--- title: Overview | MongoDB description: What is MongoDB? An open source NoSQL document database for flexible, scalable application data storage. url: https://canonical.com/data/mongodb/what-is-mongodb?format=md --- # What is MongoDB®? MongoDB is a NoSQL database management application. Organisations use MongoDB because it aligns with modern application development needs, offering flexibility, scalability and high performance. It has a rich set of features that support complex and evolving business requirements. Its ability to handle diverse data types, ease of use, cost-effectiveness, and robust security and support services make it a preferred choice for many large organizations. --- [MongoDB® for enterprise data management ›](https://ubuntu.com/engage/mongodb-enterprise-data-management) --- ## Why choose MongoDB®? * Transactionality and speed * Scalability and high availability * Data security --- ## Why do companies use MongoDB®? --- ### Data structure With its JSON-like document format, MongoDB® delivers the flexibility to handle large document data sets. --- ### Data availability MongoDB's sharding and replica set features enable horizontal scalability and enhance fault tolerance in a database deployment. --- ### Secure storage Comprehensive security features — including authentication and authorisation, encryption and auditing — ensure the protection and integrity of sensitive data. --- ## How do companies use MongoDB®? --- Web and mobile applications MongoDB provides the high availability and scalability required by use cases in web and mobile, such as content management systems, e-commerce, location based applications, user profile and personalisation. --- Internet of Things (IoT) MongoDB can handle a high volume of small, sensor-generated data points for real-time and batch analytics. --- Logging and monitoring MongoDB's ability to handle large volumes of log data and its fast write capabilities make it a perfect database for observability. --- Payments MongoDB can handle high-volume transactional data efficiently, making it suitable for banking operations that require quick and reliable transaction processing. --- ## How does MongoDB® work? MongoDB is a NoSQL database management application. NoSQL database systems offer an alternative to traditional relational databases using SQL (Structured Query Language). Data is stored in tables, rows, and columns in a relational database, with relationships between entities. MongoDB stores records as documents (specifically BSON documents) gathered together in collections. Scaling the database horizontally can be achieved in MongoDB through the **sharding** and **replica set features**. These scalability features also have benefits for fault tolerance in a MongoDB database deployment. The diagram illustrates the sharding model. Sharding is a method for distributing data across multiple machines. --- * Client — an application server that uses the drivers such as python, javascript, C#, C++ and more to integrate with the MongoDB router. * Router (mongos) — a mangos operator that acts as an interface between client applications and the sharded cluster. * Config-server (mongod) — stores metadata and configuration settings for the cluster. * Multiple shards (mongod) — contains a subset of the sharded data, wherein each shard can be deployed as a replica set. The multiple shards represent a horizontal scale-out architecture since shards are deployed in multiple servers. --- ## Feature breakdown --- ### Data model MongoDB provides document-oriented storage in a BSON format. Data is also installed in collections, making it a flexible database model. --- ### Architecture The architecture is designed to be highly available and scalable through replica set and sharding. --- ### Query MongoDB supports standard Create, Read, Update, and Delete (CRUD) operations. It also supports various types of index making it optimal for other use cases such as multi.oey and geospatial. --- ### Security The database delivers a comprehensive set of security features, including user management, Transport Layer Security (TLS) and auditing. --- ## Canonical's Charmed MongoDB Secure and automate the deployment, maintenance and upgrades of your MongoDB databases across private and public clouds. Deliver large amounts of data in high-performance applications. --- ### Charmed MongoDB Included in [Ubuntu Pro](https://ubuntu.com/pro) + Support --- When you purchase an Ubuntu Pro + Support plan, you also get support for the full Charmed MongoDB solution. --- * Up to 10 years of MongoDB support per release track * 24/7 or weekday phone and ticket support * Up to 10 years of security maintenance for MongoDB covering critical and high severity CVEs --- Charmed MongoDB allows you to automate