Database management command syntax

Almost all administration commands have variations. The most common variations include parts of the commands that are optional, or that can have multiple values. Some variations are indicated using special characters. See Reading the administration commands syntax for details.

This page summarizes the various command syntax options. It also includes examples for both Cypher 5 and Cypher 25 when available.

Cypher® versions
Introduced in 2025.06

As of Neo4j 2025.06, the Cypher language is decoupled from the Neo4j server and follows its own versioning. Currently, there are two versions of Cypher available: Cypher 5 and Cypher 25. You can specify the version of Cypher by configuring a default Cypher version for the whole DBMS by explicitely setting db.query.default_language configuration in the neo4j.conf file, per database when using CREATE DATABASE or ALTER DATABASE, or by prepending the query with CYPHER 5 or CYPHER 25 on a per-query basis to override the default. For more information, see the Configure the Cypher default version and Cypher Manual → Select Cypher version.

Cypher 5

Cypher 5 is the language version with which all queries written for Neo4j 2025.05 and earlier versions are compatible. However, as of Neo4j 2025.06, it is frozen and will only receive performance enhancements and bug fixes in future server releases.
Setting the default language to CYPHER 5 ensures that all queries run on that database use the version of Cypher 5 as it existed at the time of the Neo4j 2025.06 release (unless you prepend your queries with CYPHER 25, which overrides this default). Any changes introduced after the 2025.06 release do not affect the semantics of the query.
Cypher 5 remains the default version for all newly created databases unless db.query.default_language=CYPHER_25 is explicitly set on the DBMS level or overridden using CREATE DATABASE or ALTER DATABASE, or by prepending queries with CYPHER 25.

Cypher 25

Cypher 25 builds upon Cypher 5 and includes new and improved features, as well as some removals. Any new Cypher features introduced in Neo4j 2025.06 or later are added only to Cypher 25. Setting the default language to CYPHER 25 ensures that all queries run on that database use the version of Cypher 25 that the database is currently running (unless you prepend your queries with CYPHER 5, which overrides this default). For example, a Neo4j 2025.10 database with default language Cypher 25 will use Cypher 25 as it exists in Neo4j 2025.10, including any changes introduced in Neo4j 2025.06, 2025.07, 2025.08, and 2025.09.

Starting from Neo4j 2026.02,the distributed neo4j.conf explicitly sets db.query.default_language=CYPHER_25. As a result, new deployments using the provided configuration file default to Cypher 25 for newly created databases. The Cypher version can still be explicitly specified in the CREATE DATABASE command or can be changed at any time using ALTER DATABASE.

If you want to use Cypher 5 as the default for new databases, you can remove or comment out that configuration entry, which is equivalent to setting db.query.default_language=CYPHER_5. Existing databases retain their existing default language.

Reading the administration commands syntax

Table 1. Special characters in syntax summaries
Character Meaning Example

|

Used to indicate alternative parts of a command (i.e. or). Needs to be part of a grouping.

If the syntax needs to specify either a name or *, this can be indicated with * | name.

{ and }

Used to group parts of the command. Commonly found together with |.

In order to use the or in the syntax summary, it needs to be in a group: {* | name}.

[ and ]

Used to indicate an optional part of the command. It also groups alternatives together, when there can be either of the alternatives or nothing.

If a keyword in the syntax can either be in singular or plural, you can indicate that the S is optional with GRAPH[S].

...

Repeated pattern. Related to the command part immediately before this is repeated.

A comma separated list of names would be name[, ...].

"

When a special character is part of the syntax itself, surround it with " to indicate this.

To include { in the syntax use "{" { * | name } "}". In this case, you will get either { * } or { name }.

The special characters in the table above are the only ones that need to be escaped using " in the syntax summaries.

Here is an example that uses all the special characters. It grants the READ privilege:

GRANT READ
  "{" { * | property[, ...] } "}"
  ON {HOME GRAPH | GRAPH[S] { * | name[, ...] }}
    [ ELEMENT[S] { * | label-or-rel-type[, ...] }
    | NODE[S] { * | label[, ...] }
    | RELATIONSHIP[S] { * | rel-type[, ...] }]
  TO role[, ...]

