Install MongoDB & mongosh: Linux, Mac, Windows (2026)
Get MongoDB Community Edition running on Linux, macOS, and Windows, connect with mongosh, and run your first find and insert commands today. 2026.
MongoDB Community Edition is free, open-source, and available on every major platform. mongosh — the MongoDB Shell — replaced the legacy mongo shell in MongoDB 6 and provides a full JavaScript/Node.js environment with syntax highlighting, command history, and tab completion. This lesson gets both running and covers the shell commands you will use throughout this course.
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Installation Options
Option A: Install on Ubuntu / Debian
# Import the MongoDB GPG key
curl -fsSL https://www.mongodb.org/static/pgp/server-7.0.asc \
| sudo gpg -o /usr/share/keyrings/mongodb-server-7.0.gpg --dearmor
# Add the MongoDB repository
echo "deb [ arch=amd64,arm64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/mongodb-server-7.0.gpg ] \
https://repo.mongodb.org/apt/ubuntu jammy/mongodb-org/7.0 multiverse" \
| sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mongodb-org-7.0.list
# Install
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y mongodb-org
# Start and enable the service
sudo systemctl start mongod
sudo systemctl enable mongod
# Verify
sudo systemctl status mongodOption B: Install on macOS (Homebrew)
brew tap mongodb/brew
brew update
brew install mongodb-community@7.0
# Start as a background service
brew services start mongodb-community@7.0Option C: Run via Docker (Recommended for Development)
# Pull and run MongoDB 7 — data persisted to a named volume
docker run -d \
--name mongodb \
-p 27017:27017 \
-e MONGO_INITDB_ROOT_USERNAME=admin \
-e MONGO_INITDB_ROOT_PASSWORD=secret \
-v mongodb_data:/data/db \
mongo:7.0
# Verify it's running
docker ps
docker logs mongodbOption D: MongoDB Atlas Free Tier
For a cloud instance with no local setup:
- Go to and create a free account
- Create a free M0 cluster (512MB, shared)
- Add your IP to the network access list
- Create a database user
- Copy the connection string — use it in mongosh with
mongosh "mongodb+srv://..."
Connecting with mongosh
# Connect to a local MongoDB instance (no auth)
mongosh
# Connect with authentication
mongosh "mongodb://admin:secret@localhost:27017/admin"
# Connect to Atlas
mongosh "mongodb+srv://username:password@cluster0.abc123.mongodb.net/mydb"
# Connect with explicit options
mongosh --host localhost --port 27017 -u admin -p secret --authenticationDatabase adminOn a successful connection you will see the mongosh prompt:
Current Mongosh Log ID: 665a1234abc
Connecting to: mongodb://localhost:27017/
Using MongoDB: 7.0.x
Using Mongosh: 2.x.x
test>Navigating Databases and Collections
MongoDB organises data into databases → collections → documents. A database is created automatically the first time you write data to it.
// Show all databases
show dbs
// Switch to (or create) a database
use myapp
// Show current database
db
// Show collections in the current database
show collections
// Drop the current database (destructive — use with care)
db.dropDatabase()Essential mongosh Commands
Database Stats
// Database storage statistics
db.stats()
// Collection statistics
db.users.stats()
// Server status (uptime, connections, opcounters)
db.serverStatus()Collection Operations
// Create a collection explicitly (optional — also created on first insert)
db.createCollection("products")
// List all collections with details
db.getCollectionInfos()
// Rename a collection
db.products.renameCollection("items")
// Drop a collection
db.products.drop()Running Your First Insert and Find
// Insert a single document
db.users.insertOne({
name: "Alice Nguyen",
email: "alice@example.com",
role: "admin",
createdAt: new Date()
})
// Find all documents in a collection
db.users.find()
// Pretty-print (mongosh does this by default)
db.users.find().pretty()
// Count documents
db.users.countDocuments()The mongosh JavaScript Environment
mongosh is a full JavaScript REPL. You can define variables, write loops, and use Node.js built-ins:
// Variables
const db_name = db.getName()
print("Connected to:", db_name)
// Loops
for (let i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {
db.test.insertOne({ index: i, created: new Date() })
}
// Functions
function dropIfExists(collectionName) {
const exists = db.getCollectionNames().includes(collectionName)
if (exists) {
db[collectionName].drop()
print(`Dropped collection: ${collectionName}`)
} else {
print(`Collection does not exist: ${collectionName}`)
}
}
dropIfExists("test")
// Use JavaScript date arithmetic
const thirtyDaysAgo = new Date(Date.now() - 30 * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000)
db.sessions.find({ createdAt: { $lt: thirtyDaysAgo } }).count()mongosh Configuration and .mongoshrc.js
Create ~/.mongoshrc.js to customise your mongosh session — set default database, define helper functions, configure the prompt:
// ~/.mongoshrc.js
// Custom prompt showing host and database
prompt = () => `${db.getMongo().host}/${db.getName()}> `
// Helper shortcuts
const show_indexes = (coll) => db[coll].getIndexes().forEach(printjson)
const count = (coll) => db[coll].countDocuments()
const recent = (coll, n = 5) => db[coll].find().sort({ _id: -1 }).limit(n).toArray()MongoDB Compass: The GUI Alternative
MongoDB Compass is the official graphical interface. It is useful for:
- Exploring collection structure and document shapes visually
- Building and testing aggregation pipelines with a stage-by-stage editor
- Analysing query performance and index usage
- Importing and exporting data as JSON or CSV
Compass connects with the same connection string as mongosh. Both tools are useful: mongosh for scripting and automation, Compass for exploration and pipeline development.