deployment and operation of MongoDB at web scale in the environment of your choice — on the cloud or in your data centre. Supports deployment to most popular clouds or to CNCF conformant Kubernetes. --- [Learn more about enterprise-grade MongoDB ›](https://canonical.com/data/mongodb) --- ### MongoDB® OCI-compliant container image Included in [Ubuntu Pro](https://ubuntu.com/pro) + Support --- Also included in Ubuntu Pro + Support, you get support for Canonical's container image for MongoDB, based on Ubuntu LTS. --- * Up to 10 years of support per release track * Same 24/7 or weekday phone and ticket support commitment * Same 10 years of security maintenance covering critical and high severity CVEs in the image --- ### MongoDB® consultancy and support Advanced professional services for MongoDB, when you need them --- Get help designing, planning and building and even operating a hyper automated production MongoDB service that perfectly fits your needs, with Canonical's expert services. --- * Help with design and build of both production and non-production MongoDB environments with Charmed MongoDB * Managed services for MongoDB in your cloud tenancy or data centre, backed by an SLA * Firefighting support with a MongoDB operations expert, who works alongside your team when crisis hits --- [Access the datasheet  ›](https://assets.ubuntu.com/v1/4220f815-Data%20Solutions%20Advisory%20version%20_updated%20-%20v3-2.pdf) --- ## Learn more about Charmed MongoDB Canonical's enterprise-grade MongoDB database offering. Charmed MongoDB simplifies the operations of MongoDB applications through automation, security, scalability, availability and monitoring. Charmed MongoDB is the cost-effective, reliable, secure and scalable way to use MongoDB on any cloud, hybrid cloud or on-premise. --- ## Choose the right database to fit your requirements | Features | | MySQL | PostgreSQL | MongoDB | Valkey/Redis | OpenSearch | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **Primary data paradigm** | | Relational | Object Relational | Document | Key/Value | Text Search | | **Highest isolation level** | | Serialisable | Serialisable | Linearalisable | Linearalisable | Eventual read consistency | | **Typical achievable response times in milliseconds** | | 1-100 | 1-100 | 1-100 | 0.1-10 | 10-1000 | | **Max manageable data size in typical single clusters** | | 1-10 TB | 1-50 TB | 1-100 TBs | Available memory | 1-100 TBs | | **DBMS managed sharding** | | With extension | With extension | Built-in | Built-in | Built-in | | **DBMS managed partitioning** | | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | | **Supported data types** | Tabular | Yes | Yes | - | - | - | | JSON | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | XML | Yes | Yes | - | - | - | | Binary | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Generic Text | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Natural Language Text | Yes | Yes | Yes | With extension | Yes | | Time Series | - | With extension | Yes | - | Yes | | Geospatial data | Yes | With extension | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Graph data | - | With extension | - | - | - | --- (1) Only the editions supported by Canonical are considered in the above table --- ## Installing Charmed MongoDB Charmed MongoDB is operated via Juju, an open source orchestration engine for software operators that makes MongoDB easy to operate. [Access the tutorial here ›](https://canonical.com/data/mongodb/docs/latest) --- ## Learn more about MongoDB [Charmed MongoDB: the operator you need for managing your document database](https://ubuntu.com/blog/charmed-mongodb-beta) The Charmed MongoDB operator deploys and runs MongoDB on physical, virtual machines (VM) and other cloud and cloud-like environments, including AWS, Azure, OpenStack and VMWare. --- [Running MongoDB on Kubernetes](https://ubuntu.com/blog/mongodb-on-kubernetes) Running database clusters in public, private and hybrid environments offers multiple benefits. Kubernetes provides the additional advantages of portability, reduced vendor lock-in, DevOps friendliness, scalability and cost-effectiveness. --- [Charmed MongoDB®: use cases for financial services](https://ubuntu.com/blog/mongodb-usecase-financialservices) MongoDB is one of the most widely used databases in the financial services industry. It provides a sturdy, adaptable and trustworthy foundation. --- [Download the MongoDB Toolkit](https://ubuntu.com/engage/mongodb-support-security) Our guide offers a wealth of best practices for MongoDB security and support. --- "MongoDB" is a trademark or registered trademark of MongoDB, Inc. Other trademarks are property of their respective owners. Charmed MongoDB is not sponsored, endorsed, or affiliated with MongoDB, Inc.