The challenges in this course use a service called GitPod to issue code challenges. We have chosen Gitpod because it means that you can complete the course directly in your browser without having to download or install any additional software.
To use GitPod you must sign in with your GitLab, GitHub or Bitbucket account.
The repository, github.com/neo4j-graphacademy/app-python contains all the starter code and workspace for this course.
Explore the Repository
You can open the repository by clicking the link below:
Explore Repository in GitPod →Here are some of the important directories in the project:
-
example/- Example code for working with the driver. -
api/- The application code:-
dao/- Data Access Objects which will be modified to communicate with Neo4j -
middleware/- Some custom middleware functions that are used by Flask throughout the request lifecycle -
routes/- Route handlers that are registered on the server. You shouldn’t need to edit these files.
-
-
public/- Minified build files for the SPA. Do not edit these files.
Develop on your local machine
You will need Python installed and the ability to install packages using pip.
You may want to set up a virtual environment using venv or virtualenv to keep your dependencies separate from other projects.
Clone the github.com/neo4j-graphacademy/app-python repository:
git clone https://github.com/neo4j-graphacademy/app-pythonInstall the required packages using pip and download the required data:
cd app-python
pip install -r requirements.txtCourse Challenges
For each challenge, you will be provided with a link to re-open the correct file within the repository. Clicking these links will also set the credentials load environment variables for your Neo4j Sandbox instance.
Your Sandbox Instance
As part of this course, a Neo4j Sandbox instance has been created for you with the recommendations dataset. This dataset contains all of the details required to populate the Neoflix website.
What is Neo4j Sandbox?
Neo4j Sandbox is a free service that allows you to create pre-populated Neo4j instances completely free of charge. Neo4j Sandbox is the perfect environment for experimenting with Neo4j.
You can log into Neo4j Sandbox and create a database with a number of pre-populated datasets by visiting sandbox.neo4j.com.
Extending Your Sandbox Instance
By default, a Neo4j sandbox instance exists for 3 days. You can extend it for another 7 days by going to the sandbox site and extending it in the details (right-most down arrow) for the recommendations sandbox.
Accessing Your Sandbox Credentials
Your sandbox credentials can be accessed within the project through the os.getenv() function.
import os
NEO4J_URI=os.getenv('NEO4J_URI')
NEO4J_USERNAME=os.getenv('NEO4J_USERNAME')
NEO4J_PASSWORD=os.getenv('NEO4J_PASSWORD')Done!
Once you are ready, click the button below to complete this lesson.
Next Steps
Now that we have the project up and running, let’s take a look at the Neo4j Sandbox instance that has been created as part of your enrollment in this course.