedural code that is automatically executed in response to certain events on a particular table or view in a database https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Database_trigger
Secondary Index A secondary index, put simply, is a way to efficiently access records in a database (the primary) by means of some piece of information other than the usual (primary) key. https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E17275_01/html/programmer_reference/am_second.html#:~:text=A%20secondary%20index%2C%20put%20simply,the%20usual%20(primary)%20key.
Authentication vs Authorization Authentication and authorization might sound similar, but they are distinct security processes in the world of identity and access management (IAM). Authentication confirms that users are who they say they are. Authorization gives those users permission to access a resource. https://www.okta.com/identity-101/authentication-vs-authorization/#:~:text=Authentication%20and%20authorization%20might%20sound,permission%20to%20access%20a%20resource.
Role Based Access Control(RBAC) Role-based access control (RBAC) is a method of restricting network access based on the roles of individual users within an enterprise. RBAC lets employees have access rights only to the information they need to do their jobs and prevents them from accessing information that doesn’t pertain to them. https://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/role-based-access-control-RBAC#:~:text=Role%2Dbased%20access%20control%20(RBAC)%20is%20a%20method%20of,doesn’t%20pertain%20to%20them.
Index Free Adjacency Data lookup performance is dependent on the access speed from one particular node to another. Because index-free adjacency enforces the nodes to have direct physical RAM addresses and physically point to other adjacent nodes, it results in a fast retrieval. A native graph system with index-free adjacency does not have to move through any other type of data structures to find links between the nodes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graph_database#Index-free_adjacency
Extended Common Expression Language An extensive decision & trigger framework backed by Google’s Common Expression Language https://github.com/graphikDB/trigger#standard-definitionslibrary

FAQ

1) How can I login with some type of local “Root” or “Admin” account without having to use some authenticator service?

It is not possible to use the database without an authenticator service, though, a default authenticator is configured by default for use locally. To configure the root/admin user with the default configurator, please utilize the --root-users flag or the GRAPHIK_ROOT_USERS environmental variable with a list of email addresses that have full access to the database.

2) Does GraphikDb have a built-in admin web server UI like RethinkDB, etc. to server some web pages for monitoring the database and cluster.

The metrics server on port 7821(by default) exposes a /metrics endpoint that may be used with Prometheus/Grafana for monitoring database operations & memory allocation.

The ClusterState operation on the database server may be used to monitor the state of the raft cluster. ex:

query {
  clusterState(where: {}) {
    membership
		peers {
			addr
			node_id
		}
		stats
  }
}

cluster-state

3) How well does it cluster?

Clustering is achieved via the raft protocol and is primarily used for redundancy purposes. The raft protocol does not scale particularly well for write operations - it may be replaced in the future with a sharded, eventually-consistent clustering mechanism in order to scale past 10+ instances.