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MongoDB multi-document transactions require a session. A session is a server-side context that tracks your causally consistent reads and transaction state. You create a session from the MongoClient, pass it to every operation inside the transaction, and then end the session when you are done. Forgetting to pass the session object means operations run outside the transaction and are not rolled back on abort.

Call client.startSession() to obtain a ClientSession object. This does not start a transaction yet—it only establishes the server-side context. Sessions can optionally be configured for causal consistency so that reads within the session always reflect all prior writes in the same session, even on secondaries. Always end the session in a finally block to release server resources.

Call session.startTransaction() with optional transaction options to begin a multi-document transaction. Common options include readConcern (typically 'snapshot' for full isolation) and writeConcern (typically { w: 'majority' } for durable commits). Once started, all operations that pass this session are part of the transaction and will be rolled back if the transaction aborts.

Every operation you want to include in the transaction must receive the session object as an option. If you forget to pass the session to an operation, it runs outside the transaction with its own independent write that will not be rolled back on abort. This is a common source of bugs in transaction code—always double-check that every insert, update, and delete inside the try block receives the session.

After all operations complete successfully, call session.commitTransaction() to atomically apply all changes to the database. Until commit is called, none of the transaction's writes are visible to other operations. On commit, MongoDB applies all writes and acknowledges according to the write concern. A successful commit means all operations in the transaction are durably saved.

If any operation in the transaction fails or if your application logic determines the transaction should not proceed, call session.abortTransaction(). This rolls back all writes made in the transaction as if none of them happened. MongoDB guarantees that no partial state will be left—other readers will never see any of the aborted transaction's writes.

The Node.js driver provides a convenient session.withTransaction(fn) helper that automatically handles starting, committing, and aborting the transaction, including automatic retries for transient errors. The callback function receives the session and should contain all your transaction operations. Using withTransaction is recommended over manual start/commit/abort because it correctly handles the retry logic MongoDB requires.

A MongoDB transaction can span multiple collections and databases within the same cluster (MongoDB 4.2+ for sharded clusters). You can read from one collection, update another, and insert into a third—all within a single atomic transaction. The only restriction is that you cannot create new collections or indexes inside a multi-document transaction; those DDL operations must happen outside transactions.

Multi-document transactions require a replica set or sharded cluster—they do not work on a standalone MongoDB instance. On a standalone, the transaction API exists but calling startTransaction() throws an error. This means your local development setup should use a local replica set (e.g., via mongod --replSet rs0 or via Atlas free tier) if your application code uses transactions.

MongoDB enforces a 60-second maximum transaction lifetime by default (configurable via transactionLifetimeLimitSeconds). Transactions that run longer are automatically aborted. Additionally, transactions are capped to 16 MB of oplog space for write operations. Long-running transactions also hold locks and can degrade performance for concurrent operations, so keep transactions short and focused.

Putting it all together: a complete, production-ready bank transfer function using withTransaction. It validates sufficient balance inside the transaction (ensuring no other writer could have drained the account between the check and the debit) and records an audit entry atomically. This pattern demonstrates all key transaction concepts.

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

In this lesson you learned: transactions require a ClientSession created with client.startSession(), every operation in the transaction must receive { session } to be included, and withTransaction() is the recommended helper because it handles retry logic and cleanup automatically. Next up we explore error handling and retry logic for transient transaction failures.