# How to Create a Database in MongoDB

> URL: https://www.atlantic.net/dedicated-server-hosting/how-to-create-a-database-in-mongodb/ | Published: 2024-08-18 | Updated: 2024-08-17 | Author: Hitesh Jethva

MongoDB is a popular NoSQL database known for its flexibility, scalability, and ease of use. Unlike traditional relational databases, MongoDB stores data in a schema-less format, using documents in a JSON-like structure called BSON (Binary JSON). This allows for rapid development and iteration, making it an ideal choice for modern applications that require agility and scalability.

In this tutorial, we will explore how to create a database in MongoDB.

## Step 1 – Verify the MongoDB Installation

Before starting, it is essential to check whether MongoDB is installed on your system. You can check it using the following command.

```bash
mongo --version
```

You should see the information for the MongoDB version.

```bash
MongoDB shell version v4.4.29
Build Info: {
    "version": "4.4.29",
    "gitVersion": "f4dda329a99811c707eb06d05ad023599f9be263",
    "openSSLVersion": "OpenSSL 1.1.0g  2 Nov 2017",
    "modules": [],
    "allocator": "tcmalloc",
    "environment": {
        "distmod": "ubuntu2004",
        "distarch": "x86_64",
        "target_arch": "x86_64"
    }
}
```

**Note:** If you get an error, it means MongoDB isn’t installed or isn’t in your system’s PATH.

## Step 2 – Connecting to MongoDB

After verifying the MongoDB installation, you can connect using the Mongo shell. Open your terminal or command prompt and type:

```bash
mongo
```

This command connects you to the MongoDB server and opens an interactive Mongo shell. You should see a prompt that looks like this:

```bash
>
```

## Step 3 – Creating a Database

In MongoDB, you don’t need to create a database explicitly. Instead, you can switch to a non-existent database, and MongoDB will create it for you when you insert the first document. Let’s create a database named mydatabase.

```bash
use mydatabase
```

Output.

```bash
switched to db mydatabase
```

Initially, the database will not be visible in the list of databases because it doesn’t contain any data. To see the list of databases, use the command:

```bash
show dbs
```

Output:

```bash
admin   0.000GB
config  0.000GB
local   0.000GB
```

Let’s insert a sample document into a collection called **mycollection** within the **mydatabase**:

```bash
db.mycollection.insertOne({ name: "John Doe", age: 30, profession: "Developer" })
Output:
```

```bash
{
  "acknowledged" : true,
  "insertedId" : ObjectId("60c5dbd4f5d1dc8f459f2a27")
}
```

Now, if you run the show dbs command again, you’ll see mydatabase listed:

```bash
show dbs
```

Output:

```bash
admin        0.000GB
config       0.000GB
local        0.000GB
mydatabase   0.000GB
```

## Step 4 – Basic Database Operations

You can create collections within a database to store your data. To create a new collection, use the **createCollection** method:

```bash
db.createCollection("mynewcollection")
Output:
```

```bash
{ "ok" : 1 }
```

To see all the collections in your current database, use the show collections command:

```bash
show collections
```

Output:

```bash
mycollection
mynewcollection
```

You can insert documents into a collection using the insertOne or insertMany methods:

```bash
db.mynewcollection.insertOne({ title: "MongoDB Guide", author: "Jane Doe" })
```

Output:

```bash
{
  "acknowledged" : true,
  "insertedId" : ObjectId("60c5dbf2f5d1dc8f459f2a28")
}
```

To retrieve documents from a collection, use the find method:

```bash
db.mynewcollection.find()
```

Output:

```bash
{ "_id" : ObjectId("60c5dbf2f5d1dc8f459f2a28"), "title" : "MongoDB Guide", "author" : "Jane Doe" }
```

To update documents, use the updateOne or updateMany methods. Let’s update the document we just inserted:

```bash
db.mynewcollection.updateOne({ title: "MongoDB Guide" }, { $set: { author: "John Smith" } })
```

Output:

```bash
{ "acknowledged" : true, "matchedCount" : 1, "modifiedCount" : 1 }
```

To delete documents, use the deleteOne or deleteMany methods. Let’s delete the document we just updated:

```bash
db.mynewcollection.deleteOne({ title: "MongoDB Guide" })
```

Output.

```bash
{ "acknowledged" : true, "deletedCount" : 1 }
```

## Conclusion

In this article, we have covered the essential steps to create and manage a database in MongoDB. We started with connecting to the MongoDB server, and created a new database by simply switching to it. We then explored basic database operations such as creating collections, inserting, querying, updating, and deleting documents. You can now easily create a MongoDB database on [dedicated server hosting](https://www.atlantic.net/dedicated-server-hosting/) from Atlantic.Net!