Note that this command includes { and } in the syntax, and between them there can be a grouping of properties or the character *. It also has multiple optional parts, including the entity part of the command which is the grouping following the graph name. For details about the graph privilege commands syntax, see Components of the graph privilege commands.

However, there is no need to escape any characters when creating a constraint for a node property. This is because ( and ) are not special characters, and [ and ] indicate that the constraint name and the IF NOT EXISTS parts are optional, and therefore not part of the command.

CREATE CONSTRAINT [constraint_name] [IF NOT EXISTS]
FOR (n:LabelName)
REQUIRE n.propertyName IS NOT NULL

Database management command syntax

The database management commands are used to manage standard or composite databases.

Show databases

Command Syntax

SHOW DATABASE

 
SHOW { DATABASE[S] name | DATABASE[S] | DEFAULT DATABASE | HOME DATABASE }
[WHERE expression]
SHOW { DATABASE[S] name | DATABASE[S] | DEFAULT DATABASE | HOME DATABASE }
YIELD { * | field[, ...] } [ORDER BY field[, ...]] [SKIP n] [LIMIT n]
[WHERE expression]
[RETURN field[, ...] [ORDER BY field[, ...]] [SKIP n] [LIMIT n]]

Create a database

Command Syntax

CREATE DATABASE

 
CREATE DATABASE name [IF NOT EXISTS]
[[SET] DEFAULT LANGUAGE CYPHER {5|25}]
[[SET] TOPOLOGY n PRIMAR{Y|IES} [m SECONDAR{Y|IES}]]
[OPTIONS "{" option: value[, ...] "}"]
[WAIT [n [SEC[OND[S]]]]|NOWAIT]
CREATE OR REPLACE DATABASE name
[[SET] DEFAULT LANGUAGE CYPHER {5|25}]
[[SET] TOPOLOGY n PRIMAR{Y|IES} [m SECONDAR{Y|IES}]]
[OPTIONS "{" option: value[, ...] "}"]
[WAIT [n [SEC[OND[S]]]]|NOWAIT]

[[SET] DEFAULT LANGUAGE CYPHER {5|25}] is available from Neo4j 2025.06 onwards.
[TOPOLOGY n PRIMAR{Y\|IES} [m SECONDAR{Y\|IES}]] is replaced by [[SET] TOPOLOGY n PRIMAR{Y\|IES} [m SECONDAR{Y\|IES}]] in Cypher 25.
Command Syntax

CREATE DATABASE

 
CREATE DATABASE name [IF NOT EXISTS]
[DEFAULT LANGUAGE CYPHER {5|25}]
[TOPOLOGY n PRIMAR{Y|IES} [m SECONDAR{Y|IES}]]
[OPTIONS "{" option: value[, ...] "}"]
[WAIT [n [SEC[OND[S]]]]|NOWAIT]
CREATE OR REPLACE DATABASE name
[DEFAULT LANGUAGE CYPHER {5|25}]
[TOPOLOGY n PRIMAR{Y|IES} [m SECONDAR{Y|IES}]]
[OPTIONS "{" option: value[, ...] "}"]
[WAIT [n [SEC[OND[S]]]]|NOWAIT]

[DEFAULT LANGUAGE CYPHER {5|25}] is available from Neo4j 2025.06 onwards.

Create a composite database

Command Syntax

CREATE COMPOSITE DATABASE

 
CREATE COMPOSITE DATABASE name [IF NOT EXISTS]
[[SET] DEFAULT LANGUAGE CYPHER {5|25}]
[OPTIONS "{" "}"]
[WAIT [n [SEC[OND[S]]]]|NOWAIT]
CREATE OR REPLACE COMPOSITE DATABASE name
[[SET] DEFAULT LANGUAGE CYPHER {5|25}]
[OPTIONS "{" "}"]
[WAIT [n [SEC[OND[S]]]]|NOWAIT]

[[SET] DEFAULT LANGUAGE CYPHER {5|25}] is available from Neo4j 2025.06 onwards.
Command Syntax

CREATE COMPOSITE DATABASE

 
CREATE COMPOSITE DATABASE name [IF NOT EXISTS]
[DEFAULT LANGUAGE CYPHER {5|25}]
[OPTIONS "{" "}"]
[WAIT [n [SEC[OND[S]]]]|NOWAIT]
CREATE OR REPLACE COMPOSITE DATABASE name
[DEFAULT LANGUAGE CYPHER {5|25}]
[OPTIONS "{" "}"]
[WAIT [n [SEC[OND[S]]]]|NOWAIT]

[DEFAULT LANGUAGE CYPHER {5|25}] is available from Neo4j 2025.06 onwards.

