If you have worked with any real-time application, you must have stumbled across the task of storing data. Traditionally, data storage has been carried out in well-defined rows and tables. But lately, a shift has been observed towards a more flexible approach.
To counter the traditional issues of upgrades in table-based databases like SQL (Structured Query Language), a language called NoSQL was introduced. NoSQL (Not Only SQL) does not strictly follow a schema and is basically a large object with multiple smaller nested objects that act as individual rows of data. Many database systems support this concept, but MongoDB has been one of the front-runners in this for quite some time now.
In this article, we will take a look at what MongoDB is, what are its important features, what it is used for, and the resources available to learn it.
How to Learn MongoDB
MongoDB is a complex and powerful database system that exploits the benefits of a NoSQL database, so it is important to understand its purpose and features before we dive into learning its dynamics.
What is MongoDB?
MongoDB is a cross-platform NoSQL-based database system. It is used for storing data of all types — strings, numbers, and characters. The main reason why MongoDB is different from a traditional, structured database is MongoDB does not follow any strict rules for organizing data.
MongoDB is an instance of a NoSQL database, meaning unlike SQL, MongoDB does not define tables and columns to categorize and store data. Instead, data in NoSQL databases are structured in the form of nested JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) Objects. JSON objects can have any type of member variables, including other JSON objects. This is how a typical JSON object looks like:
{
prop1: "val1",
prop2: 2,
prop3: {
prop4: true
}
}Simple types of values can be stored in a JSON object similar to prop1 and prop2. Other JSON objects can be stored as well, similar to how prop3 holds a new JSON object with its own set of properties and values.
In MongoDB, each object is called a document. An array of such documents creates a collection. A list of such collections constitutes the entire database. The above structure is flexible enough to allow on-the-fly changes in individual documents, and scalable enough due to the fact it is simply a dynamic array of simple objects.
Features of MongoDB
MongoDB offers multiple features as a powerful NoSQL database. Here are some of them:
Flexibility with Schema
An important feature of MongoDB is the schema-less design of this database technology. A schema refers to the structure using which data is stored in a database. MongoDB requires no strict schema to be followed, which removes the burden of creating a schema and sticking to it since the beginning of an application’s production. This allows the freedom of having multiple types of documents in the same collection and making changes when needed.
Powerful Indexing
MongoDB indexes all documents with a primary and a secondary index to make reading data faster. Indices are special tables that help locate individual data points in a database faster. Without indexing, searching for a record involves manually going through all records and checking matches.
High Scalability
MongoDB is known for its scalability. Apart from scaling vertically to accommodate more data, MongoDB can also scale horizontally. Horizontal scaling refers to distributing data on multiple servers to increase the number of database requests that can be handled at the same time. In MongoDB, this process of horizontal scaling is called Sharding.
Improved Redundancy
MongoDB offers high uptime, which means that it is highly reliable in terms of being available for end-users. However, all database systems are susceptible to data losses due to aging hardware and technical issues. One of the great things about MongoDB is that it creates multiple copies of the stored data. This redundancy of data adds a layer of robustness to any application built using MongoDB.
High Performance
All the features we discussed above lead to one ultimate quality — performance. Due to a flexible data schema being possible, along with a highly available and scalable architecture, MongoDB offers unmatched performance when compared to other NoSQL databases.
What is MongoDB Used for?
MongoDB is a popular choice for building scalable and flexible database solutions. Before we set down to learn MongoDB, let’s explore some of its use cases:
Product Data Management
Almost all online products handle consumer data. MongoDB fits in this situation perfectly, as it has a schema flexible enough to accommodate any structural changes in the product’s data over time. Apart from that, MongoDB databases are easily scalable, meaning if you are looking to launch a full-fledged application that needs a database, you can rely on MongoDB from the very beginning.
Operational Intelligence
Apart from storing business data, databases are also used to store analytics information. These are equally important to a business, as a lot of decisions are driven by user trends and analytics. For such use-case, a fast and scalable database system is required that may handle millions of requests per second without fail. MongoDB serves the purpose well with its easily scalable infrastructure and super-fast performance.
Content Management Systems
Blogs and forums can easily be built using the fast and flexible structure of MongoDB. This makes room for online discussion forum applications to leverage the power of MongoDB to provide fast interaction as well as a smoother experience to their users. Additional features such as comments and replies can be added easily, as nesting objects within another is very easy in the case of a JSON-based database.
Learning MongoDB
Given that MongoDB is a robust document-based database solution, it is important to know how to use it to the fullest. Following is a list of resources to help you get started:
The Best MongoDB Courses
MongoDB is an open-source library, and a lot of developers have tried to create content to easily help you get started. Let’s take a look at the free and paid video courses that are available for MongoDB:
The Complete Developers Guide to MongoDB by Stephen Grider
- Platform: Udemy
- Duration: About 13.5 hours
- Price: $120
- Prerequisites: None
- Start Date: On-Demand
Available as a series of 15 chapters on the document-oriented database, this course covers the subject in detail. The initial chapters cover the basics of ES6, to help you get started with the JSON notation. Building on this, the course then moves on to explain the fundamentals of MongoDB, and picks up the rhythm with chapters on crucial topics like Operators and Schema Design.
This course also has a dedicated section on Mongoose, an open-source client for MongoDB. Mongoose helps simplify interacting with MongoDB inside your application. This course has a 4.4-star rating by over 6,000 learners on Udemy, which stands as a good benchmark of its quality.
