MongoDB
A NoSQL database
More on MongoDB
- MongoDB: Java—Accessing MongoDB via Java
- MongoDB: MLab—A specific cloud provider of MongoDB services
- MongoDB: MLab Database Creation—Setting up a new database
- MongoDB: MLab Databases, Users and Collections—Next steps after creating a database
- MongoDB: Python—Accessing MongoDB via Python
- MongoDB: Spring Boot (Java)—Accessing MongoDB via Spring Boot
MongoDB is one of several implementations of what has come to be known as NoSQL databases.
NoSQL databases in general
These are database systems that:
- are NOT based on the relational database model of tables with rows and columns
- do NOT use SQL for queries (e.g.
SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = "fred";
Since NoSQL databases are defined in terms of what they are not, what they are tends to vary a bit, but they are typically some kind of key/value store: think of them as a dictionary in the cloud.
What you lose, as compared to SQL databases, is the power of the SQL query language. What you
gain is simplicity. That’s a gross oversimplification, but for purposes of this article it will do—if you want to know more, do a web search on SQL vs NOSQL.
MongoDB vs. MLab
On this site, we’ll describe a provider of MongoDB called MLab.
- MondoDB is a technology
- MLab is one commerical cloud provider of that technology
We focus on MLab mainly because it has a free tier that does not require a credit card. The goal of this website is to support students (broadly defined—whether formally enrolled at a school or not). So we want to focus on techniques for learning that have a few barriers in place as possible.
More on MongoDB
- MongoDB: Java—Accessing MongoDB via Java
- MongoDB: MLab—A specific cloud provider of MongoDB services
- MongoDB: MLab Database Creation—Setting up a new database
- MongoDB: MLab Databases, Users and Collections—Next steps after creating a database
- MongoDB: Python—Accessing MongoDB via Python
- MongoDB: Spring Boot (Java)—Accessing MongoDB via Spring Boot