RAG Explorer

May 12, 2026 · View on GitHub

Compare GraphRAG vs Vector RAG side-by-side | Powered by graphrag-toolkit (awslabs)

Note: This project is designed solely for demonstration of a Proof of Concept (PoC) and uses synthetic data to illustrate its capabilities. It does not incorporate production-grade security measures and should not be deployed as-is in a production environment.

Why GraphRAG?

Traditional vector RAG finds content that is semantically similar to your question. But it misses information that is structurally relevant but semantically dissimilar.

Architecture

Architecture

Key Features

  • Side-by-Side Comparison: Query both GraphRAG and Vector RAG simultaneously and compare responses
  • Per-Query Graph Visualization: Interactive D3.js visualization showing the actual graph nodes and relationships used for each query (sources → topics → statements → facts)
  • Per-Query Source Inspection: View the exact vector chunks and GraphRAG sources used to generate each response
  • Document Upload: Upload .txt and .md files and have them automatically indexed into the knowledge graph
  • Multi-Tenancy: Isolated data per tenant — create multiple tenants and switch between them
  • Duplicate Detection: MD5-based dedup prevents re-indexing the same file for the same tenant
  • Graph Reset: Reset the Neptune graph and associated DynamoDB records per tenant
  • Secure by Default: Cognito authentication with SigV4 signed Lambda Function URL requests
  • Serverless: Pay-per-use with Lambda (Docker) and Neptune Analytics

How It Works

Indexing (Document Processing)

  1. User uploads a .txt or .md file via the UI
  2. File is base64-encoded and sent to the Document Processor Lambda (SigV4 signed)
  3. Lambda calculates MD5 hash (user_id + tenant_id + content) and checks DynamoDB for duplicates
  4. If new, the file is stored in S3 under private/{user_id}/{tenant_id}/documents/
  5. The graphrag-toolkit's extract_and_build processes the file:
    • .md files: MarkdownNodeParser → SentenceSplitter (512 chars, 50 overlap)
    • .txt files: SentenceSplitter (512 chars, 50 overlap)
    • LLM extracts propositions, topics, entities, and facts
    • Builds a hierarchical lexical graph in Neptune Analytics with vector embeddings in Amazon S3 Vectors
  6. Document metadata is saved to DynamoDB

Querying

Both approaches run in parallel for the same query:

Vector RAG:

  1. Embed the question using the configured embedding model (default: Cohere Embed English v3)
  2. Top-k similarity search on chunk embeddings in Amazon S3 Vectors
  3. Retrieve chunk text
  4. LLM generates response from retrieved chunks

GraphRAG:

  1. Uses the graphrag-toolkit's LexicalGraphQueryEngine.for_traversal_based_search
  2. Embeds the question, finds entry-point chunks via vector search
  3. Traverses entity networks (1-2 hop neighborhoods) to find structurally related content
  4. Reranks and filters results, then LLM generates response
  5. Returns structured source data: sources → topics → statements → facts

The query response includes the actual data used by each approach — vector chunks with scores, and graph nodes/links for visualization.

Try the Demo: The Example Corp & AnyCompany Supply Chain Scenario

The repository includes sample data in sample-data/ that demonstrates exactly why GraphRAG outperforms pure vector search. The scenario involves a set of fictional press releases about Example Corp, a tech company selling AI-powered "Widget" desktop pets.

The Story

These press releases, when read together, tell a connected story:

  1. Example Corp partners with AnyCompany Logistics to distribute Widgets globally (Feb 2025)
  2. AnyCompany Logistics uses the Turquoise Canal to slash shipping times from Taiwan to the UK from 2 weeks to 3 days (Jun 2025)
  3. UK retailers place massive Widget orders — over 1 million units for Christmas, the predicted #1 toy (Aug 2025)
  4. The Turquoise Canal is blocked by landslides — 5 million tons of rock, 3-6 months to clear, right before the holiday season (Sep 2025)

The Key Question

"What are the sales prospects for Example Corp in the UK?"

What Vector RAG Returns

Vector search finds chunks that are semantically similar to "sales prospects" and "Example Corp" and "UK" — the partnership announcement, the massive retailer orders, the Christmas hype. The response is optimistic: strong demand, huge orders, #1 predicted toy.

But it misses the Turquoise Canal blockage because "landslides blocking a canal" is not semantically similar to "sales prospects."

