MongoDB Filters With .NET Using MongoDB.Driver

In this article, we will understand how to use various filters available in MongoDB.Driver using .NET and C#. We will use the MongoDB.Driver package to perform various operations. This article focuses on MongoDB operations, so we will not implement a high-level architecture for the .NET project. Instead, we will create a .NET 8 Web API project and implement all operations directly in the controller rather than creating separate service or repository classes. You can implement those architectures based on your requirements.

If you want to understand how to configure MongoDB with a .NET project and perform various operations on the database and collections, refer to the previous article: Implementing MongoDB with .NET.

private readonly IMongoCollection<Employee> _employeeCollection;
public MongoFiltersController(IMongoClient mongoClient, IConfiguration configuration)
{
    var databaseName = configuration.GetValue<string>("MongoDbSettings:DatabaseName");
    var employeeCollection = configuration.GetValue<string>("MongoDbSettings:Collections:EmployeeCollection");
    var database = mongoClient.GetDatabase(databaseName);
    _employeeCollection = database.GetCollection<Employee>(employeeCollection);
}

This code sets up a MongoDB collection for use within a controller. The constructor takes an IMongoClient and IConfiguration as parameters. It retrieves the database and collection names from the configuration file, and gets the database instance using mongoClient.GetDatabase(databaseName), and then get the Employee collection with the database.GetCollection(employeeCollection). This collection is stored in the _employeeCollection field, making it available for use in other methods within the controller. This setup allows you to perform CRUD operations on the Employee collection.

Below is the Employee collection used in the examples.

public class Employee
{
    [BsonId]
    [BsonRepresentation(BsonType.ObjectId)]
    public string Id { get; set; }
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public int Age { get; set; }
    public string Designation { get; set; }
    public decimal Salary { get; set; }
    public DateTime DateOfBirth { get; set; }
    public string[] Skills { get; set; }
}

Equality Filter

[HttpGet("eq")]
public async Task<IActionResult> Equal(string name)
{
    var filter = Builders<Employee>.Filter.Eq(emp => emp.Name, name);
    var results = await _employeeCollection.Find(filter).ToListAsync();
    return Ok(results);
}

The Eq method in the MongoDB .NET driver is used to create an equality filter. This filter selects documents where a specified field matches a given value. The method is part of the FilterDefinitionBuilder class, accessible through Builders. Filter.

For instance, Eq can be used to find all documents in a collection where a specific field, like Name, equals a given value, such as "John Doe". This filter is then used in queries to retrieve matching documents from the MongoDB collection. The Eq method is essential for precise filtering, making it easy to query documents based on exact field value matches.

Not Equal Filter

[HttpGet("ne")]
public async Task<IActionResult> NotEqual(string name)
{
    var filter = Builders<Employee>.Filter.Ne(emp => emp.Name, name);
    var results = await _employeeCollection.Find(filter).ToListAsync();
    return Ok(results);
}

The Ne method in the MongoDB .NET driver creates a filter to select documents where a specified field is not equal to a given value. It's used to exclude documents based on exact field value matches, providing essential functionality for precise data filtering in MongoDB queries.

Greater Than Filter

[HttpGet("gt")]
public async Task<IActionResult> GreaterThan(int age)
{
    var filter = Builders<Employee>.Filter.Gt(emp => emp.Age, age);
    //var filter = Builders<Employee>.Filter.Gt(emp => emp.DateOfBirth, DateTime.Now);
    var results = await _employeeCollection.Find(filter).ToListAsync();
    return Ok(results);
}

The Gt method in the MongoDB .NET driver constructs a filter to select documents where a specified numeric field (such as int, long, double) or date/time field (DateTime, DateTimeOffset) is greater than a given value. It supports these data types for precise data comparisons in MongoDB databases.

