Shared Responsibility Model
In the previous module, you learned how to import data and use the Query, Explore, and Dashboards tools.
In this lesson, you will learn about the shared responsibility model between Aura and its users.
Understanding shared responsibility
Aura operates on a shared responsibility model, where Neo4j handles the operational aspects of the database while users focus on their applications and data.
The diagram shows which responsibilities belong to Neo4j, which belong to you, and which are shared.
Aura’s Responsibilities
Aura is responsible for the following:
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Infrastructure Management: Aura manages the underlying infrastructure, including servers, storage, and networking.
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Database Maintenance: Aura handles database maintenance tasks such as backups, updates, and scaling.
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Security: Aura provides security features such as encryption, access control, and compliance with industry standards.
User Responsibilities
Users are responsible for the following:
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Data Modeling: Users must understand Neo4j’s graph data model and model their data accordingly.
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Application Development: Users are responsible for developing applications that interact with the Neo4j database.
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Monitoring and Optimization: Users should monitor their database performance and optimize queries as needed.
Understanding these shared responsibilities helps you effectively manage your Neo4j Aura instances and build successful applications.
User roles
In addition to the shared responsibilities, it’s important to understand the different user roles within an Aura organization:
User roles explained
The available roles are:
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Organisation Admin: Has full access to all projects and instances within the organization. Can manage users, billing, and organization settings. You get this role when you create a new Aura account.
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Project Admin: Has full access to all instances within a specific project. Can manage users and project settings.
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Project Member: Has read and write access to instances within a specific project but cannot manage users or settings.
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Project Viewer: Has read-only access to instances within a specific project. Cannot make any changes to the database or settings.
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Metrics Reader: Has access to view performance metrics and monitoring data for instances within a specific project. Cannot make any changes to the database or settings.
Learn More About Shared Responsibility
To learn more about the shared responsibility model, refer to the Neo4j Aura Security Whitepaper for a detailed overview of security measures and responsibilities in Aura.
Adding users to your project
To invite users to your project, follow these steps:
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Go to the Project Settings page in the Aura console.
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Click on the Users menu.
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Click on the Invite Users button.
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Enter the email addresses of the users you want to invite.
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Select the appropriate roles for the invited users.
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Click Send Invites to send the invitations.
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To review the full list of project users, go to the Users menu in the Project Settings page to see their roles and statuses.
Removing users from your project
To delete users from your project, follow these steps:
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Go to the Project Settings page in the Aura console.
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Click on the Users menu.
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Find the user you want to delete and click on the Delete button next to their name.
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Confirm the deletion when prompted.
Check your understanding
Making the Right Choice
You are planning to have a new team of data analysts working on a Neo4j Aura instance for a critical project.
Their role will involve analysing metrics, but they won’t be making any changes to the database itself.
Which one of the following roles is the right choice for you?
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❏ Project Admin
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❏ Project Member
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✓ Metrics Reader
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❏ Project Viewer
Hint
For users who only need to view performance metrics without making any changes, choose the role specifically designed for monitoring access.
Solution
The correct answer is Metrics Reader.
The Metrics Reader role allows users to view performance metrics and monitoring data for instances within a specific project without making any changes to the database or settings.
Metrics Reader is ideal for data analysts who need to analyze metrics but do not require write access or the ability to manage users or settings.
Summary
In this lesson, you learned about the different responsibilities of Neo4j Aura and its users, and how Aura simplifies the management of graph databases in the cloud.
In the next lesson, you will learn how to access security settings and logs in Neo4j Aura.