Create a sharded property database
Cypher 25Introduced in 2025.12

Command Syntax

CREATE DATABASE

 
CREATE DATABASE name [IF NOT EXISTS]
[[SET] DEFAULT LANGUAGE CYPHER {5|25}]
[[SET] GRAPH SHARD {
  [TOPOLOGY n PRIMAR{Y|IES} [m SECONDAR{Y|IES}]]
}]
[SET] PROPERTY SHARD[S] {
  COUNT n [TOPOLOGY m REPLICA[S]]
}
[OPTIONS "{" option: value[, ...] "}"]
[WAIT [n [SEC[OND[S]]]]|NOWAIT]

When creating a sharded property database, the following are created:

  • A virtual sharded property database <name>.

  • A single graph shard with the name <name>-g000.

  • A number of property shards with the name <name>-p<index>, where <index> ranges from 000 to 999. The count property in SET PROPERTY SHARDS specifies the number of property shards.

The CREATE DATABASE command for sharded property databases supports only the seedURI option. See Creating sharded property databases for details.

CREATE OR REPLACE does not replace an existing sharded property database.

Create a replica database
Cypher 25Introduced in 2026.08

To create a replica database via the network connection, use the following command:

Command Syntax

CREATE REPLICA DATABASE

 
CREATE REPLICA DATABASE name [IF NOT EXISTS]
[[SET] TOPOLOGY n PRIMAR{Y|IES} [m SECONDAR{Y|IES}]]
OPTIONS {replicaConfig: {remote: upstreamDatabaseName, addresses: remoteAddresses}}
[WAIT [n [SEC[OND[S]]]]|NOWAIT]

To create a replica database with remote backup pulling, use the following command:

Command Syntax

CREATE REPLICA DATABASE

 
CREATE REPLICA DATABASE name [IF NOT EXISTS]
[[SET] TOPOLOGY n PRIMAR{Y|IES} [m SECONDAR{Y|IES}]]
OPTIONS {replicaConfig: {remote: upstreamDatabaseName, pullURI: backupURI}}
[WAIT [n [SEC[OND[S]]]]|NOWAIT]

For details, see Replicating databases across clusters.

Alter a database

Command Syntax

ALTER DATABASE

 
ALTER DATABASE name [IF EXISTS]
{
SET ACCESS {READ ONLY | READ WRITE} |
SET TOPOLOGY n PRIMAR{Y|IES} [m SECONDAR{Y|IES}] |
SET OPTION option value |
SET DEFAULT LANGUAGE CYPHER {5|25}
}
[WAIT [n [SEC[OND[S]]]]|NOWAIT]
ALTER DATABASE name [IF EXISTS]
REMOVE OPTION option
[WAIT [n [SEC[OND[S]]]]|NOWAIT]

There can be multiple SET OPTION or REMOVE OPTION clauses for different option keys.

Starting with Neo4j 2025.06, SET DEFAULT LANGUAGE CYPHER {5|25} is available for both self-managed deployments and Aura.

Alter a composite database
Introduced in 2025.06

Command Syntax

ALTER DATABASE

 
ALTER DATABASE name [IF EXISTS]
SET DEFAULT LANGUAGE CYPHER {5|25}
[WAIT [n [SEC[OND[S]]]]|NOWAIT]

Alter a sharded property database
Cypher 25Introduced in 2025.12

Command Syntax

ALTER DATABASE <name>

 
ALTER DATABASE name [IF EXISTS]
{
  SET ACCESS {READ ONLY | READ WRITE} |
  SET OPTION option value |
  SET DEFAULT LANGUAGE CYPHER {5|25} |
  SET GRAPH SHARD {
    SET TOPOLOGY ((n PRIMAR{Y|IES}) | (m SECONDAR{Y|IES}))+
  } |
  SET PROPERTY SHARD[S] {
    SET TOPOLOGY n REPLICA[S]
  }
}
[WAIT [n [SEC[OND[S]]]]|NOWAIT]