Greater Than or Equal Filter

[HttpGet("gte")]
public async Task<IActionResult> GreaterThanOrEqual(int age)
{
    var filter = Builders<Employee>.Filter.Gte(emp => emp.Age, age);
    //var filter = Builders<Employee>.Filter.Gte(emp => emp.DateOfBirth, DateTime.Now);
    var results = await _employeeCollection.Find(filter).ToListAsync();
    return Ok(results);
}

The Get method in the MongoDB .NET driver constructs a filter to select documents where a specified numeric field (such as int, long, double) or date/time field (DateTime, DateTimeOffset) is greater than or equal to a given value. This method expands on the functionality of Gt by including documents where the field value matches the specified value as well.

Less Than Filter

[HttpGet("lt")]
public async Task<IActionResult> LessThan(int age)
{
    var filter = Builders<Employee>.Filter.Lt(emp => emp.Age, age);
    //var filter = Builders<Employee>.Filter.Lt(emp => emp.DateOfBirth, DateTime.Now);
    var results = await _employeeCollection.Find(filter).ToListAsync();
    return Ok(results);
}

The Lt method in the MongoDB .NET driver constructs a filter to select documents where a specified numeric field (such as int, long, double) or date/time field (DateTime, DateTimeOffset) is less than a given value. This method is essential for querying MongoDB collections based on numeric or temporal criteria, facilitating precise data comparisons.

Less Than or Equal Filter

[HttpGet("lte")]
public async Task<IActionResult> LessThanOrEqual(int age)
{
    var filter = Builders.Employee.Filter.Lte(emp => emp.Age, age);
    //var filter = Builders<Employee>.Filter.Lte(emp => emp.DateOfBirth, DateTime.Now);
    var results = await _employeeCollection.Find(filter).ToListAsync();
    return Ok(results);
}

The Lte method in the MongoDB .NET driver constructs a filter to select documents where a specified numeric field (such as int, long, double) or date/time field (DateTime, DateTimeOffset) is less than or equal to a given value. This method supports both numeric and temporal comparisons, allowing for precise data filtering in MongoDB collections.

In Filter

[HttpGet("in")]
public async Task<IActionResult> In([FromQuery] string[] names)
{
    var filter = Builders<Employee>.Filter.In(emp => emp.Name, names);
    var results = await _employeeCollection.Find(filter).ToListAsync();
    return Ok(results);
}

The In method in MongoDB's .NET driver creates a filter to select documents where a specified field (Name in this case) matches any of the values in a provided array (names). This method simplifies querying MongoDB collections based on multiple possible matches for the specified field, such as retrieving documents where an employee's name matches any name in the names array.

Not In Filter

[HttpGet("nin")]
public async Task<IActionResult> NotIn([FromQuery] string[] names)
{
    var filter = Builders<Employee>.Filter.Nin(emp => emp.Name, names);
    var results = await _employeeCollection.Find(filter).ToListAsync();
    return Ok(results);
}

The Nin method in MongoDB's .NET driver constructs a filter to select documents where a specified field (Name in this case) does not match any of the values in a provided array (names). This method is useful for excluding documents from MongoDB collections based on multiple potential matches for the specified field.

And Filter

[HttpGet("and")]
public async Task<IActionResult> And(string name, int age)
{
    var filter = Builders<Employee>.Filter.And(
        Builders.Employee.Filter.Eq(emp => emp.Name, name),
        Builders<Employee>.Filter.Eq(emp => emp.Age, age));
    var results = await _employeeCollection.Find(filter).ToListAsync();
    return Ok(results);
}

The And method in MongoDB's .NET driver constructs a filter to select documents where multiple conditions must all be true simultaneously. In this example, it combines two conditions using Eq to filter Employee documents where Name equals a specified name and Age equals a specified age. This method is useful for creating complex queries that require multiple criteria to be met for document selection in MongoDB collections.

Or Filter

[HttpGet("or")]
public async Task<IActionResult> Or(string name, int age)
{
    var filter = Builders.Employee.Filter.Or(
        Builders<Employee>.Filter.Eq(emp => emp.Name, name),
        Builders<Employee>.Filter.Eq(emp => emp.Age, age));
    var results = await _employeeCollection.Find(filter).ToListAsync();
    return Ok(results);
}

The Or method in MongoDB's .NET driver constructs a filter to select documents.

where at least one of multiple conditions is true. In this example, it combines two conditions using Eq to filter Employee documents where Name equals a specified name or Age equals a specified age. This method is essential for creating queries that need to include documents meeting any of several criteria in MongoDB collections.