What GraphRAG Returns

GraphRAG builds a knowledge graph connecting: Example Corp → AnyCompany Logistics → Turquoise Canal → landslide blockage. When queried, it traverses entity networks — following relationships from Example Corp through its logistics partner to the canal and the disruption. The response is nuanced: acknowledges the strong demand but also flags the supply chain risk from the canal blockage.

Try It Yourself

  1. Deploy the stack (see DEPLOYMENT.md)
  2. Sign in and set a tenant (e.g., ecorp)
  3. Upload all .md files from sample-data/
  4. Ask: "What are the sales prospects for Example Corp in the UK?"
  5. Compare the two responses side-by-side
  6. Expand "Query Results" to see which chunks and graph nodes each approach used

Sample Data Files

FileContent
Revolutionizing Personal Computing.mdExample Corp partners with AnyCompany Logistics for global Widget distribution
AnyCompany Logistics Slashes Shipping Times...mdAnyCompany uses Turquoise Canal to cut Taiwan→UK shipping to 3 days
Countdown to Christmas.mdUK retailers order 1M+ Widgets, predicted #1 Christmas toy
Turquoise Canal Blocked by Landslides.mdCanal blocked by 5M tons of rock, months to clear
uk_retailers_prepare_for_festive_season.mdUK stores stocking Widgets and other holiday items
uk_retailers_see_surge_in_footfall.mdPost-Covid retail recovery, increased high street traffic
global_logistics_transformation.mdAutonomous delivery networks (background context)
un_healthcare_technology_funding.mdWHO digital health funding (unrelated — tests noise filtering)
winter_wonderland_holiday_collection.mdHoliday home décor collection (unrelated — tests noise filtering)

Quick Start

Prerequisites

  • AWS CLI configured with appropriate credentials
  • Node.js 18+ and npm
  • Docker (for Lambda container images)
  • CDK CLI: npm install -g aws-cdk
  • Amazon Bedrock model access enabled for the extraction, response, and embedding models you plan to use. Defaults: Claude Sonnet 4.6 (us.anthropic.claude-sonnet-4-6) and Cohere Embed English v3 (cohere.embed-english-v3). You can override these via .env (see Configuration).

Deploy

git clone <your-repo-url>
cd graphrag-neptune-analytics

cd infra
npm install
cdk bootstrap  # First time only
cdk deploy

Deployment takes ~15-20 minutes (Neptune Analytics creation is the bottleneck).

Use the Demo

  1. Open the FrontendURL from CDK outputs in your browser
  2. Create an account or sign in
  3. Set a tenant ID (or use the default)
  4. Upload .txt or .md documents
  5. Ask questions — responses from both GraphRAG and Vector RAG appear side-by-side
  6. Expand "Query Results" to see the graph visualization, vector chunks, and GraphRAG sources used

Configuration

Model selection is env-driven so you can swap Bedrock models without code changes. Copy .env.example to .env at the repo root and adjust as needed — infra/bin/infra.ts loads this file at deploy time.

VariablePurposeDefault
EXTRACTION_MODELLLM used by graphrag-toolkit for entity/relationship extraction during indexingus.anthropic.claude-sonnet-4-6
RESPONSE_MODELLLM used for final answer generation during queryus.anthropic.claude-sonnet-4-6
EMBEDDINGS_MODELEmbedding model used for chunk and topic vectorscohere.embed-english-v3
EMBEDDINGS_DIMENSIONSEmbedding dimensionality — must match the Neptune vector index dimension1024
CDK_DEPLOY_REGIONOverride the default deploy region (us-west-2)us-west-2

Use Bedrock model IDs or US cross-region inference profile IDs (prefix us.). Whenever you change EXTRACTION_MODEL or EMBEDDINGS_MODEL, you should reset the graph (via the UI's reset action or the /reset-graph endpoint) and re-upload documents, because existing graph data and vector embeddings were produced by the previous model and are not mix-and-match compatible.

