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Abdullah edited this page Jan 19, 2026 · 20 revisions

Configuration Files

Guide to GraphBrew configuration files for automated experiments.

Overview

Configuration files control automated experiments via Python scripts:

scripts/config/
├── brew/               # Standard GraphBrew configs
│   ├── run.json        # Benchmark run settings
│   ├── convert.json    # Format conversion
│   └── label.json      # Graph labeling
│
├── gap/                # GAP suite compatible
│   └── ...
│
└── test/               # Quick testing
    └── ...

run.json - Benchmark Configuration

The main configuration for running experiments.

Full Structure

{
  "description": "Experiment description",
  
  "paths": {
    "graphs_dir": "../../graphs",
    "output_dir": "../../results",
    "bin_dir": "../../bench/bin"
  },
  
  "benchmarks": ["pr", "bfs", "cc", "sssp", "bc", "tc"],
  
  "algorithms": [0, 7, 12, 15, 20],
  
  "trials": 5,
  
  "options": {
    "symmetrize": true,
    "verify": false,
    "timeout": 3600,
    "root_vertex": -1
  },
  
  "filters": {
    "min_nodes": 100,
    "max_nodes": 100000000,
    "extensions": [".el", ".mtx", ".gr"]
  },
  
  "output": {
    "format": "csv",
    "include_raw": true,
    "include_summary": true
  }
}

Field Descriptions

paths

Field Description Default
graphs_dir Directory containing graph files Required
output_dir Where to save results ./results
bin_dir Location of benchmark binaries ../../bench/bin

benchmarks

List of benchmarks to run:

"benchmarks": ["pr", "bfs", "cc", "sssp", "bc", "tc"]

algorithms

List of reordering algorithm IDs:

"algorithms": [0, 7, 12, 15, 20]

See Command-Line-Reference for all IDs.

options

Option Description Default
symmetrize Make graphs undirected true
verify Verify results false
timeout Max seconds per run 3600
root_vertex BFS/SSSP root (-1 = random) -1

filters

Filter Description Default
min_nodes Skip small graphs 0
max_nodes Skip huge graphs ∞
extensions File types to include [".el"]

Example Configurations

Minimal Config

{
  "graphs_dir": "./graphs",
  "benchmarks": ["pr"],
  "algorithms": [0, 7],
  "trials": 3
}

Quick Test Config

{
  "description": "Quick functionality test",
  "paths": {
    "graphs_dir": "../../test/graphs"
  },
  "benchmarks": ["pr", "bfs"],
  "algorithms": [0, 7, 12],
  "trials": 1,
  "options": {
    "symmetrize": true,
    "verify": true,
    "timeout": 60
  }
}

Full Benchmark Config

{
  "description": "Complete benchmark suite",
  "paths": {
    "graphs_dir": "../../graphs",
    "output_dir": "../../results/full_benchmark"
  },
  "benchmarks": ["pr", "bfs", "cc", "sssp", "bc", "tc"],
  "algorithms": [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20],
  "trials": 10,
  "options": {
    "symmetrize": true,
    "verify": false,
    "timeout": 7200
  },
  "filters": {
    "min_nodes": 1000,
    "extensions": [".el", ".mtx"]
  }
}

Leiden-Only Config

{
  "description": "Test Leiden-based algorithms",
  "benchmarks": ["pr", "tc"],
  "algorithms": [0, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20],
  "trials": 5
}

convert.json - Format Conversion

Settings for converting between graph formats.

{
  "description": "Graph format conversion settings",
  
  "input": {
    "formats": ["csv", "tsv", "mtx", "gr"],
    "delimiter": "auto"
  },
  
  "output": {
    "format": "el",
    "dir": "./converted"
  },
  
  "transformations": {
    "remove_self_loops": true,
    "remove_multi_edges": true,
    "to_zero_indexed": true,
    "symmetrize": false
  }
}

Transformation Options

Option Description Default
remove_self_loops Remove edges v→v true
remove_multi_edges Keep only first edge true
to_zero_indexed Convert 1-indexed to 0-indexed true
symmetrize Add reverse edges false

label.json - Graph Labeling

Settings for generating graph metadata.

{
  "description": "Graph labeling configuration",
  
  "metrics": [
    "num_nodes",
    "num_edges",
    "density",
    "avg_degree",
    "max_degree",
    "modularity",
    "diameter",
    "clustering_coefficient"
  ],
  
  "output": {
    "format": "json",
    "file": "graph_metadata.json"
  },
  
  "options": {
    "compute_modularity": true,
    "sample_diameter": true,
    "sample_size": 100
  }
}

Using Configurations

With run_experiment.py

cd scripts/brew
python3 run_experiment.py --config ../config/brew/run.json

Overriding Config Options

# Override trials
python3 run_experiment.py \
    --config ../config/brew/run.json \
    --trials 3

# Override output
python3 run_experiment.py \
    --config ../config/brew/run.json \
    --output ./my_results

Multiple Configs

# Run test first
python3 run_experiment.py --config ../config/test/run.json

# Then full benchmark
python3 run_experiment.py --config ../config/brew/run.json

Environment Variables

Configs can reference environment variables:

{
  "paths": {
    "graphs_dir": "${GRAPHS_DIR}",
    "output_dir": "${OUTPUT_DIR:-./results}"
  }
}

Usage:

export GRAPHS_DIR=/data/large_graphs
python3 run_experiment.py --config run.json

Creating Custom Configs

Step 1: Copy Template

cp config/brew/run.json config/my_experiment.json

Step 2: Edit Settings

# Edit with your favorite editor
vim config/my_experiment.json

Step 3: Validate JSON

python3 -c "import json; json.load(open('config/my_experiment.json'))"

Step 4: Run

python3 run_experiment.py --config config/my_experiment.json

Output Files

Results CSV

graph,benchmark,algorithm,trial,time,metric,reorder_time
facebook.el,pr,0,1,0.0234,,0
facebook.el,pr,0,2,0.0231,,0
facebook.el,pr,7,1,0.0189,,0.045
facebook.el,bfs,0,1,0.0012,76.9,0

Summary JSON

{
  "experiment": "Full Benchmark",
  "date": "2024-01-15",
  "config": "run.json",
  "results": {
    "facebook.el": {
      "pr": {
        "0": {"mean": 0.0232, "std": 0.0002},
        "7": {"mean": 0.0189, "std": 0.0003}
      }
    }
  }
}

Troubleshooting

"Config file not found"

# Check path
ls -la config/brew/run.json

# Use absolute path
python3 run_experiment.py --config /full/path/to/run.json

"Invalid JSON"

# Validate and find error
python3 -m json.tool config/my_config.json

"No graphs found"

Check graphs_dir path and filters.extensions.

Next Steps

← Back to Home | Python Scripts →

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