Exists Filter

[HttpGet("exists")]
public async Task<IActionResult> Exists(string fieldName)
{
    var filter = Builders.Employee.Filter.Exists(fieldName);
    // or
    // var filter = Builders<Employee>.Filter.Exists(x=>x.Designation);
    var results = await _employeeCollection.Find(filter).ToListAsync();
    return Ok(results);
}

The Exists method in MongoDB's .NET driver constructs a filter to select documents where a specified field exists or does not exist. This example demonstrates filtering Employee documents where a specified field exists. Additionally, the method can be modified to filter documents where a specified field does not exist by passing false as the second parameter. This method is essential for querying MongoDB collections based on the presence or absence of specific fields.

Type Filter

[HttpGet("type")]
public async Task<IActionResult> Type(string fieldName, BsonType bsonType)
{
    var filter = Builders<Employee>.Filter.Type(fieldName, bsonType);
    var results = await _employeeCollection.Find(filter).ToListAsync();
    return Ok(results);
}

The Type method in MongoDB's .NET driver constructs a filter to select documents where a specified field matches a given BSON type. This method is crucial for querying MongoDB collections based on data types, ensuring precise data retrieval according to specific BSON type criteria.

Regular Expression Filter

[HttpGet("regex")]
public async Task<IActionResult> Regex()
{
    var pattern = "^J"; // Names starting with 'J'
    //var pattern = "n$"; // Names ending with 'n'
    //var pattern = ".[aei]."; // Names containing 'a', 'e', or 'i'
    //..... and many more 
    var filter = Builders<Employee>.Filter.Regex(emp => emp.Name, new BsonRegularExpression(pattern));
    var results = await _employeeCollection.Find(filter).ToListAsync();
    return Ok(results);
}

The Regex method in MongoDB's .NET driver creates a filter to find documents where a specified field matches a pattern defined by a regular expression. This method works with string fields, allowing you to perform advanced text searches and filtering. It helps you find documents with text that fit complex patterns, giving you powerful ways to search your data.

All Filter

[HttpGet("all")]
public async Task<IActionResult> All([FromQuery] string[] skills)
{
    var filter = Builders<Employee>.Filter.All(emp => emp.Skills, skills);
    var results = await _employeeCollection.Find(filter).ToListAsync();
    return Ok(results);
}

The All method in MongoDB's .NET driver constructs a filter to select documents where an array field contains all the elements of a specified array. In this example, it filters Employee documents where the Skills array contains all the provided skills. This method is useful for querying MongoDB collections based on array contents.

ElemMatch Filter

[HttpGet("elemMatch")]
public async Task<IActionResult> ElemMatch(string skill)
{
    var filter = Builders<Employee>.Filter.ElemMatch(emp => emp.Skills, skill);
    var results = await _employeeCollection.Find(filter).ToListAsync();
    return Ok(results);
}

The ElemMatch method in MongoDB's .NET driver constructs a filter to select documents where at least one element of an array field matches a specified condition. In this example, it filters Employee documents where at least one element of the Skills array matches the provided skill. This method is essential for querying MongoDB collections based on conditions applied to array elements.

Size Filter

[HttpGet("size")]
public async Task<IActionResult> Size(int size)
{
    var filter = Builders<Employee>.Filter.Size(emp => emp.Skills, size);
    var results = await _employeeCollection.Find(filter).ToListAsync();
    return Ok(results);
}

The Size method in MongoDB's .NET driver constructs a filter to select documents where an array field has a specified size. In this example, it filters Employee documents where the Skills array has the specified number of elements. This method is useful for querying MongoDB collections based on the size of array fields.

Conclusion

In this article, we explored various MongoDB filters available in the MongoDB.Driver package using .NET and C#. These filters allow you to perform a wide range of data querying operations in your MongoDB collections.

You can access the source code of this project on GitHub.