CongraphDB Movies JavaScript Sample

A demo application using CongraphDB - an embedded, high-performance graph database for Node.js. This is a port of the Neo4j Movies JavaScript Bolt sample, adapted to use CongraphDB instead of Neo4j.

Overview

This application demonstrates how easy it is to get started with CongraphDB in JavaScript. It provides:

• Movie search with listing
• Movie detail view with cast information
• Interactive graph visualization using D3.js
• Vote functionality for movies
• Switchable between Raw Cypher and JavaScript API

Key Differences from Neo4j Version

Feature	Neo4j Version	CongraphDB Version
Database	Remote server	Embedded local file
Connection	Bolt driver (TCP/IP)	Native module
Deployment	Requires Neo4j server	Single binary + data file
Query Language	Cypher	Cypher (compatible)
Storage	Separate database files	Single .cgraph file

Prerequisites

• Node.js 20 or later
• npm or yarn

Quick Start

1. Install Dependencies

npm install

2. Build CongraphDB Native Module (if not already built)

cd ../../congraphdb
npm run build
cd ../sample-graphdb/congraphdb-movies-javascript-bolt

3. Seed Sample Data

npm run seed

This populates the database with sample movies, people, and their relationships.

4. Build Frontend Assets

npm run build

5. Run the Application

# Start with Raw Cypher API (default, recommended for v0.1.6)
npm start

# Or explicitly:
npm run start:cypher

# Start with JavaScript API (for testing when v0.1.7+ fixes node ID issue)
npm run start:js

The application will be available at http://localhost:3500

API Modes

This application supports two CongraphDB query interfaces:

1. Raw Cypher Mode (Default)

Uses direct Cypher queries via Connection.query(). Recommended for v0.1.6 due to JavaScript API node ID handling issues.

npm start
# or explicitly:
npm run start:cypher

2. JavaScript API Mode

Uses CongraphDBAPI for node/edge operations. Available for testing when the node ID issue is fixed in v0.1.7+.

npm run start:js

Environment Variable

You can also set the mode via environment variable:

# Linux/Mac
CONGRAPHDB_API_MODE=cypher npm start
CONGRAPHDB_API_MODE=javascript npm start

# Windows (PowerShell)
$env:CONGRAPHDB_API_MODE="cypher"; npm start
$env:CONGRAPHDB_API_MODE="javascript"; npm start

# Windows (CMD)
set CONGRAPHDB_API_MODE=cypher && npm start
set CONGRAPHDB_API_MODE=javascript && npm start

Development Scripts

Script	Description
npm run seed	Seed database with sample data
npm start	Start server (default: Cypher mode)
npm run start:cypher	Start server using Raw Cypher queries
npm run start:js	Start server using JavaScript API
npm run build	Build frontend assets
npm run clean	Clean build artifacts
npm run dev	Build and start server
npm run dev:cypher	Build and start with Cypher mode
npm run dev:js	Build and start with JavaScript API

Project Structure

congraphdb-movies-javascript-bolt/
├── lib/
│   └── db-adapter.js       # Database adapter (Cypher/JavaScript API)
├── src/
│   ├── app.js              # Main application UI logic
│   ├── congraphdbApi.js    # Frontend API wrapper
│   ├── assets/
│   │   ├── index.html      # HTML template
│   │   └── images/         # Image assets
│   └── models/
│       ├── Movie.js        # Movie model
│       └── MovieCast.js    # MovieCast model
├── scripts/
│   ├── init-schema.js      # Database schema initialization (legacy)
│   └── seed-database.js    # Sample data seeding
├── movies.cgraph           # Persistent database file
├── server.js               # Express server with adapter
├── package.json
├── webpack.config.js
└── README.md

Database Schema

Node Tables

• Movie: title, tagline, released, votes
• Person: name, born

Relationship Tables

• ACTED_IN: Person → Movie (with roles property)

Architecture: Database Adapter Pattern

The application uses a database adapter pattern to support multiple query interfaces:

lib/db-adapter.js
├── CypherAdapter           # Raw Cypher queries via Connection.query()
└── JavaScriptAPIAdapter    # CongraphDBAPI wrapper

This allows:

• Easy switching between modes via environment variable
• Testing when JavaScript API is fixed in future versions
• Unified interface for database operations

Configuration

Configuration is done via environment variables:

# API Mode: 'cypher' or 'javascript' (default: cypher)
CONGRAPHDB_API_MODE=cypher

# Database path (default: ./movies.cgraph)
# Note: currently hardcoded in server.js

API Endpoints

Endpoint	Method	Description
/api/movies/search?title=	GET	Search movies by title
/api/movies/:title	GET	Get movie details with cast
/api/movies/:title/vote	POST	Vote for a movie
/api/graph	GET	Get graph data for D3.js visualization

Cypher Queries

CongraphDB supports Cypher query language. Here are the queries used:

Search Movies

MATCH (m:Movie)
WHERE m.title CONTAINS $title
RETURN m

Get Movie with Cast

MATCH (m:Movie {title: $title})
RETURN m

Cast is fetched separately:

MATCH (p:Person)-[r:ACTED_IN]->(m:Movie {title: $title})
RETURN p.name, r.roles

Vote for Movie

MATCH (m:Movie {title: $title})
SET m.votes = m.votes + 1

Get Graph for Visualization

MATCH (p:Person)-[r:ACTED_IN]->(m:Movie)
RETURN p.name, m.title

Stack

• Database: CongraphDB (embedded graph database)
• Backend: Node.js, Express
• Frontend: jQuery, Bootstrap, D3.js
• Build: Webpack 5

License

Apache-2.0

Acknowledgments

This is a port of the Neo4j Movies JavaScript Bolt sample application, adapted to use CongraphDB.

Related Resources

• CongraphDB Documentation
• CongraphDB GitHub
• Cypher Query Language
• Migration Plan