• Reference >
• MongoDB Package Components >
• mongo

mongo

Description

mongo

mongo is an interactive JavaScript shell interface to MongoDB, which provides a powerful interface for system administrators as well as a way for developers to test queries and operations directly with the database. mongo also provides a fully functional JavaScript environment for use with a MongoDB.

The mongo shell is included as part of the MongoDB server installation. If you have already installed the server, the mongo shell is installed to the same location as the server binary.

Alternatively, if you would like to download the mongo shell separately from the MongoDB Server, you can install the shell as a standalone package by following these steps:

1. Access the Download Center for your Edition of MongoDB:

   • MongoDB Community Download Center
   • MongoDB Enterprise Download Center

2. Select your preferred Version and Platform from the dropdowns.

3. Select the Package to download according to your platform:

   Platform	Download Package
   Windows	Select the zip package to download an archive which includes the mongo shell.
   macOS	Select the tgz package to download an archive which includes the mongo shell.
   Linux	Select the tgz package to download the mongo shell.

4. Copy the mongo shell from the archive to a location on your filesystem.

Note

• Starting in MongoDB 4.2 (and 4.0.13), the mongo shell displays a warning message when connected to non-genuine MongoDB instances as these instances may behave differently from the official MongoDB instances; e.g. missing or incomplete features, different feature behaviors, etc.
• Starting in version 4.0, mongo disables support for TLS 1.0 encryption on systems where TLS 1.1+ is available. For more details, see Disable TLS 1.0.

Syntax

• You can run mongo shell without any command-line options use the default settings:

  copy

  mongo
  

• You can run mongo shell with a connection string that specifies the host and port and other connection options. For example, the following includes the tls:

  copy

  mongo "mongodb://mongodb0.example.com:27017/testdb?tls=true"
  

  The tls option is available starting in MongoDB 4.2. In earlier version, use the ssl option.

  To connect mongo shell to a replica set, you can specify in the connection string the replica set members and name:

  copy

  mongo "mongodb://mongodb0.example.com.local:27017,mongodb1.example.com.local:27017,mongodb2.example.com.local:27017/?replicaSet=replA"
  

  For more information on the connection string options, see Connection String URI Format.

• You can run mongo shell with various command-line options. For example:

  copy

  mongo --host mongodb0.example.com:27017 [additional options]
  
  mongo --host mongodb0.example.com --port 27017 [additional options]
  

  For more information on the options available, see Options.

Options

Starting in version 4.2

• MongoDB deprecates the SSL options and insteads adds new corresponding TLS options.

Core Options

--shell

Enables the shell interface. If you invoke the mongo command and specify a JavaScript file as an argument, or use --eval to specify JavaScript on the command line, the --shell option provides the user with a shell prompt after the file finishes executing.

--nodb

Prevents the shell from connecting to any database instances. Later, to connect to a database within the shell, see Opening New Connections.

--norc

Prevents the shell from sourcing and evaluating ~/.mongorc.js on start up.

--quiet

Silences output from the shell during the connection process.

--port <port>

Specifies the port where the mongod or mongos instance is listening. If --port is not specified, mongo attempts to connect to port 27017.

--host <hostname>

Specifies the name of the host machine where the mongod or mongos is running. If this is not specified, mongo attempts to connect to a MongoDB process running on the localhost.

To connect to a replica set,

Specify the replica set name and a seed list of set members. Use the following form:

copy

<replSetName>/<hostname1><:port>,<hostname2><:port>,<...>

For TLS/SSL connections (--ssl),

The mongo shell verifies that the hostname (specified in --host option or the connection string) matches the SAN (or, if SAN is not present, the CN) in the certificate presented by the mongod or mongos. If SAN is present, mongo does not match against the CN. If the hostname does not match the SAN (or CN), the mongo shell will fail to connect.

Starting in MongoDB 4.2, when performing comparison of SAN, MongoDB supports comparison of DNS names or IP addresses. In previous versions, MongoDB only supports comparisons of DNS names.

For DNS seedlist connections,

Specify the connection protocol as mongodb+srv, followed by the DNS SRV hostname record and any options. The authSource and replicaSet options, if included in the connection string, will override any corresponding DNS-configured options set in the TXT record. Use of the mongodb+srv: connection string implicitly enables TLS/SSL (normally set with ssl=true) for the client connection. The TLS/SSL option can be turned off by setting ssl=false in the query string.

