Multiple databases (Preview feature)

AuraDB Business Critical AuraDB Virtual Dedicated Cloud

The multiple database preview is governed by the Experimental Service Terms in your customer agreement with Neo4j. Updates about supported preview features will be added to Canny.

AuraDB Business Critical and AuraDB Virtual Dedicated Cloud support multiple databases within an AuraDB instance. You can create and manage databases using the Aura console or the Aura API.

Each instance has its own compute and storage and the databases run within it. Databases are isolated, with separation of data. Creating and removing databases is faster than managing separate instances. And, you can scale within the same instance, reducing administrative overhead.

Limits (RAM and maximum databases)

All databases share the instance’s compute and memory resources. By default a maximum number of 5 databases per GB of RAM can be provisioned. The maximum number of databases depends on the memory size (RAM) of the instance and there is an upper limit of 100 across all configurations.

Available instance memory	Maximum databases
2GB	10
4GB	20
8GB	40
16GB	80
32GB and above	100

Managing databases

API requirements

All endpoints below now require your Organization ID and Project ID in the path, in addition to your Instance ID.

Standard guidance for creating API credentials applies, see Aura API → Overview.

MultiDB uses the beta version of the Aura API. Use https://api.neo4j.io/v2beta1 as the base URL.

Create a multi-database instance

You must enable multiple databases during instance creation. This setting cannot be changed later.

During instance creation, scroll down to Additional settings and enable Multiple databases.

POST /organizations/{orgId}/projects/{projectId}/instances

curl -X POST "https://api.neo4j.io/v2beta1/organizations/$ORG_ID/projects/$PROJECT_ID/instances" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "region": "europe-west1",
    "memory": "4GB",
    "storage": "8GB",
    "name": "mymultidbtestinstance",
    "type": "business-critical",
    "cloud_provider": "gcp",
    "multi_database": true
  }'

Create databases

Databases cannot be created using Cypher database management commands, only via API and Aura console.

When a Multi-DB enabled instance is created, a default neo4j database is created automatically. It is not possible to delete this database. Databases contain a name and an automatically generated id.

Database names follow standard neo4j rules and are immutable so cannot be changed after they are created. Avoid using personal or sensitive information in database names.

From the instance […] more menu > select Databases > select Create Database.

POST /organizations/{orgId}/projects/{projectId}/instances/{instanceId}/databases

curl -X POST "https://api.neo4j.io/v2beta1/organizations/$ORG_ID/projects/$PROJECT_ID/instances/$INSTANCE_ID/databases" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "test"
  }'

View database details

You can create, view, and manage databases from the instance Databases view. Access it from either:

The instance […] more menu > select Databases
Inspect > select the Databases tab.

Instance details

GET /organizations/{orgId}/projects/{projectId}/instances/{instanceId}/databases

Database details

GET /organizations/{orgId}/projects/{projectId}/instances/{instanceId}/databases/{databaseId}

Delete database

Open the database details > from the database […] more menu > select Delete.

DELETE /organizations/{orgId}/projects/{projectId}/instances/{instanceId}/databases/{databaseId}

Connecting applications

When connecting to a multi-database instance from an external client, specify the database name as part of the connection. The database name identifies which database to access. If no database name is provided, the connection cannot be established. This applies to drivers, the Query API, and other external sources.

Supported features

Multiple databases are supported across Aura tools. There are some things to consider when working with multiple databases:

Backup, export, and restore: Take backups of individual databases. During public preview, select using DBID to see the list of backups per database.
Bloom and Query: When connecting, select the target database using the connection bar.
Metrics & Logs: Switch between databases using the Database dropdown in Metrics and see Database specific Query logs.
Aura API: See API requirements
Import: Select the instance and the target database when running an import.
Restore: Restore a database using Database Restore or drag and drop.
Security & Networking: IP Filtering & Private Endpoints (where available for the Aura tier)
Single Sign-On: Authenticate users accessing the instance.