Show databasesEnterprise Edition
The SHOW DATABASES command lists all databases in the DBMS, including their states and other relevant information.
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Syntax
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In Cypher 25 from 2026.05, it is possible to combine the SHOW DATABASES command with regular Cypher syntax.
However, since SHOW DATABASES is run against the system database, all parts of the query must be allowed on the system database.
For example, clauses like MATCH and SHOW INDEXES are not allowed on the system database; therefore, they cannot be used with SHOW DATABASES.
However, procedure calls of system-allowed procedures are allowed.
If the SHOW DATABASES is combined with other clauses, the automatic re-routing of the command to the system database is disabled, and explicit connection or routing is required.
SHOW DATABASES output
Depending on what you want to see, you can show different sets of databases:
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All databases.
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A particular database.
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The DBMS default database.
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The home database.
These commands return the following columns:
| Column | Description | Type | Default output |
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The name of the database. |
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The type of the database: |
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The names of any aliases the database may have. |
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The database access mode, either |
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The database unique ID. Only available for |
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The server ID. |
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Server address in a clustered DBMS. The default for a standalone server is neo4j://localhost:7687. |
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The current role of the database ( Not applicable to composite databases (the value is |
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The expected status of the database.
Valid values are |
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The actual status of the database. Possible statuses are:
See Database states for more information. |
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A message explaining the status of the database, often explaining why it is not in the correct state. |
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Number of primaries for this database reported as running currently.
It is the same as the number of rows where Not applicable to composite databases[1], virtual sharded databases, and property shards (the value is |
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Number of secondaries for this database reported as running currently.
It is the same as the number of rows where Not applicable to composite databases[1], virtual sharded databases, and property shards (the value is |
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Introduced in 2025.12Enterprise edition Number of property shard replicas for this database reported as running currently.
It is the same as the number of rows where |
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The requested number of primaries for this database. May be lower than current if the DBMS is currently reducing the number of copies of the database, or higher if it is currently increasing the number of copies. Not applicable to composite databases[1], virtual sharded databases, and property shards (the value is |
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The requested number of secondaries for this database. May be lower than current if the DBMS is currently reducing the number of copies of the database, or higher if it is currently increasing the number of copies. Not applicable to composite databases[1], virtual sharded databases, and property shards (the value is |
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Introduced in 2025.12Enterprise edition The requested number of property shard replicas for this database. May be lower than current if the DBMS is currently reducing the number of copies of the database, or higher if it is currently increasing the number of copies. |
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The date and time at which the database was created. |
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The date and time at which the database was last started. |
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The date and time at which the database was last stopped. |
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Information about the storage engine and the store format. The value is a string formatted as Only available for Not applicable to composite databases[1] and virtual sharded databases (the value is |
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The ID of the last transaction received. Only available for Not applicable to composite databases[1] and virtual sharded databases (the value is |
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The number of transactions the current database is behind compared to the most up-to-date allocation of that database.
The lag is expressed in negative integers. In standalone environments, the value is always Only available for Not applicable to composite databases[1] and property sharded databases (the value is |
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Introduced in 2025.12Enterprise edition The number of transactions the current shard is behind compared to the most up-to-date shard allocation of the sharded database. The lag is expressed in negative integers. |
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The names of any constituents the database may have. Applicable only for composite databases. |
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Introduced in 2025.12Enterprise edition The names of any graph shards the database may have. Applicable also for standard databases (non-sharded databases), which have a single graph shard with the same name as the database. Not applicable to composite databases. |
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Introduced in 2025.12Enterprise edition The names of any property shards the database may have. |
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Introduced in Neo4j 2025.06 The default Cypher version for this database. Queries that are not prefixed with a Cypher version will be executed with the Cypher version of the database. |
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The map of options applied to the database. Not applicable to composite databases (the value is |
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1. The change for composite databases applies to versions 2025.04 and later and 5.26.5 and later.
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The results of the SHOW DATABASES command are filtered according to the ACCESS privileges of the user.
However, some privileges enable users to see additional databases regardless of their ACCESS privileges:
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Users with
CREATE/DROP/ALTER DATABASEorSET DATABASE ACCESSprivileges can see all standard databases. -
Users with
CREATE/DROP/ALTER COMPOSITE DATABASEorCOMPOSITE DATABASE MANAGEMENTprivileges can see all composite databases. -
Users with
DATABASE MANAGEMENTprivilege can see all databases.
The SET DATABASE DEFAULT LANGUAGE privilege is intentionally left out and does not affect the returned databases.
