Docker Container Start Issue with APOC Plugin

Integrations Docker
1

Hi there,

I'm currently facing an issue while trying to start a Docker container with the APOC plugin by following the instructions outlined in the Neo4j documentation: Installation - APOC Documentation.

The provided command is intended to run Neo4j 5.17.0 in a Docker container with the latest version of the APOC Library:

docker run -p 7474:7474 -p 7687:7687 --name neo4j-apoc -e NEO4J_apoc_export_file_enabled=true -e NEO4J_apoc_import_file_enabled=true -e NEO4J_apoc_import_file_use__neo4j__config=true -e NEO4J_PLUGINS=\[\"apoc\"\] neo4j:5.17.0

However, I encounter the following error message:

parse error: Invalid numeric literal at line 1, column 2
parse error: Invalid numeric literal at line 1, column 2

I would appreciate your assistance in resolving this issue. Please let me know if you need any additional information.

2

Your docker run worked when I tried it. What is the output if you add -e NEO4J_DEBUG=true ?

Another option is that whatever shell you're using doesn't like the escaping around the NEO4J_PLUGINS env. What happens if you try -e NEO4J_PLUGINS='["apoc"]' instead?

3

Hi,

Thanks for the response. I have tried with and without escaping around the NEO4J_PLUGIN. I am getting the same error.

Blockquotedocker run --rm -p 7474:7474 -p 7687:7687 --name neo4j-apoc -e NEO4J_apoc_export_file_enabled=true -e NEO4J_apoc_import_file_enabled=true -e NEO4J_apoc_import_file_use__neo4j__config=true -e NEO4J_DEBUG=true -e NEO4J_PLUGINS='["apoc"]' neo4j:5.17.0
DEBUGGING ENABLED
Running as root user inside neo4j image
chowning /var/lib/neo4j recursively to neo4j:neo4j
Setting all files in /var/lib/neo4j/conf to permissions 600
checking /logs is writable
checking /data is writable
checking /data/databases is writable
checking /data/transactions is writable
One or more NEO4J_PLUGINS have been requested.
Checking requested plugins are known and can be installed.
parse error: Invalid numeric literal at line 1, column 2
parse error: Invalid numeric literal at line 1, column 2
Setting docker specific configuration overrides
Appended server.memory.pagecache.size=512M to /var/lib/neo4j/conf/neo4j.conf
Appended server.default_listen_address=0.0.0.0 to /var/lib/neo4j/conf/neo4j.conf
Applying configuration settings that have been set using environment variables.
Removing existing setting for server.directories.logs in /var/lib/neo4j/conf/neo4j.conf
Appended server.directories.logs=/logs to /var/lib/neo4j/conf/neo4j.conf
Appended apoc.import.file.use_neo4j_config=true to /var/lib/neo4j/conf/apoc.conf
Appended apoc.import.file.enabled=true to /var/lib/neo4j/conf/apoc.conf
Appended apoc.export.file.enabled=true to /var/lib/neo4j/conf/apoc.conf
Setting initial password from environment
getting full neo4j run command
exec su-exec neo4j:neo4j /opt/java/openjdk/bin/java -cp /var/lib/neo4j/plugins/:/var/lib/neo4j/conf/:/var/lib/neo4j/lib/* -XX:+UseG1GC -XX:-OmitStackTraceInFastThrow -XX:+AlwaysPreTouch -XX:+UnlockExperimentalVMOptions -XX:+TrustFinalNonStaticFields -XX:+DisableExplicitGC -Djdk.nio.maxCachedBufferSize=1024 -Dio.netty.tryReflectionSetAccessible=true -Djdk.tls.ephemeralDHKeySize=2048 -Djdk.tls.rejectClientInitiatedRenegotiation=true -XX:FlightRecorderOptions=stackdepth=256 -XX:+UnlockDiagnosticVMOptions -XX:+DebugNonSafepoints --add-opens=java.base/java.nio=ALL-UNNAMED --add-opens=java.base/java.io=ALL-UNNAMED --add-opens=java.base/sun.nio.ch=ALL-UNNAMED -Dlog4j2.disable.jmx=true -Dfile.encoding=UTF-8 org.neo4j.server.CommunityEntryPoint --home-dir=/var/lib/neo4j --config-dir=/var/lib/neo4j/conf --console-mode
2024-03-08 11:07:28.628+0000 INFO Logging config in use: File '/var/lib/neo4j/conf/user-logs.xml'
2024-03-08 11:07:28.653+0000 INFO Starting...
2024-03-08 11:07:29.418+0000 INFO This instance is ServerId{d62ab29b} (d62ab29b-7c83-4931-8206-6915edf46103)
2024-03-08 11:07:29.966+0000 INFO ======== Neo4j 5.17.0 ========
2024-03-08 11:07:32.482+0000 INFO Bolt enabled on 0.0.0.0:7687.
2024-03-08 11:07:33.030+0000 INFO HTTP enabled on 0.0.0.0:7474.
2024-03-08 11:07:33.030+0000 INFO Remote interface available at http://localhost:7474/
2024-03-08 11:07:33.034+0000 INFO id: BB9D573D02B05035658E6AC1365C0C09139C52C69F1655E8779309447F82D7DF
2024-03-08 11:07:33.034+0000 INFO name: system
2024-03-08 11:07:33.035+0000 INFO creationDate: 2024-03-08T11:07:30.585Z
2024-03-08 11:07:33.035+0000 INFO Started.

I have tried both windows CMD and powershell, could you please help me out?

4

It looks as though something is definitely going wrong when the image is trying to parse the NEO4J_PLUGINS string.

Inside the image, it parses NEO4J_PLUGINS using jq so echo NEO4J_PLUGINS='["apoc"]' | jq will reproduce the problem much quicker (although I don't know what the windows equivalent of that command would be).
Since you're using windows I recommend also checking that the double quote " hasn't been replaced with some similar looking kind of double quote.

5

for windows (Power Shell) the env variable should be specified as NEO4J_PLUGINS=[\"apoc\"]

6

I use docker compose (v2) on Linux and the notation of the env var turned out to be very sensitive.
I had to endure this error message:
neo4j-1 | parse error: Invalid numeric literal at line 1, column 2

This worked for me:

environment:
    - NEO4J_PLUGINS=["graph-data-science", "apoc", "genai"]

NOT:
- NEO4J_PLUGINS='["apoc"]'
- NEO4J_PLUGINS=\[\"apoc\"\]
took me a while to figure this out ;-)

Maybe this helps others :slight_smile: