You may already know that MongoDB is quite the popular Database Management System.
What's more, you probably know that Mongo represents the M of two of the most popular development stacks, MERN and MEAN.
Since its launch, the non-relational DBMS was key for teams to handled data without following the strict and rigid SQL rules.
With over 175,000 devs joining its platform every month, it's worth asking: What makes MongoDB so appealing?
What is MongoDB Database Management?
Saying that MongoDB is a non-relational DBMS only tells half the story.
That there are four types of Non-relational databases: Key-Value, Wide-Column, Graph and Document Databases.
For instance, Amazon DynamoDB and Redis are examples of Key-Value Databases.
Likewise, ScyllaDB is one of the most known Wide-Column Databases and Neo4J is a great Graph Database.
As you may have guesses, our beloved MongoDB is a Document Database.
MongoDB stores data in JSON-like documents (BSON) instead of relational database management system's tables.
Likewise, it organizes these documents in collections that don't require joins.
However, you can still build relationships between them.
A single document can store any type of data, and document schemas are optional.
This allows teams to add more data structures much more quickly.
This new way of handling data is much more flexible and scalable than the old SQL approach!
How Does MongoDB Work?
The traditional databases approach involves tables that store data.
These tables require pre-defined schemas, columns and rows.
You'll likely have to query multiple tables to access a desired record.
Yet, modern Web Apps have tons of unstructured and messy data in most case scenarios.
This makes those pre-defined schemas kind of inefficient to handle actual data.
The bright side is that MongoDB allows you to easily store data in the same document as JSON objects.
Every time an app needs to access a record, MongoDB can access if faster, because it's in the same location.
Imagine an app that tries to access a user's name, password, address, email, ID and job position.
If you use SQL, that query might involve at least two tables.
Yet, MongoDB lets you store all that user data in the same JSON object.
Even if the user has multiple emails or addresses, you can use an array to store as many values as you wish.
Compare having an assembled Lego castle ready to go and having to collect all the individual Lego bricks separately.
In MongoDB, collections work as independent units or entities that don't depend on other collections.
As a result, developers can optimize and scale them separately, and they even have their own space in memory.
Developers can scale databases horizontally with sharding, which distributes data across multiple machines.
This allows teams to smoothly work with humongous amounts of data.
That's where the name comes from! See what MongoDB did there?
Elements of MongoDB Database Management
Before explaining how MongoDB works, let's take a quick look at its main components.
We'll also discuss how they relate to SQL elements.
If you already know SQL, this will be easier to understand!
- Clusters. In DBMS, clustering refers to a group of servers or database instances operating together. MongoDB works with database clusters as groups of replica sets or shards.
- Collections. MongoDB organizes data in document collections that developers can query and access without a pre-defined schema.
- Databases. In MongoDB, databases are containers with document collections that store data in JSON-like (BSON) format.
- Documents. Likewise, documents are single units of data stored in collection. MongoDB can store unstructured data using multiple fields.
- Embeds. There's a huge misconception that you can't create related data sets in MongoDB. While it's true that MongoDB doesn't support joins, you can build relationships with embedded documents. One way to do this is with the
$lookupoperator. - Fields. Fields are specific pieces of data in a document (just like a column in SQL). You can use a single field to store several data types.
How to Get Started with MongoDB?
MongoDB's ecosystem has a variety of database tools you can access:
- MongoDB Atlas. Atlas uses a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) approach to blend cloud and data services. This includes multi-cloud support, security, scalability, compliance, integration and automation features. It also allows teams to deploy applications with Azure, AWS and Google Cloud.
- MongoDB Community Server. Devs can quickly install MongoDB on their Mac, Windows and Linux hardware.
- MongoDB Compass. MongoDB even has its own Graphical User Interface (GUI) for web and desktop applications! Compass provides a beautiful, free GUI that allows teams to analyze and optimize data.
- MongoDB Realm. Lastly, MongoDB provides robust database support for mobile development with Realm. Think of it as a firebase-like platform with fully managed back-end services, including triggers. Realm makes it easy to sync data from web and mobile applications in real-time.
Why use Mongo for Database Management?
Dwight Merriman, Eliot Horowitz and Kevin Ryan created MongoDB to address modern applications' needs.
The thought process was that social media and eCommerce platforms generate massive amounts of unstructured data daily.
Not to mention the Internet of Things and healthcare apps, among others!
Complex apps demand customized orders, product catalogs and pricing.
They also need user profiles, analytics, secure structures, real-time performance, etc.
The team designed MongoDB to handle all those factors simply and cost-effectively!
From a UX designer perspective, users demand real-time access, high availability, data variety, and scalability.
These edges are much easier and cheaper to accomplish with MongoDB!
From a developer's perspective, it also streamlines the Product Development Lifecycle to a large extent.
Conclusion
MongoDB is a source-available cross-platform document-oriented database program that you can use to build any app.
It wouldn't be fair to say that MongoDB is better than SQL in every scenario.
Yet, the solutions and products it offers fully align with modern applications.
Our stellar team has used MongoDB to build cutting-edge and successful applications.
Wondering how can MongoDB leverage your solutions? Get in touch!
