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Neo4j Database Setup

Multiforum uses Neo4j as its database. You can either use the managed cloud service (AuraDB) or self-host Neo4j.

AuraDB is Neo4j's fully managed cloud service. It handles backups, scaling, and maintenance automatically.

  1. Create an account at Neo4j AuraDB
  2. Create a new database instance
    • Select a region close to your deployment
    • Choose an appropriate size (Free tier available for testing)
  3. Save the connection credentials:
    • Connection URI (e.g., neo4j+s://xxxxxxxx.databases.neo4j.io)
    • Username (typically neo4j)
    • Password (generated during creation)

Option B: Self-Hosted Neo4j​

For more control or to reduce costs, you can run Neo4j yourself.

Using Docker​

docker run -d \
  --name neo4j \
  -p 7474:7474 -p 7687:7687 \
  -e NEO4J_AUTH=neo4j/your-secure-password \
  -v neo4j_data:/data \
  neo4j:5

Direct Installation​

  1. Download Neo4j from neo4j.com/download
  2. Install and start the Neo4j service
  3. Access the Neo4j Browser at http://localhost:7474
  4. Set a password for the neo4j user on first login
  5. Note your connection URI (typically bolt://localhost:7687)

Required Environment Variables​

You'll need these values when configuring the backend:

NEO4J_URI=bolt://your-neo4j-host:7687  # or neo4j+s:// for AuraDB
NEO4J_USER=neo4j
NEO4J_PASSWORD=your-password

Next Steps​

Continue setting up the other prerequisites: