Traverse in the Browser (WASM)
The full graph engine, in a browser tab. No install, no server, no account.
What it is
A WebAssembly build of Traverse that runs the same Cypher language and the same 32+ graph data science algorithms as the server — only it runs inside a browser tab instead of on a machine you have to administer. You get Studio, the visual query editor, and the algorithm library; you just don't get a server.
Data lives in the browser's Origin Private File System. Close the tab, come back tomorrow — your databases are still there. Clear site data and they're gone. Nothing leaves your browser.
Quick start
- Open traverse.truespar.com.
- A short loading splash appears while the engine initializes, then Studio mounts.
- You land on the Movies sample (a small actors-and-films graph). Pre-saved queries are available in the Query Palette (Ctrl+P).
- Open the Examples panel to load larger pre-built samples or import your own data via Cypher or CSV.
- Use the Graph Assistant chat panel to ask for queries in plain English.
Sample databases
The Examples panel ships several pre-built databases that load in a few seconds:
| Sample | Nodes | Edges | Size | Use case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Movies | ~40 | ~65 | ~10 KB | First Cypher patterns |
| OurAirports | 9,509 | 9,260 | 1.8 MB | Hierarchical aggregates |
| OpenFlights | 9,509 | 73,307 | 5.5 MB | Routes / shortest path |
| Pokec (small) | 10,000 | 121,716 | 6.9 MB | First GDS runs |
| Pokec (medium) | 100,000 | 1.77M | 97 MB | Larger GDS workloads |
What's the same as the server build
- The Cypher language — same grammar, same semantics.
- The full algorithm catalog — PageRank, Louvain, Dijkstra, FastRP, and 28 others.
- The database file format. Download a
.tvdbfrom the browser, load it on the server, or the other way around — the files are interchangeable. - Studio: schema browser, query editor, graph visualization, GDS drawer.
What's different
- Single-user. The browser tab is the engine. Nobody else can see your data.
- No external protocols. The browser tab can't speak Bolt or gRPC. If you need to connect from Python, .NET, Java, or any other language, use the server.
- Memory ceiling. Browsers limit WebAssembly to around 4 GB; in practice you start feeling pressure around 2 GB. Graphs up to a few million edges are comfortable.
- HTTPS required. Browsers only allow the engine to use threads on secure pages with the right security headers. Our hosted demo handles this for you; if you self-host, see the embedding guide.
- No accounts, no license check. The browser build is free to use.
Sharing queries
Use the Share button in the query editor to copy a URL that contains the query itself. Send it in chat or email; whoever opens it lands in Studio with the editor pre-filled. The link is self-contained — the query travels inside the URL, nothing is uploaded to a server.
When to use which
| Use case | Recommended |
|---|---|
| Trying Traverse for the first time | Browser |
| Sharing a query in a blog post or chat | Browser |
| Teaching Cypher / running a workshop | Browser |
| Embedding a graph database in your own web app | Browser, via the npm package |
| Anything multi-user | Server |
| Graphs larger than ~2 GB in memory | Server |
| Connecting from Python / Java / Go / .NET | Server |
| Production workloads | Server |
Limits
- Memory. Browsers cap WebAssembly at roughly 4 GB. Pokec medium (about 1.8 million edges, 100 MB on disk) loads fine; bigger graphs need the server.
- First-load size. A few megabytes the first time the page loads; cached after that.
- Per-origin storage. Each domain has its own private storage, so moving the same WASM build to a different subdomain gives users a clean slate.
- Browser support. Recent Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari (2022 or later). Older browsers see a clear error explaining what's missing.