Graph Theory and Databases

People have different ways of learning new topics. We know that background information can contribute greatly to a better understanding of new topics. That is why, in this chapter of our Learning Neo4j 3.x book, we will start with a bit of background information, not to recount the tales of history, but to give you the necessary context that can lead to a better understanding of the topics.

In order to do so, we will address the following topics:

• Graphs: What they are and where they came from. This section will aim to set the record straight on what, exactly, our subject will contain, and what it won't.
• Graph theory: What it is and what it is used for. This section will give you quite a few examples of graph theory applications, and it will also start hinting at applications for graph databases, such as Neo4j later on.
• Databases: What the different kinds of databases and what they are used for. This section will help you to know what the right database for your projects.

So, let's dig right in.