If a user has not been granted ACCESS privilege to any databases nor any of the above special cases, the command can still be executed but it will only return the system database, which is always visible.
Database states
A database’s currentStatus can be one of the following:
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The database is running. |
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The database is not running.
If the |
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The database is not running, but is about to. |
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The database is not running anymore, but still has not stopped completely.
No offline operations (e.g. |
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The database is currently being updated from another instance of Neo4j. |
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The database has not yet been created. |
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Only applies to databases in a cluster.
The database is still online but will eventually be offline due to a transfer of its role in the cluster to a different member.
The status is |
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This state implies an error has occurred.
The database’s underlying store files may be invalid.
For more information, consult the |
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The database is effectively stopped and its state may not be changed until no longer quarantined.
For more information, consult the |
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This instance of Neo4j does not know the state of this database. |
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If a database is a sharded database, this status indicates that not all shards have the same |
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Note that for failed databases, the |
Show all available databases
A summary of all available databases can be displayed using the command SHOW DATABASES.
SHOW DATABASES
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | name | type | aliases | access | address | role | writer | requestedStatus | currentStatus | statusMessage | default | home | constituents | +------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | "movies" | "standard" | ["films", "motion pictures"] | "read-write" | "localhost:7687" | "primary" | TRUE | "online" | "online" | "" | FALSE | FALSE | [] | | "neo4j" | "standard" | [] | "read-write" | "localhost:7687" | "primary" | TRUE | "online" | "online" | "" | TRUE | TRUE | [] | | "system" | "system" | [] | "read-write" | "localhost:7687" | "primary" | TRUE | "online" | "online" | "" | FALSE | FALSE | [] | +------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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Databases hosted on servers that are offline are also returned by the |
Show detailed information for a particular database
In this example, the detailed information for a particular database can be displayed using the command SHOW DATABASE name YIELD *.
When a YIELD clause is provided, the full set of columns is returned.
SHOW DATABASE movies YIELD *
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| name | type | aliases | access | databaseID | serverID | address | role | writer | requestedStatus | currentStatus | statusMessage | default | home | currentPrimariesCount | currentSecondariesCount | requestedPrimariesCount | requestedSecondariesCount | creationTime | lastStartTime | lastStopTime | store | lastCommittedTxn | replicationLag | constituents | defaultLanguage | options |
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| "movies" | "standard" | ["films", "motion pictures"] | "read-write" | "C066801F54B44EA1520F0FE392B4005AABF42D8DD0A5FD09969B955575D287D5" | "e3063985-e2f4-4728-824b-a7d53779667a" | "localhost:7687" | "primary" | TRUE | "online" | "online" | "" | FALSE | FALSE | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2023-08-14T10:01:29.074Z | 2023-08-14T10:01:29.074Z | NULL | "record-aligned-1.1" | 3 | 0 | [] | "CYPHER 5" | {} |
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In Cypher 25 from 2026.05, if the given database is a parameter that evaluates to null, the command no longer fails on the wrong type but instead returns nothing. This behavior aligns with not returning anything when the given database name does not exist.
Show the number of databases
The number of distinct databases can be seen using YIELD and a count() function in the RETURN clause.
SHOW DATABASES YIELD name
RETURN count(DISTINCT name) AS count
+-------+ | count | +-------+ | 3 | +-------+
By specifying the name column and sorting the results by distinct name, only the number of distinct databases are counted, not the number of allocations of databases in a clustered environment.
Show the default database
The default database can be seen using the command SHOW DEFAULT DATABASE.
SHOW DEFAULT DATABASE
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | name | type | aliases | access | address | role | writer | requestedStatus | currentStatus | statusMessage | constituents | +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | "neo4j" | "standard" | [] | "read-write" | "localhost:7687" | "primary" | TRUE | "online" | "online" | "" | [] | +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Show the home database
The home database for the current user can be seen using the command SHOW HOME DATABASE.
SHOW HOME DATABASE
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | name | type | aliases | access | address | role | writer | requestedStatus | currentStatus | statusMessage | constituents | +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | "neo4j" | "standard" | [] | "read-write" | "localhost:7687" | "primary" | TRUE | "online" | "online" | "" | [] | +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Filter the listed databases
It is also possible to filter and sort the results by using YIELD, ORDER BY, and WHERE.
SHOW DATABASES YIELD name, currentStatus, requestedStatus
ORDER BY currentStatus
WHERE name CONTAINS 'o'
In this example:
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The number of columns returned has been reduced with the
YIELDclause. -
The order of the returned columns has been changed.
