MongoDB Academy · Lesson

The mongosh Shell Essentials

Learners will use mongosh to switch databases, list collections, and run their first document queries interactively.

The mongosh Shell Essentials is a free MongoDB Academy lesson on CoddyKit — lesson 4 of 4. You can read the complete lesson below for free — then practise it hands-on in the browser with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. It is part of the MongoDB Academy learning path, one of 4 lessons in the course, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app.

What Is mongosh?

mongosh is MongoDB's official shell, built on Node.js — so you can use modern JavaScript right inside it. It's the standard way to connect from the command line.

# Install mongosh on macOS
brew install mongosh

# Connect to a local MongoDB instance
mongosh

# Connect to an Atlas cluster
mongosh 'mongodb+srv://user:pass@cluster0.abc.mongodb.net/myapp'

# Connect with explicit host and port
mongosh --host localhost --port 27017

Navigating Databases and Collections

A few commands help you get around: show dbs lists databases, use switches one, and show collections lists what's inside. The db variable is always your current database.

// Navigate in mongosh
show dbs
// admin   0.000GB
// myapp   0.008GB

use myapp
// switched to db myapp

db
// myapp

show collections
// users
// orders

Your First Insert

Adding your first document is one line: insertOne. It returns the new _id, and a quick findOne confirms it saved. The code walks through both steps.

// Insert one document
db.users.insertOne({
  name: 'Alice',
  email: 'alice@example.com',
  age: 28,
  createdAt: new Date()
});
// { acknowledged: true, insertedId: ObjectId('64a2f3b1...') }

// Verify it was stored
db.users.findOne();
// { _id: ObjectId('64a2f3b1...'), name: 'Alice', ... }

Basic find() Queries

find returns all matching documents; pass a filter to narrow it, or use findOne for exactly one. An empty filter returns everything. The code shows a few.

// Find all documents
db.users.find({});

// Find with an equality filter
db.users.find({ name: 'Alice' });

// findOne by _id
db.users.findOne({ _id: ObjectId('64a2f3b1...') });

// Find with multiple conditions (implicit AND)
db.users.find({ age: 28, active: true });

// Type 'it' in shell to get next 20 results

Counting and Limiting Results

A few helpers control how much you get back: countDocuments, plus limit and skip on a query. Together, limit and skip are the basis of pagination. The code shows them.

// Count active users
db.users.countDocuments({ active: true });
// 842

// Get first 5 users
db.users.find({}).limit(5);

// Skip first 10, get next 5 (page 3 of 5-per-page)
db.users.find({}).skip(10).limit(5);

// Fast approximate total
db.users.estimatedDocumentCount();
// 4823

Sorting Query Results

Chain sort to order results — 1 for ascending, -1 for descending. You can even sort by several fields at once as tiebreakers. The code shows a few sorts.

// Sort by age descending (oldest first)
db.users.find({}).sort({ age: -1 });

// Sort by last name then first name
db.users.find({}).sort({ lastName: 1, firstName: 1 });

// Most recently created first
db.users.find({}).sort({ createdAt: -1 }).limit(10);

// Combined: find active users, sort by age, limit to 5
db.users.find({ active: true }).sort({ age: 1 }).limit(5);

Projections: Selecting Fields

A projection picks which fields come back — 1 to include, 0 to exclude. It trims bandwidth and memory when you don't need every field. The code shows examples.

// Include only name and email (exclude everything else)
db.users.find({}, { name: 1, email: 1 });
// { _id: ObjectId('...'), name: 'Alice', email: 'alice@...' }

// Exclude _id too
db.users.find({}, { name: 1, email: 1, _id: 0 });
// { name: 'Alice', email: 'alice@...' }

// Exclude sensitive fields
db.users.find({}, { passwordHash: 0, ssn: 0 });

Pretty Printing and Shell Helpers

mongosh pretty-prints results for you automatically. Handy helpers include toArray, forEach, distinct, and explain to peek at how a query runs. The code shows them.

// Get all distinct cities from user addresses
db.users.distinct('address.city');
// ['Chicago', 'London', 'Tokyo', ...]

// Iterate with forEach
db.users.find({ active: true }).forEach(user => {
  print(user.name + ' - ' + user.email);
});

// Check if query uses an index
db.users.find({ email: 'alice@test.com' }).explain('executionStats');

Quick Update and Delete Commands

You'll cover full CRUD later, but the essentials are updateOne, deleteOne, and deleteMany. Always use $set in updates, or you'll replace the whole document!

// Update a specific field (CORRECT: use $set)
db.users.updateOne(
  { email: 'alice@example.com' },
  { $set: { age: 29, updatedAt: new Date() } }
);

// Delete one document
db.users.deleteOne({ email: 'alice@example.com' });

// WARNING: This REPLACES the entire document (no $set):
// db.users.updateOne({ email: '...' }, { age: 29 });
// Now the document has ONLY { _id, age: 29 } !!!

Shell Variables and Scripting

Since mongosh is real JavaScript, you can use variables, loops, and scripts to automate tasks — far more powerful than a plain SQL CLI. The code shows a loop.

// Variable-driven query
const targetCity = 'Chicago';
const users = db.users.find({ 'address.city': targetCity }).toArray();
print('Users in ' + targetCity + ': ' + users.length);

// For loop to seed test data
for (let i = 1; i <= 10; i++) {
  db.products.insertOne({ name: 'Product ' + i, price: i * 10 });
}

// Run from CLI without entering the shell:
// mongosh mydb --eval "db.users.countDocuments({})"

Connecting to Atlas From the Shell

To reach Atlas, grab the connection string from its UI — it uses mongodb+srv, which finds your cluster via DNS. Store it in an env var, not your shell history.

# Store URI in environment variable (never hard-code credentials)
export MONGODB_URI='mongodb+srv://alice:s3cr3t@cluster0.abc.mongodb.net'

# Connect from shell
mongosh $MONGODB_URI

# Switch to your app database
use myapp

# Verify connection
db.runCommand({ ping: 1 })
# { ok: 1 }

Quick Check

Test your understanding of MongoDB & NoSQL Databases concepts from this lesson.

Lesson Recap

You learned mongosh is a JavaScript shell, that projections pick fields, and that you chain sort, limit, and skip to shape results. Next: inserting documents.

Frequently asked questions

Is the “The mongosh Shell Essentials” lesson free?

Yes — the full text of “The mongosh Shell Essentials” is free to read here on the web, and the MongoDB Academy course includes 4 lessons in total. To practise it interactively (a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor) and unlock the rest of the MongoDB Academy course, upgrade to CoddyKit PRO.

What will I learn in “The mongosh Shell Essentials”?

Learners will use mongosh to switch databases, list collections, and run their first document queries interactively. You practise MongoDB Academy with hands-on code you run directly in the browser, and a 24/7 AI tutor answers your questions as you work through the lesson.

Do I need any experience to start MongoDB Academy?

No prior experience is required. MongoDB Academy on CoddyKit is structured for beginners through advanced learners; this is — lesson 4 of 4, so you can start here or from the beginning and move at your own pace.

How long does the “The mongosh Shell Essentials” lesson take?

Most CoddyKit lessons take about 5–10 minutes. Each one is bite-sized and interactive, so you make steady progress and pick up exactly where you left off across the web and the app.

Can I write and run code in this MongoDB Academy lesson?

Yes. Every MongoDB Academy lesson includes a built-in code editor, so you write and run real code right in your browser and get instant AI feedback — no local setup required.

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