ALTER DATABASE <graph-shard>

 
ALTER DATABASE name [IF EXISTS]
SET TOPOLOGY (
  (n PRIMAR{Y|IES}) |
  (m SECONDAR{Y|IES})
)
[WAIT [n [SEC[OND[S]]]] | NOWAIT]

ALTER DATABASE <property-shard>

 
ALTER DATABASE name [IF EXISTS]
SET TOPOLOGY (
  n REPLICA[S]
)
[WAIT [n [SEC[OND[S]]]] | NOWAIT]

Stop a database

Command Syntax

STOP DATABASE

 
STOP DATABASE name [WAIT [n [SEC[OND[S]]]]|NOWAIT]

Start a database

Command Syntax

START DATABASE

 
START DATABASE name [WAIT [n [SEC[OND[S]]]]|NOWAIT]

Delete a database

Command Syntax

DROP DATABASE

 
DROP [COMPOSITE] DATABASE name [IF EXISTS] [RESTRICT | CASCADE ALIAS[ES]] [{DUMP|DESTROY} [DATA]] [WAIT [n [SEC[OND[S]]]]|NOWAIT]

Database alias management command syntax

The database alias management commands are used to manage local or remote database aliases.

Show aliases

Command Syntax

SHOW ALIAS

 
SHOW ALIAS[ES] [name] FOR DATABASE[S]
[WHERE expression]
SHOW ALIAS[ES] [name] FOR DATABASE[S]
YIELD { * | field[, ...] } [ORDER BY field[, ...]] [SKIP n] [LIMIT n]
[WHERE expression]
[RETURN field[, ...] [ORDER BY field[, ...]] [SKIP n] [LIMIT n]]

Lists both local and remote database aliases, optionally filtered on the alias name.

Create a local alias

Command Syntax

CREATE ALIAS

 
CREATE ALIAS name [IF NOT EXISTS] FOR DATABASE targetName
[PROPERTIES "{" key: value[, ...] "}"]
CREATE OR REPLACE ALIAS name FOR DATABASE targetName
[PROPERTIES "{" key: value[, ...] "}"]

Create a remote alias

Command Syntax

CREATE ALIAS

 
CREATE ALIAS name [IF NOT EXISTS] FOR DATABASE targetName
AT 'url' { USER username PASSWORD 'password' | OIDC CREDENTIAL FORWARDING }
[DRIVER "{" setting: value[, ...] "}"]
[DEFAULT LANGUAGE CYPHER {5|25}]
[PROPERTIES "{" key: value[, ...] "}"]
CREATE OR REPLACE ALIAS name FOR DATABASE targetName
AT 'url' { USER username PASSWORD 'password' | OIDC CREDENTIAL FORWARDING }
[DRIVER "{" setting: value[, ...] "}"]
[DEFAULT LANGUAGE CYPHER {5|25}]
[PROPERTIES "{" key: value[, ...] "}"]

[DEFAULT LANGUAGE CYPHER {5|25}] is available from Neo4j 2025.06 onwards.
OIDC CREDENTIAL FORWARDING is available from Neo4j 2026.01 onwards.
Command Syntax

CREATE ALIAS

 
CREATE ALIAS name [IF NOT EXISTS] FOR DATABASE targetName
AT 'url' USER username PASSWORD 'password'
[DRIVER "{" setting: value[, ...] "}"]
[DEFAULT LANGUAGE CYPHER {5|25}]
[PROPERTIES "{" key: value[, ...] "}"]
CREATE OR REPLACE ALIAS name FOR DATABASE targetName
AT 'url' USER username PASSWORD 'password'
[DRIVER "{" setting: value[, ...] "}"]
[DEFAULT LANGUAGE CYPHER {5|25}]
[PROPERTIES "{" key: value[, ...] "}"]

[DEFAULT LANGUAGE CYPHER {5|25}] is available from Neo4j 2025.06 onwards.

Alter a local alias

Command Syntax

ALTER ALIAS

 
ALTER ALIAS name [IF EXISTS] SET DATABASE
[TARGET targetName]
[PROPERTIES "{" key: value[, ...] "}"]

Alter a remote alias

Command Syntax

ALTER ALIAS

 
ALTER ALIAS name [IF EXISTS] SET DATABASE
[TARGET targetName AT 'url']
[USER username]
[PASSWORD 'password']
[DRIVER "{" setting: value[, ...] "}"]
[DEFAULT LANGUAGE CYPHER {5|25}]
[PROPERTIES "{" key: value[, ...] "}"]

[DEFAULT LANGUAGE CYPHER {5|25}] is available from Neo4j 2025.06 onwards.

Delete an alias

Command Syntax

DROP ALIAS

 
DROP ALIAS name [IF EXISTS] FOR DATABASE

Drop either a local or remote database alias.

Glossary

allocator

A component in the cluster that allocates databases to servers according to the topology constraints specified and an allocation strategy.

asynchronous replication

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

A fully-managed DBMS represented by a single instance ID, that is running in the Neo4j Aura cloud.

auto-commit transaction

An automatically committed transaction that contains a single query.

Bolt protocol

Bolt is a protocol used for interaction between Neo4j instances and drivers.

bookmark

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)

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

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

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

Software that interacts with a Neo4j server.

commit

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

Composite databases are the means to access partitioned graph data with a single Cypher query.

constraint

Constraints are sets of data modeling rules that ensure the data is consistent and reliable.

Cypher®

Neo4j’s graph query language.

data model

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

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

Databases are the physical containers of graph data. Graphs are the logical structure of data in Neo4j.

Database Management System

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

The prescribed property existence and datatypes for nodes and relationships.

deallocate

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)

The number of relationships of a specific node; loops are counted twice.

disaster recovery

A manual intervention to restore availability of a cluster, or databases within a cluster.

driver

A software library that provides access to Neo4j from a particular programming language.

election

In the event that the Raft leader becomes unresponsive, followers automatically trigger an election and vote for a new leader.

entity

A node or a relationship.

expression (Cypher)

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

Fabric is the architectural design of a unified system that provides a single access point to local or distributed graph data.

fault tolerance

A guarantee that a cluster can maintain a database’s persistence and availability in the event of one or more servers failing.

follower

A primary copy of a database acting as a follower, receives and acknowledges synchronous writes from the leader.

Generative AI (GenAI)

A type of artificial intelligence (AI) system that generates text, images, or other media in response to prompts.

graph

A logical representation of a set of nodes where some pairs are connected by relationships.

index

Data structure that improves read performance of a database.

knowledge graph

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

Marks a node as a member of a named and indexed subset. A node may be assigned zero or more labels.

leader

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

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

A description of a specific pattern within a graph.

node

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

A symbol representing a mathematical or logical operation.

parameter

Named value provided when running a Cypher statement.

path

A sequence of nodes and the relationships connecting them, that does not contain duplicate relationships. Several paths can match a pattern.

pattern

A specific arrangement of nodes and relationships that can be matched in a graph. A pattern follows a motif.

perspective (Bloom)

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

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

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)

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

Properties are key-value pairs that are used for storing data on nodes and relationships.

query (Cypher)

A statement that retrieves or writes information to a database.

Raft group

A group of servers that are participating in hosting a particular database in primary mode.

Raft group member

A server that is participating in a Raft group. A server can be a member of one or more groups.

Raft log

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

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

Distributing query load by creating additional database copies hosted in secondary mode (read-only).

relationship

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

An asynchronously replicated copy of the database that provides read scaling within the cluster.

seed

A seed is a database dump or a full backup used to create a database on a cluster. This is sometimes called seeding.

server

A physical machine, a virtual machine, or a container running an instance of Neo4j. Servers can be standalone or part of a cluster.

session

A causally linked sequence of transactions.

session consistency

An alternative name for Neo4j’s causal consistency.

standalone

A single server running Neo4j and not part of a cluster.

synchronous replication

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

A database used by Neo4j to store system information.

tenant (Aura)

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

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

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

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).