Gel

Gel is a graph-relational database that runs on Postgres. Its schema is written as object types with properties and links, its queries use the EdgeQL language, and the schema is exposed through a GraphQL interface. The server includes a graphical UI. Gel Data Inc. maintains the project.

The CLI installs with a bash or PowerShell installer, Homebrew or Nixpkgs, and JavaScript and Python projects can run it through npx or uvx. Docker users run the geldata/gel image, and Linux servers can install the server package, which bundles a systemd unit that starts the server.

Worth knowing

The Docker container needs about 1 GB of RAM, and the deployment guide says Gel connects to an external PostgreSQL instance as the PostgreSQL superuser.

The maintainer’s announcement says the company is shutting down, its team is joining Vercel, and Gel Cloud is closed, while Gel stays open source on GitHub.

Installed as a service, the server is a long-running process, so it needs a host that keeps processes running.