Neo4j on GCP
Enterprise Edition

Neo4j can be easily deployed on Virtual Machines in Google Cloud Platform (GCP) by using the official listing on the GCP Marketplace. It can be configured to deploy only Neo4j Enterprise Edition 2025.x, both standalone and cluster (1, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 servers). Previous versions of Neo4j, such as 4.4 and 5.26 LTS are no longer supported.

Neo4j Terraform deployment module

The GCP Marketplace listing uses HashiCorp Terraform IaC tool to deploy Neo4j Enterprise Edition on GCP. HashiCorp Terraform is an infrastructure deployment module, which automates the creation and management of Google Cloud resources. It takes several parameters as inputs, deploys a set of cloud resources, and provides outputs that can be used to connect to a Neo4j DBMS.

You can find the repository for the Terraform configuration files on GitHub. The repository structure is as follows:

neo4j-terraform-gcp/
├── modules/                          # Terraform modules
│   └── neo4j/                        # Main Neo4j module
│       ├── scripts/                  # Startup scripts for Neo4j
│       ├── main.tf                   # Main module configuration
│       ├── network.tf                # Network configuration
│       ├── variables.tf              # Module variables
│       ├── outputs.tf                # Module outputs
│       └── versions.tf               # Module provider requirements
├── test/                             # Test configurations
├── metadata.yaml                     # GCP Marketplace metadata
├── metadata.display.yaml             # GCP Marketplace display metadata
├── logo.png                          # Logo for GCP Marketplace
├── main.tf                           # Root module configuration
├── variables.tf                      # Root module variables
├── outputs.tf                        # Root module outputs
├── versions.tf                       # Provider and version constraints
└── terraform.tfvars.example          # Example variables file

Important considerations

  • The deployment of cloud resources incurs costs. Refer to the GCP pricing calculatorfor more information.

  • The Neo4j Terraform module deploys a new VPC, containing a single subnet based in the requested region. Unlike Azure and AWS where subnets are aligned to specific zones, GCP subnets are regional (and VPCs are global).

  • The Neo4j Terraform module uses an Instance Group to deploy VM instances. To stop a VM managed by a group, you must first remove it from that group.

  • Instances can be connected via SSH, using SSH-in-browser (via the GCP console). Click the SSH button in the GCP console.

Deployment steps

Before deploying Neo4j using the Terraform module, ensure you have the following prerequisites in place:

  • Terraform 1.2.0 or newer. See the official Terraform installation guide for instructions.

  • Google Cloud SDK

  • A GCP project with billing enabled

  • Appropriate permissions to create resources in GCP

  • Default project configured in gcloud CLI (gcloud config set project YOUR_PROJECT_ID)

Option 1: Deploy from GCP Marketplace

  1. Visit the Neo4j Enterprise listing on GCP Marketplace.

  2. Click Launch.

  3. Configure the deployment parameters. See Input parameters for details on each parameter.

  4. Review and click Launch.

Option 2: Use the module directly

  1. Ensure your default GCP project is set in gcloud CLI:

    gcloud config set project YOUR_PROJECT_ID

  2. Copy terraform.tfvars.example to terraform.tfvars and update the values. See Input parameters for details on each parameter.

  3. Initialize Terraform in the directory containing the Terraform configuration files:

    terraform init

  4. Plan the deployment:

    terraform plan

  5. Apply the configuration:

    terraform apply

Input parameters

The following variables can be configured in your terraform.tfvars file. The complete list of inputs can be found in the ./variables.tf file.

  • When deploying through GCP Marketplace, the source_image variable will be automatically set to the Marketplace-owned version of the VM image.

  • For production deployments, it is recommended to restrict the firewall_source_range to specific IP ranges.

  • The default machine type (c3-standard-4) is suitable for most workloads, but can be adjusted based on your requirements.

  • For large datasets, consider increasing the disk_size parameter.

