MongoDB Compass¶
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What is MongoDB Compass?¶
MongoDB Compass is the GUI for MongoDB. Compass allows you to analyze and understand the contents of your data without formal knowledge of MongoDB query syntax. In addition to exploring your data in a visual environment, you can also use Compass to optimize query performance, manage indexes, and implement document validation.
Prerequisites¶
To use Compass, you must connect to an existing MongoDB database. You can connect to:
- A MongoDB server that you have installed locally, or
- A MongoDB Atlas cluster.
Try Compass with Sample Data
MongoDB Atlas is a cloud-hosted database-as-a-service that provides free sample datasets for your clusters. You can use Compass to explore and interact with these sample datasets.
Available Compass Editions¶
Compass is offered in four editions:
| Edition | Description |
|---|---|
| Compass | Full version of MongoDB Compass, with all features and capabilities. |
| Compass Readonly | Limited strictly to read operations, with all write and delete capabilities removed. |
| Compass Isolated | Does not initiate any network requests except to the MongoDB server to which Compass connects. This edition is designed for highly secure environments. |
| Compass Community | Important This version is deprecated. Instead, use the full free version of MongoDB Compass. To learn how to migrate from Compass Community to the fully-featured Compass edition, see Migrate to Compass from Compass Community. Designed for developing with MongoDB and includes a subset of the features of Compass. |
MongoDB Compass is Source Available¶
All versions of MongoDB Compass are source available and free to use. You can find the source repositories for MongoDB Compass at https://github.com/mongodb-js/compass/.
Capabilities of Compass Editions¶
The following feature chart can help you choose the edition to best suit your needs.
| Compass | Compass Readonly | Compass Isolated | Compass Community (Deprecated) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interact with documents, collections, and databases with full CRUD functionality | check circle icon | check circle icon | check circle icon | |
| Create and execute queries and aggregation pipelines | check circle icon | check circle icon | check circle icon | check circle icon |
| Create and delete indexes | check circle icon | check circle icon | check circle icon | |
| View and optimize query performance with visual explain plans | check circle icon | check circle icon | check circle icon | |
| Kerberos, LDAP, and x.509 authentication | check circle icon | check circle icon | check circle icon | |
| Schema Analysis | check circle icon | check circle icon | check circle icon | |
| Real Time Server Stats | check circle icon | check circle icon | check circle icon | |
| Create, delete and edit document validation rules | check circle icon | check circle icon | ||
| Error collection and crash reporting | check circle icon | check circle icon | check circle icon |