How to Get Started with Dgraph Using Dgraph Documentation

Start at docs.dgraph.io and pick one of the two documented paths: Dgraph DB if you want direct database operations and administration, or GraphQL API if you want to generate a GraphQL API and graph backend from your own GraphQL schema. The right choice depends on whether your application already speaks GraphQL or you need lower-level control over the database.

What the documentation covers

The Dgraph Documentation site describes Dgraph as an open, complete graph database built for terabyte-scale, real-time workloads. The documented characteristics are:

• Open-source
• Scalable and distributed
• Highly available
• Designed for real-time workloads, horizontal scalability, and data flexibility
• Implemented as a distributed system that processes queries in parallel

The homepage splits the documentation into two entry points, and the excerpt states the intended use of each:

Choosing your path

Use Dgraph DB if you need direct control

Choose this path when you want to work with Dgraph as a property graph database — running database operations and administering the cluster yourself. The documentation describes this as the route for direct database operations and administration.

Use the GraphQL API if you already have a schema

Choose this path when you want a schema-driven API without building the backend layer by hand. The documentation states that you generate both a GraphQL API and a graph backend from your GraphQL schema, which is aimed at rapid application development.

If you are unsure, the deciding question is whether a GraphQL schema is your starting point. If yes, the GraphQL API path matches the documented workflow. If you need to operate and administer the database directly, start with Dgraph DB.

Getting started, step by step

The documentation is organized so that each path begins with a "Get started" entry rather than a single combined tutorial. To work through it:

1. Open docs.dgraph.io.
2. Decide between the Dgraph DB and GraphQL API sections using the criteria above.
3. Enter the "Get started" material for the path you chose. For Dgraph DB, this is the documented starting point for using and operating the database.
4. Follow that section's setup material before attempting queries, since the homepage does not itself contain installation or configuration steps.
5. For the GraphQL API path, begin from your GraphQL schema, because the documented output is a generated API and graph backend derived from that schema.

Expected result: after completing the "Get started" material for your chosen path, you should be positioned to either run direct database operations (Dgraph DB) or call a generated GraphQL API backed by a graph backend (GraphQL API).

What to look for next

Once past the starting material, the documentation points toward two ongoing areas of work:

• Using and operating the database — the Dgraph DB path covers both use and operation, so expect administration topics alongside query topics.
• Schema-driven API development — the GraphQL API path is framed around generating the API and backend from a schema, so schema design is the recurring input.

Common sticking points

• Treating the two paths as sequential. They are presented as alternatives ("Choose your path"), not as steps one after another. Pick the one that matches your starting point.
• Expecting the homepage to contain setup commands. The excerpt only names the two entry points and their purposes; the actual setup and operations guidance lives inside each section.
• Assuming a single unified tutorial. Because the documentation splits into Dgraph DB and GraphQL API, search within the section you chose rather than across the whole site.

Quick reference