Project Structure

├── infra/                  # CDK infrastructure (TypeScript)
│   ├── bin/               # CDK app entry point
│   ├── lib/               # Stack definition (graphrag-stack.ts)
│   └── lambda/
│       ├── document-processor/  # Upload, dedup, S3 storage, indexing
│       └── query-handler/       # Dual query (Vector + GraphRAG), per-query results
├── ui/                     # React frontend (Vite + Cloudscape)
│   └── src/
│       ├── App.tsx        # Auth flow + SigV4 signing helper
│       ├── pages/
│       │   └── GraphRAGChat.tsx  # Main UI: comparison, upload, visualization
│       └── components/
│           └── MessageFormatter.tsx
├── sample-data/            # Example documents for the AnyCompany scenario
├── README.md
└── DEPLOYMENT.md

Technology Stack

ComponentService
Graph StoreAmazon Neptune Analytics
Vector StoreAmazon S3 Vectors
LLMAmazon Bedrock — extraction + response LLMs configurable via env (default: Claude Sonnet 4.6)
EmbeddingsAmazon Bedrock — configurable via env (default: Cohere Embed English v3, 1024d)
ComputeAWS Lambda (Docker containers)
AuthAmazon Cognito (User Pool + Identity Pool)
FrontendReact + Vite + Cloudscape Design System + D3.js
CDNAmazon CloudFront
StorageAmazon S3 + DynamoDB
IaCAWS CDK (TypeScript)
GraphRAG Frameworkgraphrag-toolkit (LexicalGraphIndex, LexicalGraphQueryEngine)

Important: Understanding the Lexical Graph

The graphrag-toolkit does not build a traditional knowledge graph with deduplicated entities. Instead, it builds a lexical graph — best understood as a repository of statements. All other node types (sources, topics, entities, facts) serve specific roles at retrieval time to help find relevant statements.

During extraction, the toolkit processes each text chunk independently using an LLM. When the same concept (e.g., "AnyCompany") appears across multiple chunks, it may be extracted multiple times with slight variations — "AnyCompany", "AnyCompany Inc.", "the company", etc. This is by design. There is no built-in entity resolution or deduplication step, because the retrieval process is designed to be tolerant of this kind of variation and redundancy. Much like distributed systems are designed with the assumption that "systems will always fail", the toolkit assumes that "extraction will always be messy" and optimizes for that reality rather than requiring a perfectly resolved set of entities.

In practice, this means the graph visualization may appear cluttered with near-duplicate nodes, but query quality is not affected — the traversal and reranking mechanisms handle redundancy gracefully.

If you want to reduce this redundancy, you can add an entity-resolution or enrichment step between the extract and build phases: extract first, then preprocess the extracted LlamaIndex nodes before feeding them into the build phase. See the lexical-graph documentation for more details.

Cost Considerations

Note — Storage Options: The graphrag-toolkit supports multiple backends:

  • Graph stores: Amazon Neptune Analytics, Amazon Neptune Database, and Neo4j
  • Vector stores: Amazon S3 Vectors, Neptune Analytics, Amazon OpenSearch Serverless, and PostgreSQL with pgvector

This demo uses Neptune Analytics for the graph store and Amazon S3 Vectors for the vector store. For advanced configuration (custom reranking, retrieval strategies), see the lexical-graph documentation.

  • Neptune Analytics: ~$3.84/hour(128 m-NCUs)
  • Lambda: Pay per invocation and duration
  • Bedrock: Pay per token (extraction + generation)
  • S3/DynamoDB/CloudFront: Minimal for demo usage

Destroy the stack when not in use

cd infra && cdk destroy

Housekeeping

After completing the experiment, promptly remove or disable any keys and credentials generated for the PoC. Additionally, remove the associated AWS services to avoid incurring unnecessary costs.

Security Recommendation

For any considerations of adopting this architecture in a production setting, it is imperative to consult with your company-specific security policies and requirements. Each production environment demands a uniquely tailored security architecture that comprehensively addresses its particular risks and regulatory standards. Some links for security best practices are shared below, but we strongly recommend reaching out to your AWS account team for detailed guidance and to discuss the appropriate security architecture needed for a secure and compliant deployment.

⚠️ Disclaimer: Sample code, software libraries, command line tools, proofs of concept, templates, or other related technology are provided as AWS Content or Third-Party Content under the AWS Customer Agreement, or the relevant written agreement between you and AWS (whichever applies). You should not use this AWS Content or Third-Party Content in your production accounts, or on production or other critical data. You are responsible for testing, securing, and optimizing the AWS Content or Third-Party Content, such as sample code, as appropriate for production grade use based on your specific quality control practices and standards. Deploying AWS Content or Third-Party Content may incur AWS charges for creating or using AWS chargeable resources, such as running Amazon EC2 instances or using Amazon S3 storage.

Authors

  • Aditya Chaphekar — Solutions Architect, AWS Startups
  • Camillo Anania — Principal Solutions Architect, AWS Startups
  • Kemeng Zhang — Solutions Architect, AWS Startups
  • Kevin Shaffer-Morrison — Senior Solutions Architect, AWS Startups

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.