February 2011 Summaries

The latest release of Neo4j has seen significant improvements to its kernel, server product, and developer tools. Notably, the storage engine now inlines common short strings, resulting in more compact data files and faster reads/writes for these types of strings. The server product has also been enhanced with a new RESTful discovery API and simplified configuration file. Additionally, the development team is introducing a new continuous delivery system to simplify their own housekeeping and provide rapid turnaround for features to the community. This system will allow users to input their feedback on what they would like to see in future releases, further improving the user experience.

Scaling Neo4j with Cache Sharding and Neo4j HA offers solutions for handling large data sets in the graph database, allowing it to be more available and scalable. The Neo4j team is open to feedback and welcomes users to share their thoughts on the topic through the mailing list. Additionally, resources are provided for those interested in learning more about graph databases, including a free ebook from O'Reilly that covers the basics of graph technologies and how they can be applied to applications.

Jim Webber has shared his insights on sharding graph databases in a recent blog post, available now for reading and discussion on the Neo4j mailing list and Twitter. As a member of the Neo4j team, Jim is well-positioned to discuss the capabilities and limitations of sharding in graph databases. The post is part of a series that will explore various topics related to graph databases. For those interested in learning more about graph databases, a free copy of O'Reilly's Graph Databases ebook can be downloaded, offering insights into how to apply graph technologies to applications.

Neo4j has successfully deployed its graph database server on Windows Azure, providing a powerful tool for .NET developers to leverage the benefits of a graph database in their applications. The deployment was made possible by Microsoft's promise to make Java a valued "first-class citizen" on Windows Azure, and it demonstrates that complex server products can be easily hosted on the platform. With its REST API over HTTP, Neo4j can be easily integrated with regular .NET applications, both inside and outside of the cloud. The deployment was made possible by extracting configuration settings from the code and putting them in separate files, making it easy to upgrade the version of Neo4j simply by replacing the zip-file in blob storage. The solution involves a hosting project that takes care of downloading, installing, and configuring Neo4j, and it is fully functional with dynamic port allocation and automatic storage backups. The deployment allows for easy communication with Neo4j using its REST API over HTTP, making it accessible to .NET developers. The team behind the project hopes to make the Visual Studio Solution more turn-key in future versions, allowing users to easily deploy and run Neo4j without manual steps.

The Neo4j community has been actively contributing over the last two weeks, and the team thanks everyone for their help in making the project better. The source repositories have been moved to GitHub, with re-arranged projects that make it easier to check out and build from the source. This includes a new backup library that uses High Availability communication features, simplifying incremental and full backups. Other improvements include spruced up Webadmin UI, performance enhancements through log rotation, and simplified HA setup using Chef and Vagrant recipes. Additionally, there's an upgrade to Gremlin 0.7 in the server, allowing users to prototype graph operations directly in the Webadmin tool. The team is grateful for community feedback and encourages everyone to share their thoughts on the project's progress.