Example:

copy

mongodb+srv://server.example.com/?connectionTimeout=3000ms

New in version 3.6.

--eval <javascript>

Evaluates a JavaScript expression that is specified as an argument. mongo does not load its own environment when evaluating code. As a result many options of the shell environment are not available.

--username <username>, -u <username>

Specifies a username with which to authenticate to a MongoDB database that uses authentication. Use in conjunction with the --password and --authenticationDatabase options.

If connecting to a MongoDB Atlas cluster using the MONGODB-AWS authentication mechanism, specify your AWS access key ID in this field, or in the connection string. Alternatively, this value may also be supplied as the environment variable AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID. See Connect to a MongoDB Atlas Cluster using AWS IAM Credentials.

--password <password>, -p <password>

Specifies a password with which to authenticate to a MongoDB database that uses authentication. Use in conjunction with the --username and --authenticationDatabase options. To force mongo to prompt for a password, enter the --password option as the last option and leave out the argument.

If connecting to a MongoDB Atlas cluster using the MONGODB-AWS authentication mechanism, specify your AWS secret access key in this field, or in the connection string. Alternatively, this value may also be supplied as the environment variable AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY. See Connect to a MongoDB Atlas Cluster using AWS IAM Credentials.

--awsIamSessionToken <aws session token>

If connecting to a MongoDB Atlas cluster using the MONGODB-AWS authentication mechanism and using session tokens in addition to your AWS access key ID and secret access key, specify your AWS session token in this field, or in the connection string. Alternatively, this value may also be supplied as the environment variable AWS_SESSION_TOKEN. See Connect to a MongoDB Atlas Cluster using AWS IAM Credentials.

Only valid when using the MONGODB-AWS authentication mechanism.

--help, -h

Returns information on the options and use of mongo.

--version

Returns the mongo release number.

--verbose

Increases the verbosity of the output of the shell during the connection process.

--networkMessageCompressors <string>

New in version 3.4.

Enables network compression for communication between this mongo shell and:

• a mongod instance
• a mongos instance.

You can specify the following compressors:

• snappy
• zlib (Available starting in MongoDB 3.6)
• zstd (Available starting in MongoDB 4.2)

Important

Messages are compressed when both parties enable network compression. Otherwise, messages between the parties are uncompressed.

If you specify multiple compressors, then the order in which you list the compressors matter as well as the communication initiator. For example, if a mongo shell specifies the following network compressors zlib,snappy and the mongod specifies snappy,zlib, messages between mongo shell and mongod uses zlib.

If the parties do not share at least one common compressor, messages between the parties are uncompressed. For example, if a mongo shell specifies the network compressor zlib and mongod specifies snappy, messages between mongo shell and mongod are not compressed.

--ipv6

Enables IPv6 support. mongo disables IPv6 by default.

To connect to a MongoDB cluster via IPv6, you must specify both --ipv6 and --host <mongod/mongos IPv6 address> when starting the mongo shell.

mongod and mongos disable IPv6 support by default. Specifying --ipv6 when connecting to a mongod/mongos does not enable IPv6 support on the mongod/mongos. For documentation on enabling IPv6 support on the mongod/mongos, see net.ipv6.

<db name>

Specifies the name of the database to connect to. For example:

copy

mongo admin

The above command will connect the mongo shell to the admin database of the MongoDB deployment running on the local machine. You may specify a remote database instance, with the resolvable hostname or IP address. Separate the database name from the hostname using a / character. See the following examples:

copy

mongo mongodb1.example.net/test
mongo mongodb1/admin
mongo 10.8.8.10/test

This syntax is the only way to connect to a specific database.

To specify alternate hosts and a database, you must use this syntax and cannot use --host or --port.

--enableJavaScriptJIT

New in version 4.0.

Enable the JavaScript engine’s JIT compiler.

--disableJavaScriptJIT

Changed in version 4.0: The JavaScript engine’s JIT compiler is now disabled by default.

Disables the JavaScript engine’s JIT compiler.

--disableJavaScriptProtection

New in version 3.4.

Allows fields of type javascript and javascriptWithScope (*Deprecated*) to be automatically marshalled to JavaScript functions in the mongo shell.

