Experimental Neo4j JSON API Plugin

Intended to be included as a Neo4j plugin, on Ubuntu 18, with Nginx control of access.

API Documentation

The API itself is meant to be self-documenting. By visiting the root of the API (/bsuapi/), all methods and parameters are listed in properties there:

• schema - json schema for the three main types of result data
• methods - all api methods available
• parameters - queryString parameters available to almost every request method.
• folders - list of folders available
• topics - sample set of topics for every topic-type, ordered by most-connected topics first.
• settings - all settings and configuration data for this API, and exhibit modes powered by this API.

Example URIs, with at least one example for each available method, is available here: Example API URLs

Latest bsuapi-1.8.10.jar

• Access the API bsuapi/
• All Releases releases/
• Simple Viewer from Downstream:bsu_viewer.git

Sample GraphDB

• Graph The MET
• Cypher useful queries

Requirements

• Neo4j 3.5.8

Reccommend

• Ubuntu 18.04
• openjdk-8-jre
• Nginx 1.16.1
• Neo4j 3.5.8
  • Run as neo4j (only via systemctl)
  • Roll your own auth (Not yet implemented here)
  • Only accessible via localhost
  • Nginx Reverse proxy ONLY to the methods intended to be public

Plugin provides a JSON API at http://localhost:7474/bsuapi

Installation

• Stop the db
• Drop a jar into $NEO4j_HOME/plugins
• Adjust neo4j.conf
  • dbms.unmanaged_extension_classes=bsuapi.resource=/bsuapi
• Start the db
• http://localhost:7474/bsuapi

Ubuntu Server Provisioning

• Install openjdk-8-jre, nginx, and neo4j
• Adjust neo4j service def
• Install bsuapi plugin
• Configure neo4j
• Configure nginx
• Start neo4j and nginx
• http://yourdomain.com/bsuapi

Adjust neo4j service def

Neo4j doesn't yet fully support Ubuntu 18, so an adjustment is needed for the service definition.

comment this line (those ENV vars are [TL;DR:bad])

/lib/systemd/system/neo4j.service

# Environment="NEO4J_CONF=/etc/neo4j" "NEO4J_HOME=/var/lib/neo4j"

Install bsuapi plugin

/var/lib/neo4j/plugins

Configure neo4j

/etc/neo4j/neo4j.conf

dbms.unmanaged_extension_classes=bsuapi.resource=/bsuapi
dbms.active_database=graph.db
dbms.memory.heap.max_size=48G
dbms.connectors.default_listen_address=127.0.0.1
dbms.connectors.default_advertised_address=yourdomain.com

Configure nginx

/etc/nginx/conf.d/yourdomain.conf

server {

    server_name yourdomain.com

    # magic

    location /bsuapi {
        proxy_redirect off;
        proxy_connect_timeout 30s;
        proxy_set_header Accept-Encoding "";
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:7474;
    }
}

Start neo4j and nginx

sudo systemctl start neo4j
sudo systemctl start nginx

OpenPipeline Sync

See api home: methods.execute

Pulling data from openPipeline is a multi-step process, which includes 2 stages:

• Reset /execute/OPENPIPE_RESET - clears entire database, recreates config and indices, and sets sync to pull from assets changed after 2020-01-01.
• Info /execute/INFO - regenerates Info Cards. See api home: methods.info and /info.
• Sync - pulls new assets, folders, and settings, that have changed since the last time Sync was ran. Should be ran in sequence:
  • /execute/OPENPIPE_SYNC - pulls all changed assets, and extrapolates topics and meta-data, creating most of the meta-graph.
  • /execute/OPENPIPE_FOLDERS - pulls all folders and their assets, including template positioning where present.
  • /execute/OPENPIPE_TOPICIMG - attempts to select a best asset to use as the image representing a topic.
  • /execute/OPENPIPE_SETTINGS - pulls all mode settings from openpipe and connects them to their respectively selected folders/topics. Defines the preset options available for each mode.