Last Updated on September 29, 2023
MongoDB is a high-performance, open source, schema-free document-oriented data store that is easy to deploy, manage and use. This network accessible software is written in C++. As the database is document-oriented it manages collections of JSON-like documents. Many applications can therefore model data in a more natural way, as data can be nested in complex hierarchies and still be query-able and indexable.
MongoDB consists of mongod, the database process, mongos, a sharding controller, and mongo (the database shell which uses interactive JavaScript). The shell is extremely versatile letting developers view, insert, remove, and update data in their databases, as well as obtain replication information, setting up sharding, shut down servers, execute JavaScript, and much more.
High performance, scalability, and reasonable depth of functionality are the goals for the project. It is used in many different production environments including Craigslist, SourceForge, The New York Times, Intuit, Business Insider, GitHub, SecondMarket and others.
A number of graphical user interfaces have been created by independent developers. Examples include Mongo3, Fang of Mongo, RockMongo, and Opricot. The screenshot below is Fang of Mongo in operation.
Features include:
- Document-oriented storage – JSON-style documents with dynamic schemas offer simplicity and power.
- Full Index Support including on inner objects. Index on any attribute. It supports secondary indexes, including single-key, compound, unique, non-unique, and geospatial indexes.
- Replication & High Availability – Mirror across LANs and WANs for scale and peace of mind:
- Supports master-slave replication.
- Auto-Sharding for cloud-level scalability – Scale horizontally without compromising functionality.
- Querying – Rich, document-based queries.
- Cursors for query results.
- Fast In-Place Updates – Atomic modifiers for contention-free performance.
- Map/Reduce – Flexible aggregation and data processing..
- GridFS – Store files of any size without complicating your stack.
- Aggregation.
- File storage – GridFS is used to store and retrieve files from the database.
- Efficient storage of binary data including large objects (e.g. videos).
- Consistent UTF-8 encoding. Non-UTF-8 data can be saved, queried, and retrieved with a special binary data type.
- Ad hoc queries.
- Querying nested fields.
- Supports fixed-size collections called capped collections.
- Server-side JavaScript execution.
- Official drivers for: C, C++, Java, JavaScript, Perl, PHP, Ruby, Haskell, C#, and Scala.
- Commercial support is available.
Website: www.mongodb.com
Support: Documentation
Developer: 10gen
License: Server Side Public License (not recognized as an open source license)
MongoDB is written in C++. Learn C++ with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
Return to Document-Oriented Databases
| Popular series | |
|---|---|
 | The largest compilation of the best free and open source software in the universe. Each article is supplied with a legendary ratings chart helping you to make informed decisions. |
 | Hundreds of in-depth reviews offering our unbiased and expert opinion on software. We offer helpful and impartial information. |
 | Replace proprietary software with open source alternatives: Google, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, IBM, Autodesk, Oracle, Atlassian, Corel, Cisco, Intuit, and SAS. |
 | Awesome Free Linux Games Tools showcases a series of tools that making gaming on Linux a more pleasurable experience. This is a new series. |
 | Machine Learning explores practical applications of machine learning and deep learning from a Linux perspective. We've written reviews of more than 40 self-hosted apps. All are free and open source. |
 | New to Linux? Read our Linux for Starters series. We start right at the basics and teach you everything you need to know to get started with Linux. |
 | Alternatives to popular CLI tools showcases essential tools that are modern replacements for core Linux utilities. |
 | Essential Linux system tools focuses on small, indispensable utilities, useful for system administrators as well as regular users. |
 | Linux utilities to maximise your productivity. Small, indispensable tools, useful for anyone running a Linux machine. |
 | Surveys popular streaming services from a Linux perspective: Amazon Music Unlimited, Myuzi, Spotify, Deezer, Tidal. |
 | Saving Money with Linux looks at how you can reduce your energy bills running Linux. |
 | Home computers became commonplace in the 1980s. Emulate home computers including the Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari ST, ZX81, Amstrad CPC, and ZX Spectrum. |
 | Now and Then examines how promising open source software fared over the years. It can be a bumpy ride. |
 | Linux at Home looks at a range of home activities where Linux can play its part, making the most of our time at home, keeping active and engaged. |
 | Linux Candy reveals the lighter side of Linux. Have some fun and escape from the daily drudgery. |
 | Getting Started with Docker helps you master Docker, a set of platform as a service products that delivers software in packages called containers. |
 | Best Free Android Apps. We showcase free Android apps that are definitely worth downloading. There's a strict eligibility criteria for inclusion in this series. |
 | These best free books accelerate your learning of every programming language. Learn a new language today! |
 | These free tutorials offer the perfect tonic to our free programming books series. |
 | Linux Around The World showcases usergroups that are relevant to Linux enthusiasts. Great ways to meet up with fellow enthusiasts. |
 | Stars and Stripes is an occasional series looking at the impact of Linux in the USA. |