Learn MongoDB: Leading NoSQL Database from scratch by Sunil Kumar Gupta
- Platform: Udemy
- Duration: About 17 hours
- Price: $120
- Prerequisites: None
- Start Date: On-Demand
This course begins right from the basics of a NoSQL database, and takes you through to advanced topics like Data Modeling and Sharding, and ends after explaining the industry-level platform for hosting MongoDB databases: Atlas.
This course is a complete package in terms of quality and depth of content. The volume of resources shared along the way, coupled with the hands-on experience of connecting MongoDB to a Java application is the best that you can get at a beginner’s level.
Introduction to MongoDB by Nuri Halperin
- Platform: PluralSight
- Duration: About 2.5 hours
- Price: Requires PluralSight Subscription
- Prerequisites: Some experience with MySQL databases, Java programming, and a basic understanding of Big Data platforms
- Start Date: On-Demand
Rated over 4.5-stars by about 2,000 learners, this course is best suited for those who have started with MongoDB recently. It is an intermediate-level course, and it covers some of the complex topics of the NoSQL database in detail, including complex queries and indices. It also features a chapter on the Mongo Shell and helps you get comfortable with it.
This course is a great alternative for taking your basic learning forward with real-life applications and complex projects to help solidify your understanding of the most popular document-based database solution.
MongoDB Books
Apart from video courses, many books are available to help you get started with MongoDB. Some top books include:
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‘MongoDB in Action’ by Kyle Banker and Others
Priced at about $30 on Amazon at the time of writing this article, this is one of the best books for taking your first steps in the world of MongoDB and database management. MongoDB in Action is a very strong asset for a beginner, as it is full of interactive exercises and practical uses of the database management system.
It begins from the essentials of the database, like indices, querying, and data model, and finishes on complex topics like Map-Reduce and custom aggregation. This book has been updated for Mongo 3.0 and it is the best that you can get at a beginner’s level.
‘MongoDB: The Definitive Guide’ by Christina Chodorow
Priced at about $30 at the moment (check the latest price here), this book is one of the best options for people who are looking to learn MongoDB from scratch. It is written by one of the core contributors of MongoDB, so you can rest assured that the author knows what she is saying.
This book contains detailed explanations and tutorials to help you get started with the tool from scratch. There are absolutely no prerequisites required to understand, and you can easily get going using only this book as your point of reference. However, this book can get a little too technical at times with its language, so it’s best advised to put in some extra efforts until you are comfortable with the writer’s style of explaining everything.
‘Data Modeling for MongoDB’ by Steve Hoberman
Priced at about $30 at the moment, this book is a great asset for those who have some experience with the library and are looking for some advanced learning. This book focuses on explaining the concept of data modeling using MongoDB. It takes an analytical approach to explain how data should be structured in an application.
It covers all MongoDB concepts through its chapters and ends it with some common case studies of how data modeling affects applications in real life. This is great for people who are experienced with MongoDB and are looking to understand how industry-level applications store data in NoSQL databases.
MongoDB Resources
Apart from the video courses and books, there are also a great number of tutorials available around the internet. Here are some great pieces to begin with:
Tutorials by Studio3T
Used by the likes of Johns Hopkins University and UC Davis, this is a collection of two great tutorials on MongoDB:
MongoDB 101: This tutorial is best for a beginner to the database management solution. It begins by explaining the basics of MongoDB, Studio 3T (a local client for connecting to a MongoDB database), and Atlas (a cloud-based platform for hosting MongoDB databases). These three technologies set the perfect start for an enriched learning experience of the database solution.
MongoDB 201: This tutorial takes things up a level, by focusing on implementing CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations in MongoDB, and working with queries and views. This is a perfect tutorial for those who are well-versed with the basics of MongoDB and are looking to understand how industry-level applications query data.
MongoDB Tutorial for Beginners: Learn in 7 Days by Guru99.com
With ample content on introduction, installation as well as advanced operation, this course offers the perfect roadmap to mastering MongoDB. This course is a great place to begin with, as it offers helpful subtext throughout the tutorial. However, it does require you to be familiar with the concepts of SQL. Also, it does not aim to make you an expert on the subject in seven days, so if you’re looking to learn MongoDB at a professional scale, you may want to couple this together with a more advanced course.
MongoDB Tutorial by TutorialsPoint.com
This resource feels more like a glossary of subtopics of MongoDB and less of a guided tutorial. However, the depth of content on each subtopic is great, and this can be an important asset to you once you are done with the basics of the library and are looking for a resource that you can refer to whenever you need help.
How Long Does it Take to Learn MongoDB?
Given that MongoDB is a powerful and detailed database management solution, you will probably need about three weeks to get a good start in it. Continued practice, aided with sample projects for a duration of another one to two weeks is adequate to make the basics pretty clear in your mind, thereby allowing you to unleash the full potential of this solution.
However, if you are looking to learn MongoDB for a professional engagement, you may want to invest six weeks straight to get fully comfortable with MongoDB, Atlas, and the Mongo Shell.
Should You Study MongoDB?
After having collected a long list of resources on MongoDB, we now need to answer the most important question of all: should you learn MongoDB?
The answer to this is simple: if you are willing to dive into the world of database management, or if your day-to-day job involves administering database systems, MongoDB is the best skill to invest your time and resources into. It is one of the top alternatives at the moment for scalable NoSQL databases and is bound to grow larger day by day.
If you are looking to make a career as a database administrator or a system architect, MongoDB is one of the basic elements. There are some additional concepts that you may need to know like SQL databases, but coupling a solid foundation in MongoDB with them is essential today.
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