MongoDB Compass¶
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.
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 the following 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. Isolated edition can perform DNS alias queries, such as looking up A or SRV Records. Isolated edition does not:
|
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interact with documents, collections, and databases with full CRUD functionality | √ | √ | |
| Create and execute queries and aggregation pipelines | √ | √ | √ |
| Create and delete indexes | √ | √ | |
| View and optimize query performance with visual explain plans | √ | √ | |
| Kerberos, LDAP, and x.509 authentication | √ | √ | √ |
| Schema Analysis | √ | √ | √ |
| Real Time Server Stats | √ | √ | √ |
| Create, delete and edit document validation rules | √ | √ | |
| Error collection and crash reporting | √ | √ |