Get started with Neo4j

There are a number of options on how to get started with Neo4j, and your choice depends upon your needs and goals. Each option allows you to explore different possibilities of the Neo4j ecosystem.

To explore all available options on how to get started with Neo4j, visit Download center.

First steps with Neo4j

  • Neo4j AuraDB is a fully managed cloud service and a good place to start for anyone interested in graph technologies.
    Besides the free option, you can select the subscription plan that suits you best.

    Neo4j Workspace is the default option to start working with your instance on Aura. This tool brings together Neo4j Browser (Query tab), Neo4j Bloom (Explore tab), and Data Importer (Import tab) in one space.

    If you are a data scientist, you might be interested in Neo4j AuraDS, a graph data science platform as a fully managed cloud service. You get access to more than 65 pretuned graph algorithms.

  • Neo4j Database can be installed on-premises and deployed in various systems:

    To extend Neo4j capabilities, you can install several optional tools as plugins. To configure the plugins, refer to the information in the Operations Manual → Plugins.

  • The Neo4j Docker image provides a standard package of Neo4j Community Edition and Enterprise Edition for a variety of versions.

  • Neo4j Desktop is one of the ways to set up an environment for developing an application with Neo4j and Cypher®. Download Neo4j Desktop from https://neo4j.com/download/ and follow the installation instructions for your operating system.

    Neo4j Desktop comes with a variety of tools that can be installed as plugins. They are APOC, Neo4j Graph Data Science Library, Neo4j Streams, and Neosemantics. For more information on installing plugins, go to the Neo4j Desktop documentation → Install a plugin.

  • Neo4j Sandbox provides a number of example datasets that can help you to learn more about Neo4j graph database and Cypher queries applied to a specific use case.

    All databases are grouped into two categories: for developers and data scientists. You can go to the Neo4j Data Science Sandbox directly to explore cloud-based instance of Neo4j with GDS Community Edition preinstalled.

    You can also select a blank sandbox and populate it with your own data.

If you need an Enterprise Edition, visit the Neo4j Pricing page where you can get all necessary instructions and contacts. Neo4j Enterprise Edition can be deployed on-premises or on a cloud platform of your choice.

Neo4j documentation

The official documentation of all components of the Neo4j ecosystem is available at https://neo4j.com/docs/.

The documentation homepage is designed to make your journey across all Neo4j products comfortable and pleasant.

Guides are grouped by categories, and in the left navigation bar you see:

On the top right, you find the drop-down menu Get Help with the following choices:

  • GraphAcademy — free, hands-on online training.

  • Community Forum — for learning and guidance.

  • Discord Chat — a live chat environment for communicating with other Neo4j users (requires signup).

  • Knowledge Base — troubleshooting articles written by developers for developers on how to solve issues both for Community ans Enterprise Editions.

  • Neo4j Developer Blog — Neo4j channel on Medium platform for deep dives into technical topics and announcements of new products, releases.

  • Neo4j Videos — a link to the Neo4j channel on YouTube.