Cypher is Neo4j's declarative query language designed specifically for working with graph data. Key differences from SQL: Cypher characteristics:
Uses ASCII art to represent graph patterns: (a)-[:REL]->(b)
Focuses on pattern matching rather than table joins
More intuitive for expressing graph traversals
Supports path expressions naturally Example comparison:
// Cypher: Find friends of friends
MATCH (me:Person {name: "Alice"})-[:FRIEND]-(friend)-[:FRIEND]-(fof)
RETURN fof.name
// SQL equivalent would require multiple JOINs and be more complex
Rewriting in plainer words…
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