  • The startup script includes robust error handling and non-interactive installation to ensure reliable deployment.
Variable Parameter Name Description Default Value

project_id

Project ID

GCP Project ID of the project in which to provision resources.

(Required)

license_type

License type

Neo4j license type (enterprise-byol or evaluation).

enterprise-byol

region

Region

The GCP region where resources will be created.

us-central1

zone

Zone

The zone for the solution to be deployed.

us-central1-a

goog_cm_deployment_name

Deployment Name

The name of the deployment and VM instances.

neo4j

source_image

Image version

The VM image to use for Neo4j instances.

projects/neo4j-mp-public/global/images/neo4j-enterprise-edition

network_name

Network name

The name of the VPC network to use or create.

neo4j-network

subnetwork_name

Subnetwork name

The name of the subnetwork to use or create.

neo4j-subnet

create_new_network

Create a new network

Whether to create a new network or use an existing one

true

subnetwork_cidr

Subnetwork CIDR

CIDR range for the subnetwork.

10.10.10.0/24

node_count

Number of servers

Number of Neo4j servers to deploy. Node count must be 1 (standalone) or 3/5/7 (cluster)

3

machine_type

Machine type

GCP machine type for the Neo4j servers.

c3-standard-4

disk_size

Disk size in GB

Size of the data disk in GB.

100

admin_password

Admin password

Password for the Neo4j admin user. The password must be at least 8 characters long.

(Required)

install_bloom

Install Neo4j Bloom

Whether to install Neo4j Bloom.

false

bloom_license_key

Bloom License Key

License key for Neo4j Bloom (if installing).

""

firewall_source_range

Firewall source ranges

Source IP ranges for external access (comma-separated). Traffic is only allowed from sources within these IP address ranges. Use CIDR notation when entering ranges.

0.0.0.0/0

Deployed cloud resources

The environment created by the Terraform module consists of the following GCP resources:

  1. A VPC network and subnetwork (optional).

  2. Firewall rules for internal and external access.

  3. Neo4j VMs with attached persistent disks.

  4. Configures Neo4j for standalone or clustered operation.

Template outputs

After the installation finishes successfully, the Terraform module provides the following outputs:

Output Name Description

neo4j_url

URL to access Neo4j Browser.

neo4j_bolt_url

Bolt URL to connect to Neo4j.

neo4j_ip_addresses

IP addresses of the Neo4j nodes.

neo4j_instance_names

Names of the Neo4j instances.

neo4j_instance_zones

Zones where Neo4j instances are deployed.

neo4j_instance_machine_types

Machine types of Neo4j instances.

The Neo4j Browser can be easily launched in a new window by clicking the button entitled Log into the Neo4j Browser.

Providers used

This module only uses the following approved GCP Marketplace providers:

  • google

  • google-beta

Testing the module

The module includes test configurations in the test/ directory, which can be used to validate the deployment. The following test scripts are provided:

  • verify_module.sh: Basic verification for GCP Marketplace

  • test_deployment.sh: Comprehensive deployment testing using marketplace_test.tfvars

The test script performs thorough checks to verify:

  • All instances are properly deployed.

  • Neo4j services are running and accessible.

  • Neo4j Browser and Bolt interfaces are operational.

  • Cluster configuration is properly set up.

Licensing

Installing and starting Neo4j from the GCP marketplace constitutes an acceptance of the Neo4j license agreement. When deploying Neo4j, you are required to confirm that you either have an Enterprise license or accept the terms of the Neo4j evaluation license.

If you require the Enterprise version of Bloom, you need to provide a key issued by Neo4j as this is required during the installation.

To obtain a valid license for Bloom reach out to your Neo4j account representative or get in touch using the contact form.

Delete deployment and destroy resources

To delete the deployment and destroy all associated resources, you can use the following Terraform command:

terraform destroy

This command will prompt you to confirm the destruction of all resources defined in your Terraform configuration. Review the proposed changes carefully before confirming. For detailed information on the terraform destroy command, refer to the official Terraform documentation.