Neo4j Graph Database

intermediate

Neo4j graph database with built-in browser interface.

Overview

Neo4j is a native graph database that stores and manages data as interconnected nodes and relationships, making it exceptionally powerful for scenarios where connections between data points are as important as the data itself. Originally developed in 2007, Neo4j pioneered the graph database space and remains the most widely adopted solution for handling complex, highly connected datasets. Unlike traditional relational databases that struggle with deep relationship queries, Neo4j's native graph storage engine makes traversing relationships lightning-fast regardless of database size. This Neo4j deployment includes the complete graph database engine with the built-in Neo4j Browser interface, providing both the backend database server and a web-based query and visualization tool. The configuration includes the APOC (Awesome Procedures on Cypher) plugin library, which extends Neo4j with over 450 additional procedures and functions for data integration, graph algorithms, and advanced operations. The setup exposes both the HTTP interface for browser access and the Bolt protocol for programmatic connections. This stack is ideal for developers building recommendation engines, data scientists analyzing complex networks, enterprises implementing fraud detection systems, and organizations creating knowledge graphs or master data management solutions. The inclusion of APOC makes this particularly valuable for data integration projects where you need to import from various sources, perform graph algorithms, or execute complex data transformations that go beyond standard Cypher capabilities.

Key Features

Native graph storage engine optimized for traversing relationships at scale
Cypher declarative query language designed specifically for graph patterns
Built-in Neo4j Browser with interactive query interface and graph visualizations
APOC plugin library with 450+ procedures for data integration and algorithms
ACID compliance ensuring data consistency across complex transactions
Full-text search capabilities integrated with graph traversals
Bolt binary protocol for high-performance application connectivity
Real-time graph analytics and pathfinding algorithms

Common Use Cases

1Social network analysis and friend recommendation systems
2E-commerce recommendation engines based on purchase patterns and user behavior
3Fraud detection systems analyzing transaction networks and suspicious patterns
4Knowledge graphs for content management and semantic search applications
5Identity and access management with role-based permissions and inheritance
6Supply chain optimization and dependency tracking across complex networks
7Master data management linking entities across enterprise systems

Prerequisites

Minimum 4GB RAM recommended for production workloads (1GB minimum for testing)
Docker and Docker Compose installed with support for bind mounts
Ports 7474 (HTTP) and 7687 (Bolt) available on the host system
Basic understanding of graph database concepts and Cypher query language
NEO4J_USER and NEO4J_PASSWORD environment variables configured
Sufficient disk space for graph data storage and transaction logs

For development & testing. Review security settings, change default credentials, and test thoroughly before production use. See Terms

docker-compose.yml

1services: 
2  neo4j: 
3    image: neo4j:5
4    container_name: neo4j
5    restart: unless-stopped
6    environment: 
7      NEO4J_AUTH: ${NEO4J_USER}/${NEO4J_PASSWORD}
8      NEO4J_PLUGINS: '["apoc"]'
9    volumes: 
10      - neo4j_data:/data
11      - neo4j_logs:/logs
12      - neo4j_plugins:/plugins
13    ports: 
14      - "7474:7474"
15      - "7687:7687"
16    networks: 
17      - neo4j-network
18
19volumes: 
20  neo4j_data: 
21  neo4j_logs: 
22  neo4j_plugins: 
23
24networks: 
25  neo4j-network: 
26    driver: bridge

.env Template

.env

1NEO4J_USER=neo4j
2NEO4J_PASSWORD=changeme123

Usage Notes

1Docs: https://neo4j.com/docs/
2Access Neo4j Browser at http://localhost:7474 | Bolt port 7687
3Login with neo4j/YOUR_PASSWORD (set in NEO4J_AUTH)
4APOC plugin pre-installed - provides 450+ procedures and functions
5Cypher queries: MATCH (n) RETURN n LIMIT 25 to explore data
6Backup: neo4j-admin dump --database=neo4j --to=/backups/

Quick Start

terminal

1# 1. Create the compose file
2cat > docker-compose.yml << 'EOF'
3services:
4  neo4j:
5    image: neo4j:5
6    container_name: neo4j
7    restart: unless-stopped
8    environment:
9      NEO4J_AUTH: ${NEO4J_USER}/${NEO4J_PASSWORD}
10      NEO4J_PLUGINS: '["apoc"]'
11    volumes:
12      - neo4j_data:/data
13      - neo4j_logs:/logs
14      - neo4j_plugins:/plugins
15    ports:
16      - "7474:7474"
17      - "7687:7687"
18    networks:
19      - neo4j-network
20
21volumes:
22  neo4j_data:
23  neo4j_logs:
24  neo4j_plugins:
25
26networks:
27  neo4j-network:
28    driver: bridge
29EOF
30
31# 2. Create the .env file
32cat > .env << 'EOF'
33NEO4J_USER=neo4j
34NEO4J_PASSWORD=changeme123
35EOF
36
37# 3. Start the services
38docker compose up -d
39
40# 4. View logs
41docker compose logs -f

One-Liner

Run this command to download and set up the recipe in one step:

terminal

1curl -fsSL https://docker.recipes/api/recipes/neo4j/run | bash

Troubleshooting

Neo4j fails to start with 'not enough memory' error: Increase Docker container memory limits or add NEO4J_dbms_memory_heap_initial__size environment variable
Cannot connect to Neo4j Browser at localhost:7474: Check if NEO4J_AUTH environment variables are set correctly and container is fully started
Bolt connection refused on port 7687: Ensure NEO4J_dbms_connector_bolt_enabled is not set to false and firewall allows the port
APOC procedures not available in queries: Verify NEO4J_PLUGINS environment variable includes 'apoc' and container has restarted after configuration
Database becomes slow with large datasets: Add heap memory configuration with NEO4J_dbms_memory_heap_max__size and consider page cache tuning
Transaction timeout errors during large imports: Increase transaction timeout with NEO4J_dbms_transaction_timeout setting

Community Notes

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