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The results are ordered by the
currentStatuscolumn usingORDER BY. -
The results have been filtered to only show database names containing
'o'.
It is also possible to use SKIP and LIMIT to paginate the results.
+--------------------------------------------+ | name | currentStatus | requestedStatus | +--------------------------------------------+ | "movies" | "online" | "online" | | "neo4j" | "online" | "online" | +--------------------------------------------+
Show the default Cypher version of a databaseIntroduced in 2025.06
To view the default Cypher version of each database in the DBMS, run the command SHOW DATABASES with the YIELD clause and specify the defaultLanguage column.
For example:
SHOW DATABASES YIELD name, defaultLanguage
| name | defaultLanguage |
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Rows: 3 |
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Show quarantined databases and lift their quarantineCypher 25Introduced in 2026.05
The SHOW DATABASES command can be combined with procedure calls.
To ensure the command is run against the system database, prepend it with the USE clause.
Combining SHOW DATABASES with other Cypher clauses disables the automatic re-routing.
USE system
SHOW DATABASES
YIELD name AS database, serverID AS server, currentStatus
WHERE currentStatus='quarantined'
CALL dbms.unquarantineDatabase(server, database)
Nothing is returned from the query, as it ends with a procedure call of a void procedure.
To return the affected databases, add RETURN database, server at the end of the query.
It is possible to specify the operation argument to the dbms.unquarantineDatabase() procedure.
For more information on the dbms.unquarantineDatabase() procedure, see Standard databases → Error handling.
For more information on void procedures, see Call procedures → Note on VOID procedures.
Glossary
- allocator
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A component in the cluster that allocates databases to servers according to the topology constraints specified and an allocation strategy.
- asynchronous replication
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Asynchronous replication is used by secondary copies to poll for new transactions, which means they cannot be guaranteed to have received the most recent transactions. This enables efficient scale-out of read-performance.
- Aura instance
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A fully-managed DBMS represented by a single instance ID, that is running in the Neo4j Aura cloud.
- auto-commit transaction
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An automatically committed transaction that contains a single query.
- Bolt protocol
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Bolt is a protocol used for interaction between Neo4j instances and drivers.
- bookmark
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A marker the client can request from the cluster to ensure that it is able to read its own writes so that the application’s state is consistent and only databases that have a copy of the bookmark are permitted to respond.
- category (Bloom)
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A category is based on a node label and is defined in a Perspective as a way of visually distinguishing nodes with the same label(s).
- causal consistency
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All servers in a cluster agree on the order in which transactions take place. The position of a server on the causal chain can be guaranteed using a bookmark.
- cluster
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A Neo4j DBMS that spans multiple servers working together to increase fault tolerance and/or read scalability. Databases on a cluster may be configured to replicate across servers in the cluster thus achieving read scalability or high availability.
- client application
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Software that interacts with a Neo4j server.
- commit
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A commit is the successful completion of a transaction, which ensures durability of any changes made. For more details, visit Operations Manual → Transaction management.
- composite database
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Composite databases are the means to access partitioned graph data with a single Cypher query.
- constraint
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Constraints are sets of data modeling rules that ensure the data is consistent and reliable.
- Cypher®
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Neo4j’s graph query language.
- data model
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A data model defines how information is organized in a database. A good data model will make querying and understanding your data easier. In Neo4j, the data models have a graph structure.
- database
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A database is a container used by the DBMS to manage and store graph data. The physical structure of data is controlled by the database.
- database vs graph
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Databases are the physical containers of graph data. Graphs are the logical structure of data in Neo4j.
- Database Management System
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Database Management System, or DBMS, capable of managing multiple databases. A DBMS may run on a single server, or span several servers configured as a cluster.
- database schema
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The prescribed property existence and datatypes for nodes and relationships.
- deallocate
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An act of removing a database from a server or a server from a cluster without loss of data or reduced fault tolerance.
- degree (of a node)
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The number of relationships of a specific node; loops are counted twice.
- disaster recovery
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A manual intervention to restore availability of a cluster, or databases within a cluster.
- driver
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A software library that provides access to Neo4j from a particular programming language.
- election
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In the event that the Raft leader becomes unresponsive, followers automatically trigger an election and vote for a new leader.
- entity
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A node or a relationship.
- expression (Cypher)
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A component of a Cypher query which produces values. It may be used in projections, as a predicate, or when setting properties on graph elements.
- fabric
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Fabric is the architectural design of a unified system that provides a single access point to local or distributed graph data.
- fault tolerance
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A guarantee that a cluster can maintain a database’s persistence and availability in the event of one or more servers failing.
