PgRouting

lastmod 2025-03-04created 2025-03-042 edits

About

• pgRouting is a Postgres extension mainly used in geographic information systems (GIS) to find the shortest path between two points
• However, pgRouting can also be used to process data in a variety of graph structures beyond geospatial data
• It can serve as a lightweight alternative to dedicated graph databases such as Apache AGE or Neo4j

Introducing pgRouting

• pgRouting is an extension of PostGIS that provides geospatial routing functionality
• It enables shortest path calculation, network analysis, solving complex routing problems, and more
• Mainly used in GIS, e.g. for finding the shortest path between two locations

Working with graphs

• pgRouting's strength is that it can work with any data structured as a graph
• A graph consists of a network of interconnected points, where:
  • Nodes represent entities
  • Edges represent relationships or paths between nodes
• In maps or GIS, nodes and edges mean intersections and roads respectively, but this also applies to abstract systems such as social networks

See aslo

• PostgreSQL

Favorite site

• Using Postgres as a Graph DB: (Ab)using PgRouting | GeekNews
  • [Original] Postgres as a Graph Database: (Ab)using pgRouting