MongoDB Cheat Sheet: Essential Commands and Operations

MongoDB is a popular NoSQL database that offers flexibility and scalability for managing large volumes of data. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced developer, having a handy reference for MongoDB commands and operations can streamline your workflow. In this article, we'll cover the essential MongoDB commands and operations in a convenient cheat sheet format.

Introduction

MongoDB is a document-oriented database that stores data in flexible, JSON-like documents. It is designed to be scalable, high-performance, and easy to use.

Basic Commands

• Show Databases

  show dbs
  

• Switch Database

  use databaseName
  

• Show Collections

  show collections
  

• Create Collection

  db.createCollection("collectionName")
  

CRUD Operations

• Insert Document

  db.collectionName.insertOne({})
  db.collectionName.insertMany([{}, {}])

• Find Document

  db.collectionName.find({})
  db.collectionName.findOne({})
  

• Update Document

  db.collectionName.updateOne({filter}, {$set: {}})
  db.collectionName.updateMany({filter}, {$set: {}})
  

• Find and Update Documents

  db.collectionName.findOneAndUpdate({filter}, {$set: {}})    # Find and update a document
  

• Find and Delete Documents

  db.collectionName.findOneAndDelete({filter})
  

• Find and Replace Documents

  db.collectionName.findOneAndReplace({filter}, {replacement})
  

• Bulk Write Operations

  db.collectionName.bulkWrite([
    { insertOne: { document: { key: "value" } } },
    { updateMany: { filter: { key: "value" }, update: { $set: { key: "newValue" } } } },
    { deleteOne: { filter: { key: "value" } } }
  ])

• Delete Document

  db.collectionName.deleteOne({filter})
  db.collectionName.deleteMany({filter})
  

Advanced Operations

• Sorting Documents

  db.collectionName.find().sort({key: 1})   # Sort documents in ascending order
  

• Counting Documents

  db.collectionName.find({}).count()        # Count the number of documents in a collection
  

• Renaming Collections

  db.collectionName.renameCollection("new_coll", true)   # Rename a collection
  

• Validating Collections

  db.collectionName.validate({full: true})   # Validate a collection, including data and indexes
  

• Retrieving Collection Size Information

  db.collectionName.totalSize()             # Get the total size of the collection
  db.collectionName.totalIndexSize()        # Get the total index size of the collection
  db.collectionName.storageSize()           # Get the storage size of the collection
  

Indexing

• Create Index

  db.collectionName.createIndex({key: 1})
  

• List Indexes

  db.collectionName.getIndexes()
  

• Drop Index

  db.collectionName.dropIndex("indexName")
  

Aggregation

Aggregation Pipeline

db.collectionName.aggregate([
  { $match: {} },
  { $group: {} }
])

Replication and Sharding

• Check Replica Set Status

  rs.status()
  

• Initiate Replica Set

  rs.initiate()
  

• Enable Sharding

  sh.enableSharding("databaseName")
  

• Shard a Collection

  sh.shardCollection("databaseName.collectionName", {shardKey: 1})
  

Miscellaneous Operations

• Backup Database

  mongodump --db databaseName --out /backup/directory
  

• Restore Database

  mongorestore /backup/directory
  

• Export Collection

  mongoexport --collection=collectionName --db=databaseName --out=/export/path/file.json
  

• Import Collection

  mongoimport --collection=collectionName --db=databaseName --file=/import/path/file.json
  

Connect to MongoDB

• Connect via Mongo Shell

  mongo --host hostName --port portNumber -u userName -p password --authenticationDatabase admin
  

• Connect via URI

  const MongoClient = require('mongodb').MongoClient;
  const uri = "mongodb://username:password@host:port/database";
  const client = new MongoClient(uri, { useNewUrlParser: true, useUnifiedTopology: true });
  client.connect(err => {
    const collection = client.db("database").collection("collectionName");
    // perform actions on the collection object
    client.close();
  });
  

Transactions in MongoDB

In MongoDB, multi-document transactions are supported for replica sets. Transactions allow you to perform multiple operations on multiple documents in a consistent manner. Here's the syntax and an example of how to use transactions in MongoDB.

session.startTransaction();

try {
   // Perform multiple operations
   db.collection1.insertOne({ field: value });
   db.collection2.updateOne({ filter }, { $set: { field: value } });

   // If everything is successful, commit the transaction
   session.commitTransaction();
} catch (error) {
   // If any operation fails, abort the transaction
   session.abortTransaction();
   print("Transaction aborted:", error);
}

Example

Suppose we have two collections: customers and orders. We want to update the status of an order and decrease the available quantity of a product in an atomic operation. Here's how you can do it with a transaction:

session.startTransaction();

try {
   // Update order status
   db.orders.updateOne(
      { _id: orderId },
      { $set: { status: "shipped" } }
   );

   // Decrement product quantity
   db.products.updateOne(
      { _id: productId },
      { $inc: { quantity: -1 } }
   );

   // If everything is successful, commit the transaction
   session.commitTransaction();
   print("Transaction committed successfully!");
} catch (error) {
   // If any operation fails, abort the transaction
   session.abortTransaction();
   print("Transaction aborted:", error);
}

In this example, if either the update of the order status or the decrement of the product quantity fails, the entire transaction will be aborted, ensuring data consistency.

Tips

• Use explain(): To understand query performance.

  db.collectionName.find({ key: "value" }).explain("executionStats")
  

• Avoid Using eval(): For security reasons, avoid using db. eval().
• Use bulkWrite(): For performing multiple write operations in a single batch.

Conclusion

This MongoDB cheat sheet provides a quick reference for essential commands and operations commonly used in MongoDB development. By familiarizing yourself with these commands, you can streamline your MongoDB workflow and efficiently manage your databases.