- follower
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A primary copy of a database acting as a follower, receives and acknowledges synchronous writes from the leader.
- Generative AI (GenAI)
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A type of artificial intelligence (AI) system that generates text, images, or other media in response to prompts.
- graph
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A logical representation of a set of nodes where some pairs are connected by relationships.
- index
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Data structure that improves read performance of a database.
- knowledge graph
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A specific type of graph that has an organizing principle so that a user (or a computer system) can reason about the underlying data. The organizing principle provides an additional layer of structure that adds context to support knowledge discovery.
- label
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Marks a node as a member of a named and indexed subset. A node may be assigned zero or more labels.
- leader
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A single primary copy of a database is designated as the leader. It receives all write transactions from clients and replicates writes synchronously to followers and asynchronously to secondary copies of the database.
- main database
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In terms of Neo4j Enterprise Studio, the database(s) containing the user’s data. Can exist in the same Neo4j deployment as the tool asset database.
- motif
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A description of a specific pattern within a graph.
- node
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A node represents an entity or discrete object in your graph data model. Nodes can be connected by relationships, hold data in properties, and are classified by labels.
- operator
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A symbol representing a mathematical or logical operation.
- parameter
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Named value provided when running a Cypher statement.
- path
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A sequence of nodes and the relationships connecting them, that does not contain duplicate relationships. Several paths can match a pattern.
- pattern
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A specific arrangement of nodes and relationships that can be matched in a graph. A pattern follows a motif.
- perspective (Bloom)
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A Perspective defines a certain business view or domain that can be found in the target Neo4j graph. A single Neo4j graph can be viewed through different Perspectives, each tailored for a different business purpose.
- primary
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A copy of the database that is able to process write transactions and is eligible to be elected as a leader. It participates in fault tolerant writes as it is part of the majority required to acknowledge and commit write transactions.
- primary vs secondary
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In a cluster, databases can operate in either primary or secondary mode. Primary databases are able to process write and read transactions, ensuring fault tolerance. Secondary databases are replicated asynchronously from primaries, and their main purpose is to provide read scaling within the cluster.
- project (Aura)
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An isolated environment in the unified Aura console that contains its own database instances, configurations, and resources. Preceded by tenant in the classic Aura console.
- property
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Properties are key-value pairs that are used for storing data on nodes and relationships.
- query (Cypher)
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A statement that retrieves or writes information to a database.
- Raft group
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A group of servers that are participating in hosting a particular database in primary mode.
- Raft group member
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A server that is participating in a Raft group. A server can be a member of one or more groups.
- Raft log
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A shared log between all Raft group members that is guaranteed to be consistently updated and viewed by those members. The log contains both database data and operational state of the Raft group.
- Raft protocol
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The networking mechanism that enables a database to replicate its data across multiple servers to give high availability for accessing the data and high durability to the data stored.
- read scaling
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Distributing query load by creating additional database copies hosted in secondary mode (read-only).
- relationship
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A relationship represents a connection between nodes in your graph data model. Relationships connect a source node to a target node, hold data in properties, and are classified by type.
- secondary
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An asynchronously replicated copy of the database that provides read scaling within the cluster.
- seed
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A seed is a database dump or a full backup used to create a database on a cluster. This is sometimes called seeding.
- server
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A physical machine, a virtual machine, or a container running an instance of Neo4j. Servers can be standalone or part of a cluster.
- session
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A causally linked sequence of transactions.
- session consistency
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An alternative name for Neo4j’s causal consistency.
- standalone
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A single server running Neo4j and not part of a cluster.
- synchronous replication
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Synchronous replication requires the leader primary to replicate a transaction and block the commit until a quorum of the follower primaries acknowledges that the transaction is successfully replicated. Once the transaction is replicated, the commit is allowed to proceed. This ensures data durability and consistency within the cluster.
- system database
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A database used by Neo4j to store system information.
- tenant (Aura)
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An isolated environment in the classic Aura console that contains its own database instances, configurations, and resources. Replaced by project in the unified Aura console.
- tool asset database
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In terms of Neo4j Enterprise Studio, the database where tools' assets are stored. This can be in the same Neo4j deployment as the main database(s) or in a separate deployment.
- topology
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A configuration that describes how the copies of a database should be spread across the servers in a cluster, see primary mode and secondary mode.
- transaction
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A transaction comprises a unit of work performed against a database. It is treated in a coherent and reliable way, independent of other transactions. Transactions comply with the ACID consistency model (atomic, consistent, isolated, and durable).