An apparatus, and corresponding method, for traversing a compressed graph used in performing a search for a match of at least one expression in an input stream is presented. The compressed graph includes a number of interconnected nodes connected solely by valid arcs. A valid arc of a current node represents a character match in an expression of a character associated with the current node. Arcs which are not valid may be pruned. Non-valid arcs may include arcs which point back to a designated node(s), or arcs that point to the same next node as the designated node(s) for the same character. Each valid arc may comprise a next node pointer, a hash function, and a copy of an associated character. The hash function may be used to manage a retrieval process used by a walker traversing the compressed node. The walker may also use a comparison function to verify the correct arc has been retrieved.