RDF Triple Store: What It Is

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RDF triple stores are the canonical persistence layer for linked-data applications. They differ from relational databases in modelling all data as triples (or quads, when graph names are included), supporting open-schema evolution and federated SPARQL queries. Major triple stores include Apache Jena TDB, Virtuoso, Blazegraph (now end-of-life), Stardog, GraphDB, Amazon Neptune, and Oxigraph. Performance characteristics vary by query workload; benchmark suites like LUBM and BSBM are used for comparison.

References

W3C, 'RDF 1.1 Concepts and Abstract Syntax' (w3.org/TR/rdf11-concepts).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an RDF triple store used for?

An RDF triple store is used as the persistence layer for linked-data applications: it stores subject-predicate-object statements (or quads, when a named graph is included) and exposes them through a SPARQL query engine, so applications can query and evolve the data without a fixed relational schema.

Is an RDF triple store the same thing as a graph database?

Not exactly. “Graph database (RDF)” is listed as an alias for RDF triple store because triples form a graph structure, but a property-graph database such as Neo4j is not an RDF triple store — it uses a different data model and a different query language than SPARQL.

How does an RDF triple store differ from a relational database?

A relational database stores data in fixed-schema tables, while an RDF triple store models all data as triples (or quads), which allows the schema to evolve over time and supports federated SPARQL queries across data sources rather than fixed joins within one database.

What are some examples of RDF triple stores?

Major RDF triple store implementations include Apache Jena TDB, Virtuoso, Stardog, GraphDB, Amazon Neptune, and Oxigraph. Blazegraph was also a widely used option but is now end-of-life.

How is the performance of different RDF triple stores compared?

Performance varies by query workload, so there is no single benchmark number that applies across all use cases. Comparisons are typically made using standard benchmark suites such as LUBM and BSBM, run against the specific workload pattern an organization cares about.

Use in your systems

JATS XML <role> element

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Schema.org DefinedTerm (JSON-LD)

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RDF triple store