Getting Started with MongoDB Atlas

Tutorial 1 of 5

Introduction

This tutorial's main goal is to provide a step-by-step guide on how to get started with MongoDB Atlas, a fully-managed cloud database developed by the same people that build MongoDB.

By the end of this tutorial, you will learn how to:

  • Set up a MongoDB Atlas account.
  • Create a new project in MongoDB Atlas.
  • Understand the MongoDB Atlas interface.
  • Connect your MongoDB Atlas cluster to a simple application.

Prerequisites: Basic understanding of MongoDB and Node.js.

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Creating a MongoDB Atlas Account

  2. Visit the MongoDB Atlas website at https://www.mongodb.com/cloud/atlas.

  3. Click on the "Start Free" button and sign up for an account.

  4. Creating a New Project

  5. After signing in, you'll be directed to a page to create a new project. Click the "New Project" button.

  6. Name your project and click "Next".
  7. Add members, assign roles, and click "Create Project".

  8. Creating a New Cluster

  9. Click the "Build a Cluster" button.

  10. Select the free tier cluster, then choose your Cloud Provider and Region.
  11. Name your cluster and click "Create Cluster".

  12. Connecting to Your Cluster

  13. Click on the "Connect" button in your cluster.

  14. Add your current IP address and create a MongoDB user with a username and password.
  15. Choose a connection method (we'll be using the MongoDB shell for this tutorial).

Code Examples

  1. Connecting to Your Cluster

  2. After setting up the connection settings, you'll be provided with a connection string. It will look something like this:

mongo "mongodb+srv://cluster0.mongodb.net/test" --username <username>
  • Replace <username> with the username you created earlier and run the command in your terminal. You'll be prompted to enter the password.

  • Testing the Connection

  • After connecting, let's run a simple command to list the databases:

show dbs
  • You should see an output similar to this, showing the default databases:
admin   0.000GB
local   0.000GB

Summary

In this tutorial, we have covered how to set up a MongoDB Atlas account, create a new project and cluster, and connect to the cluster using the MongoDB shell.

Next, you can explore how to interact with your MongoDB Atlas cluster using Node.js or other programming languages.

Additional resources:

Practice Exercises

  1. Exercise 1: Connect to your MongoDB Atlas cluster using a different connection method (e.g., Connect using MongoDB Compass).
  2. Exercise 2: Create a new database and collection in your cluster using the MongoDB shell.
  3. Exercise 3: Insert, update, and delete documents in your collection.

Tips for further practice: Try to connect to your MongoDB Atlas cluster using different programming languages and interact with your data programmatically.