MongoDB Tutorial: What is MongoDB?

MongoDB is a popular open-source NoSQL database that stores data in JSON-like documents with flexible schemas. It is used by many websites and applications to store and manage large volumes of data without needing to define the schema upfront.

David Demir

David Demir

18 May 2025

MongoDB Tutorial: What is MongoDB?

MongoDB is a popular open-source NoSQL database that stores data in JSON-like documents with flexible schemas. It is used by many websites and applications to store and manage large volumes of data without needing to define the schema upfront.

In this beginner's MongoDB tutorial, we will cover the MongoDB Architecture, and features, and introduce the Apidog tool to you.

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What is MongoDB and Why Use It?

MongoDB is a document-oriented database that stores data in flexible, JSON-like documents rather than rows and columns like traditional SQL databases. Here are some key advantages of using MongoDB:

MongoDB is a good choice when you need to store large volumes of unstructured or semi-structured data. It's used by many web and mobile applications, as well as IoT systems.

The Key Features of MongoDB

Here are some key features of MongoDB:

Apidog Supports MongoDB?

Sure. Apidog is a leading API mock server that makes API development faster and easier. Apidog fully supports MongoDB as one of its built-in database options.

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With Apidog, you can leverage MongoDB as the persistent storage for your API mocks and tests. The API responses served by Apidog can be powered by a MongoDB database.

Key benefits of using Apidog with MongoDB:

Mocked APIs
CRUD

By combining the power and flexibility of MongoDB with Apidog's robust API mocking and testing capabilities, you can boost developer productivity, reduce testing bottlenecks, and create enterprise-ready APIs.

How to Use MongoDB?

Using MongoDB is simple. Once installed, you start the MongoDB server process and then connect to it from Apidog. Here are the basic steps:

Step 1. How to Install MongoDB?

Installing MongoDB is easy. You can install it locally or use a managed cloud provider. Here are simplified steps to install MongoDB locally:

(1) Download the appropriate MongoDB install package for your Operating System from https://www.mongodb.com/try/download/community.

(2)  Create the data directory where MongoDB will store your databases. For example, in Linux/Mac you can use /data/db.

(3)  Install MongoDB. The package includes the mongod database server executable.

(4)  Run mongod to start the MongoDB server process and specify the path to your data directory.

For example:

mongod --dbpath=/data/db

MongoDB server will be running locally on port 27017.

You can optionally install mongosh, the MongoDB shell, to directly manipulate data.

Step 2. Start the MongoDB server process.

Step 3. Connect to the MongoDB server from your application code. Popular MongoDB drivers are available for languages like Node.js, Java, Python, C#, and PHP.

Step 4. Create a database and collections to store your data in Apidog.

Database connection in Apidog

Step 5. Insert, query, update, and delete data from MongoDB. The API is straightforward and intuitive.

Create in Apidog

Key objects in MongoDB:

FAQs of MongoDB Tutorial

Is MongoDB better than SQL?

MongoDB and SQL databases both have pros and cons. MongoDB is better for unstructured data and flexibility, while SQL excels at complex queries and transactions. MongoDB scales horizontally better while SQL makes vertical scaling easier. Different use cases are best suited for each type of database.

Can we use MongoDB in AWS?

Yes, MongoDB works very well with AWS. Popular options include:

Conclusion

This MongoDB tutorial provided a beginner-friendly introduction to MongoDB, a popular document database designed for modern applications. We covered the key capabilities of MongoDB including its flexible data model, high performance, scalability, and high availability features.

MongoDB is easy to get started with and can help tackle the data storage and management needs of today's web and mobile apps built using agile methodologies. For developers working with JSON data, MongoDB is definitely worth exploring.

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