Running GraphDB as a Desktop Installation

The easiest way to set up and run GraphDB is to use the native installations provided for the GraphDB Desktop distribution. This kind of installation is the best option for your laptop/desktop computer, and does not require the use of a console, as it works in a graphic user interface (GUI). For this distribution, you do not need to download Java, as it comes bundled together with GraphDB.

Go to the GraphDB download page and request your GraphDB copy. You will receive an email with the download link. According to your OS, proceed as follows:

Important

GraphDB Desktop is a new application that is similar to but different from the previous application GraphDB Free.

If you are upgrading from the old GraphDB Free application, you need to stop GraphDB Free and uninstall it before or after installing GraphDB Desktop. Once you run GraphDB Desktop for the first time, it will convert some of the data files and GraphDB Free will no longer work correctly.

On Windows

  1. Download the GraphDB Desktop .msi installer file.

  2. Double-click the application file and follow the on-screen installer prompts.

  3. Locate the GraphDB Desktop application in the Windows Start menu and start it. The GraphDB Workbench opens at http://localhost:7200/.

On MacOS

  1. Download the GraphDB Desktop .dmg file.

  2. Double-click it and get a virtual disk on your desktop. Copy the program from the virtual disk to your hard disk Applications folder, and you’re set.

  3. Start GraphDB Desktop by clicking the application icon. The GraphDB Workbench opens at http://localhost:7200/.

On Linux

  1. Download the GraphDB Desktop .deb or .rpm file.

  2. Install the package with sudo dpkg -i or sudo rpm -i and the name of the downloaded package. Alternatively, you can double-click the package name.

  3. Start GraphDB Desktop by clicking the application icon. The GraphDB Workbench opens at http://localhost:7200/.

Configuring GraphDB

Once GraphDB Desktop is running, a small icon appears in the status bar/menu/tray area (varying depending on OS). It allows you to check whether the database is running, as well as to stop it or change the configuration settings. Additionally, an application window is also opened, where you can go to the GraphDB documentation, configure settings (such as the port on which the instance runs), and see all log files. You can hide the window from the Hide window button and reopen it by choosing Show GraphDB window from the menu of the aforementioned icon.

_images/desktop_installation.png

Configuring the JVM

You can add and edit the JVM options (such as Java system properties or parameters to set memory usage) of the GraphDB native app from the GraphDB Desktop config file. It is located at:

  • On Mac: /Applications/GraphDB Desktop.app/Contents/app/GraphDB Desktop.cfg

  • On Windows: \Users\<username>\AppData\Local\GraphDB Desktop\app\GraphDB Desktop.cfg

  • On Linux: /opt/graphdb-desktop/lib/app/graphdb-desktop.cfg

The JVM options are defined at the end of the file and will look very similar to this:

[JavaOptions]
java-options=-Djpackage.app-version=10.0.0
java-options=-cp
java-options=$APPDIR/graphdb-native-app.jar:$APPDIR/lib/*
java-options=-Xms1g
java-options=-Dgraphdb.dist=$APPDIR
java-options=-Dfile.encoding=UTF-8
java-options=--add-exports
java-options=jdk.management.agent/jdk.internal.agent=ALL-UNNAMED
java-options=--add-opens
java-options=java.base/java.lang=ALL-UNNAMED

Each java-options= line provides a single argument passed to the JVM when it starts. To be on the safe side, it is recommended not to remove or change any of the existing options provided with the installation. You can add your own options at the end. For example, if you want to run GraphDB Desktop with 8 gigabytes of maximum heap memory, you can set the following option:

java-options=-Xmx8g

Stopping GraphDB

To stop the database, simply quit it from the status bar/menu/tray area icon, or close the GraphDB Desktop application window.

Hint

On some Linux systems, there is no support for status bar/menu/tray area. If you have hidden the GraphDB window, you can quit it by killing the process.