Migrate databases from 4.4

Databases can only be migrated to Neo4j 5 from Neo4j 4.4.

It is recommended to read the Introduction section before continuing.

To migrate databases from Neo4j 4.4 you must first configure a new Neo4j 5 DBMS, whether standalone or in a cluster. The databases hosted on Neo4j 4.4 can then be moved to the new Neo4j 5 DBMS.

Depending on your environment, this could require substantial preparation and planning. The steps have broken down into four stages, as outlined below:

  1. Prepare - Changes between Neo4j 4.4 and Neo4j 5 can have implications for systems and users relying on Neo4j. Additionally, the migration process itself will require some downtime. See Prepare for your migration for details.

  2. Backup - Migrating your 4.4 databases requires that you have a dump or a backup of every database you want to migrate to Neo4j 5. See Backup your databases for details.

  3. Install and configure Neo4j 5 - There are changes to how Neo4j is configured, particularly the new autonomous clusters. See Install and configure Neo4j 5 for details. Roles and privileges must also be copied over.

  4. Migrate databases - Once affected systems are prepared, and Neo4j 5 is correctly configured, you are ready to migrate the databases. See Migrate your databases for details.

The Reference section contains:

  • Additional resources that are referred to throughout the guide.

  • A guide specific to migrating a standalone server deployed on Kubernetes with the neo4j/neo4j-standalone Helm chart from version 4.4 to 5.x; see Migrate a standalone server (Helm).