Complete Guide to APOC Plugin Installation on Neo4j Docker

       

This guide provides a step-by-step walkthrough for installing plugins in Neo4j, a powerful graph database management system. Plugins extend the functionality of Neo4j by offering additional features, procedures, or integrations. Whether you're a developer, system administrator, or data professional, this comprehensive guide will help you understand the process of installing and configuring plugins in your Neo4j environment. Follow the instructions, best practices, and tips outlined here to seamlessly enhance your Neo4j database with the desired plugins and leverage their capabilities in your graph-based applications and workflows.

Prerequisites:

Before proceeding with the installation of plugins in Neo4j, ensure that the following prerequisites are met:

Neo4j Docker Container:

• Neo4j should be launched and running inside a Docker container. If you haven't already done so, refer to the Neo4j documentation or the relevant guide to set up and run Neo4j in a Docker container.
• Link to setup Neo4j on Docker

Steps to Install APOC Plugin:

1. Environment Variables:
   • Confirm that the following environment variables are set in the Neo4j Docker container:
   • apoc.import.file.use_neo4j_config=true
   • apoc.import.file.enabled=true
   • apoc.export.file.enabled=true
   • dbms.security.auth_enabled=false
   • If not, you can set the environment variables inside the /var/lib/neo4j/conf/neo4j.conf file inside your running container.


2. Plugin JAR File:
   • Copy the plugin JAR file link that needs to be downloaded (use a trusted source or the official Neo4j plugin repository). Ensure that you have the correct version of the plugin JAR file that matches the Neo4j version running in the Docker container.
   • Link to download APOC JAR file (click on Assets to see the JAR files):
   • APOC Plugin Download


3. Plugin Download:
   • Start by opening a terminal and accessing your running Neo4j container. You can use the following command: docker exec -it <container_id> /bin/bash
   • Once you are inside the container, navigate to the plugins directory using the following command: cd /var/lib/neo4j/plugins
   • Use wget to download the APOC JAR file. Run the following command:
     wget https://github.com/neo4j-contrib/neo4j-apoc-procedures/releases/download/4.4.0.2/apoc-4.4.0.2-all.jar (Replace the URL with your specific version of the plugin JAR file that matches the Neo4j version running in the Docker container.)


4. Restart Container and Verification:
   • Restart the container to activate the plugin. Use the following command: docker restart <container_id>
   • You can verify if the JAR file is present or not inside the /var/lib/neo4j/plugins folder.

Example:

You can verify the successful generation of a JSON file containing the data stored in your Neo4j database by running the following Cypher query:

CALL apoc.export.json.all("all.json", {useTypes:true})

The generated JSON file, resulting from the execution of the query, is typically stored in the /var/lib/neo4j/import folder within the Neo4j server.