TypeDB 2.x to TypeDB 3.x: what’s changed

This page outlines the key updates of TypeDB 3.x compared to 2.x you should be aware of while transitioning between these versions.

This section highlights changes from TypeDB 2.x, not all new features in 3.x. Explore the TypeQL Concepts, TypeQL Reference, and release notes for the full picture. Stay tuned for upcoming blogs showcasing new features!

Click on a feature below for detailed documentation and examples.

TypeDB and TypeQL

  • Sessions Removed: Connections to TypeDB now only require opening a schema, write, or read transaction.

  • Integer Value Type Renamed: long is now integer

  • Kinds Introduced: no more predefined root types and their subtyping through person sub entity, friendship sub relation, or name sub attribute. Each new type should be declared with an explicit kind: entity person, relation friendship, and attribute name.

  • Expanded User Management: Authorization and user management are now included in all TypeDB editions. Default credentials, if applicable, can be found in the Connections page.

  • Updated Query Syntax:

    • undefine and delete now explicitly "point" to their removed targets, reducing ambiguity.

    • fetch syntax aligns with JSON output formatting.

    • match produces visible row-like results itself (similarly to insert, etc): no more get s!

    • All $vars start with $: no more ? for value variables! However, it is still easy to differentiate their declaration with the new let keyword.

  • Annotations and Statements Consolidated: abstract and regex are now grouped under @annotations.

  • Smoother trait specialization:

    • It is possible to redefine already inherited owns and plays on subtypes, adding more annotations to them.

    • As before, use the as keyword to specialize a relates.

  • Default Cardinalities:

    • Default cardinalities are applied to owns, relates, and plays if not explicitly defined.

    • Default plays cardinality: @card(0..) (unlimited).

    • Default owns and relates cardinality: @card(0..1) (up to one instance). Explicitly define cardinalities for traits expecting multiple instances to avoid data corruption and optimize database performance.

  • Rules and Inference Replaced: Rules are now replaced by functions, requiring explicit functions execution instead of inference, but offering more abstraction and flexibility.

TypeDB Drivers

API Simplification for smoother UX and better maintenance. Visit the Reference to access their full documentation.

  • Now, all schema and data fetching and modifications are performed through a single transaction.query("your query") interface.

  • No more query().insert() and query().define().

  • No more concept.delete() or concept.getHas().

  • Concept structure is preserved (the only difference: Thing is renamed to Instance), casts are available, and it is possible to retrieve something simple as a type’s label or an attribute’s value, that are sent with the type itself.

  • In OOP languages (like Java and Python), concepts have try versions of their methods, available for any concept and returning optional results. Using casting, the concrete methods returning results directly become available, as in 2.x.

Temporarily missing features

This section contains the list of features that were introduced in 2.x, but are still under development in 3.x. Take into account that some of your processes can be blocked if you previously relied on these features.

TypeDB and TypeQL

  • Instantiation restriction for inherited owns and plays (used to as). An enhanced approach is in development (NOTE: you don’t need the as keyword to specialize an ownership of an inherited super attribute type with an ownership of its subtype, but you cannot "hide" the original definition from inheritance).

  • Scaling support for Cloud and Enterprise editions.

TypeDB Drivers

Having troubles?

For troubleshooting tips and guidance, refer to the Troubleshooting page.