Data Import/Export Guide

May 18, 2026 · View on GitHub

Neo4j compatible data migration and backup

Overview

NornicDB is fully compatible with Neo4j data formats, making migration seamless. This guide covers importing data from Neo4j and exporting data for backup or migration.

Importing from Neo4j

Using Neo4j Driver

from neo4j import GraphDatabase

# Connect to NornicDB (same as Neo4j)
driver = GraphDatabase.driver(
    "bolt://localhost:7687",
    auth=("admin", "admin")
)

# Run Cypher queries - identical syntax
with driver.session() as session:
    session.run("""
        CREATE (n:Person {name: 'Alice', age: 30})
        CREATE (m:Person {name: 'Bob', age: 25})
        CREATE (n)-[:KNOWS {since: 2020}]->(m)
    """)

Bulk Import via Cypher

-- Create multiple nodes
UNWIND $nodes AS nodeData
CREATE (n:Person)
SET n = nodeData

-- Create relationships
UNWIND $relationships AS relData
MATCH (a:Person {id: relData.from})
MATCH (b:Person {id: relData.to})
CREATE (a)-[:KNOWS {since: relData.since}]->(b)

JSON Import

# Import nodes from JSON
curl -X POST http://localhost:7474/db/nornic/tx/commit \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "statements": [{
      "statement": "UNWIND $nodes AS n CREATE (p:Person) SET p = n",
      "parameters": {
        "nodes": [
          {"name": "Alice", "age": 30},
          {"name": "Bob", "age": 25}
        ]
      }
    }]
  }'

Exporting Data

Export via Cypher

-- Export all nodes as JSON
MATCH (n)
RETURN labels(n) AS labels, properties(n) AS properties

-- Export with relationships
MATCH (n)-[r]->(m)
RETURN 
  labels(n) AS fromLabels,
  properties(n) AS fromProps,
  type(r) AS relType,
  properties(r) AS relProps,
  labels(m) AS toLabels,
  properties(m) AS toProps

Export via HTTP API

# Export query results
curl -X POST http://localhost:7474/db/nornic/tx/commit \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "statements": [{
      "statement": "MATCH (n:Person) RETURN n"
    }]
  }' | jq '.results[0].data'

Neo4j Compatibility

Supported Features

Feature	Status	Notes
Cypher Queries	✅ Full	All standard Cypher
Bolt Protocol	✅ Full	v4.4 compatible
HTTP API	✅ Full	Neo4j REST API
Transactions	✅ Full	ACID compliant
Indexes	✅ Full	B-tree and vector
Constraints	✅ Full	Unique, exists

Driver Compatibility

All official Neo4j drivers work with NornicDB:

Python: neo4j package
JavaScript: neo4j-driver
Java: Neo4j Java Driver
Go: neo4j-go-driver
.NET: Neo4j.Driver

Migration Steps

From Neo4j to NornicDB

Export from Neo4j:

CALL apoc.export.json.all("export.json", {})

Start NornicDB:

docker run -d -p 7474:7474 -p 7687:7687 nornicdb

Import to NornicDB:

# Use same driver/queries - just change connection URL

From NornicDB to Neo4j

Same process in reverse - the formats are identical.

Backup & Restore

Creating Backups

# Trigger a snapshot via the authenticated admin HTTP endpoint
curl -X POST http://localhost:7474/admin/backup \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ADMIN_TOKEN"

For volume-level backups (raw tar of /data) see the Backup & Restore operations guide.

Data Export (Right to Access)

curl -X POST http://localhost:7474/gdpr/export \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"userId": "user123"}'

Data Deletion (Right to Erasure)

curl -X POST http://localhost:7474/gdpr/delete \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"userId": "user123"}'

Getting Started - Installation guide
Cypher Queries - Query language reference
API Reference - Complete API docs

Ready to migrate? → Getting Started