With the --disableJavaScriptProtection flag set, it is possible to immediately execute JavaScript functions contained in documents. The following example demonstrates this behavior within the shell:

copy

> db.test.insert({ _id: 1, jsFunc: function(){ print("hello") } } )
WriteResult({ "nInserted" : 1 })
> var doc = db.test.findOne({ _id: 1 })
> doc
{ "_id" : 1, "jsFunc" : function (){ print ("hello") } }
> typeof doc.jsFunc
function
> doc.jsFunc()
hello

The default behavior (when mongo starts without the --disableJavaScriptProtection flag) is to convert embedded JavaScript functions to the non-executable MongoDB shell type Code. The following example demonstrates the default behavior within the shell:

copy

> db.test.insert({ _id: 1, jsFunc: function(){ print("hello") } } )
WriteResult({ "nInserted" : 1 })
> var doc = db.test.findOne({ _id: 1 })
> doc
{ "_id" : 1, "jsFunc" : { "code" : "function (){print(\"hello\")}" } }
> typeof doc.func
object
> doc.func instanceof Code
true
> doc.jsFunc()
2016-11-09T12:30:36.808-08:00 E QUERY    [thread1] TypeError: doc.jsFunc is
not a function :
@(shell):1:1

<file.js>

Specifies a JavaScript file to run and then exit. Generally this should be the last option specified.

Optional

To specify a JavaScript file to execute and allow mongo to prompt you for a password using --password, pass the filename as the first parameter with --username and --password as the last options, as in the following:

copy

mongo file.js --username username --password

Use the --shell option to return to a shell after the file finishes running.

Authentication Options

--authenticationDatabase <dbname>

Specifies the authentication database where the specified --username has been created. See Authentication Database.

If you do not specify a value for --authenticationDatabase, mongo uses the database specified in the connection string.

If using the GSSAPI (Kerberos), PLAIN (LDAP SASL), or MONGODB-AWS authentication mechanisms, you must set --authenticationDatabase to $external.

--authenticationMechanism <name>

Default: SCRAM-SHA-1

Specifies the authentication mechanism the mongo instance uses to authenticate to the mongod or mongos.

Changed in version 4.4: With MongoDB 4.4, the mongo shell adds support for the new MONGODB-AWS authentication mechanism when connecting to a MongoDB Atlas cluster.

Value	Description
SCRAM-SHA-1	RFC 5802 standard Salted Challenge Response Authentication Mechanism using the SHA-1 hash function.
SCRAM-SHA-256	RFC 7677 standard Salted Challenge Response Authentication Mechanism using the SHA-256 hash function. Requires featureCompatibilityVersion set to 4.0. New in version 4.0.
MONGODB-X509	MongoDB TLS/SSL certificate authentication.
MONGODB-AWS	External authentication using AWS IAM credentials for use in connecting to a MongoDB Atlas cluster. See Connect to a MongoDB Atlas Cluster using AWS IAM Credentials. New in version 4.4.
GSSAPI (Kerberos)	External authentication using Kerberos. This mechanism is available only in MongoDB Enterprise.
PLAIN (LDAP SASL)	External authentication using LDAP. You can also use PLAIN for authenticating in-database users. PLAIN transmits passwords in plain text. This mechanism is available only in MongoDB Enterprise.

--gssapiHostName

Specify the hostname of a service using GSSAPI/Kerberos. Only required if the hostname of a machine does not match the hostname resolved by DNS.

This option is available only in MongoDB Enterprise.

--gssapiServiceName

Specify the name of the service using GSSAPI/Kerberos. Only required if the service does not use the default name of mongodb.

This option is available only in MongoDB Enterprise.

TLS Options

Note

Starting in version 4.0, mongo disables support for TLS 1.0 encryption on systems where TLS 1.1+ is available. For more details, see Disable TLS 1.0.

See

Configure mongod and mongos for TLS/SSL for full documentation of MongoDB’s support.

--tls

New in version 4.2.

Enables connection to a mongod or mongos that has TLS/SSL support enabled.

Starting in version 3.2.6, if --tlsCAFile or net.tls.CAFile (or their aliases --sslCAFile or ssl.CAFile) is not specified, the system-wide CA certificate store will be used when connecting to an TLS/SSL-enabled server. In previous versions of MongoDB, the mongo shell exited with an error that it could not validate the certificate.

To use x.509 authentication, --tlsCAFile or net.tls.CAFile must be specified unless using --tlsCertificateSelector or --net.tls.certificateSelector. Or if using the ssl aliases, --sslCAFile or net.ssl.CAFile must be specified unless using --sslCertificateSelector or net.ssl.certificateSelector.

For more information about TLS/SSL and MongoDB, see Configure mongod and mongos for TLS/SSL and TLS/SSL Configuration for Clients .

--tlsCertificateKeyFile <filename>

New in version 4.2.

Specifies the .pem file that contains both the TLS/SSL certificate and key for the mongo shell. Specify the file name of the .pem file using relative or absolute paths.

This option is required when using the --tls option to connect to a mongod or mongos instance that requires client certificates. That is, the mongo shell present this certificate to the server.

Changed in version 4.4: mongod / mongos logs a warning on connection if the presented x.509 certificate expires within 30 days of the mongod/mongos host system time. See x.509 Certificates Nearing Expiry Trigger Warnings for more information.

For more information about TLS/SSL and MongoDB, see Configure mongod and mongos for TLS/SSL and TLS/SSL Configuration for Clients .

--tlsCertificateKeyFilePassword <value>

New in version 4.2.

Specifies the password to de-crypt the certificate-key file (i.e. --tlsCertificateKeyFile).

Use the --tlsCertificateKeyFilePassword option only if the certificate-key file is encrypted. In all cases, the mongo will redact the password from all logging and reporting output.

If the private key in the PEM file is encrypted and you do not specify the --tlsCertificateKeyFilePassword option, the mongo will prompt for a passphrase. See TLS/SSL Certificate Passphrase.

For more information about TLS/SSL and MongoDB, see Configure mongod and mongos for TLS/SSL and TLS/SSL Configuration for Clients .

--tlsCAFile <filename>

New in version 4.2.

Specifies the .pem file that contains the root certificate chain from the Certificate Authority. This file is used to validate the certificate presented by the mongod/mongos instance.

Specify the file name of the .pem file using relative or absolute paths.

Starting in version 3.2.6, if --tlsCAFile or net.tls.CAFile (or their aliases --sslCAFile or ssl.CAFile) is not specified, the system-wide CA certificate store will be used when connecting to an TLS/SSL-enabled server. In previous versions of MongoDB, the mongo shell exited with an error that it could not validate the certificate.

To use x.509 authentication, --tlsCAFile or net.tls.CAFile must be specified unless using --tlsCertificateSelector or --net.tls.certificateSelector. Or if using the ssl aliases, --sslCAFile or net.ssl.CAFile must be specified unless using --sslCertificateSelector or net.ssl.certificateSelector.

For more information about TLS/SSL and MongoDB, see Configure mongod and mongos for TLS/SSL and TLS/SSL Configuration for Clients .

--tlsCRLFile <filename>

New in version 4.2: In MongoDB 4.0 and earlier, see --sslCRLFile.

Specifies the .pem file that contains the Certificate Revocation List. Specify the file name of the .pem file using relative or absolute paths.

For more information about TLS/SSL and MongoDB, see Configure mongod and mongos for TLS/SSL and TLS/SSL Configuration for Clients .

Note

Starting in version 4.4, to check for certificate revocation, MongoDB enables the use of OCSP (Online Certificate Status Protocol) by default as an alternative to specifying a CRL file or using the system SSL certificate store.

--tlsAllowInvalidHostnames

New in version 4.2.

Disables the validation of the hostnames in the certificate presented by the mongod/mongos instance. Allows mongo to connect to MongoDB instances even if the hostname in the server certificates do not match the server’s host.

For more information about TLS/SSL and MongoDB, see Configure mongod and mongos for TLS/SSL and TLS/SSL Configuration for Clients .

--tlsAllowInvalidCertificates

New in version 4.2.

Bypasses the validation checks for the certificates presented by the mongod/mongos instance and allows connections to servers that present invalid certificates.

Note

Starting in MongoDB 4.0, if you specify --sslAllowInvalidCertificates or net.ssl.allowInvalidCertificates: true (or in MongoDB 4.2, the alias --tlsAllowInvalidateCertificates or net.tls.allowInvalidCertificates: true) when using x.509 authentication, an invalid certificate is only sufficient to establish a TLS/SSL connection but is insufficient for authentication.

Warning

Although available, avoid using the --sslAllowInvalidCertificates option if possible. If the use of --sslAllowInvalidCertificates is necessary, only use the option on systems where intrusion is not possible.

If the mongo shell (and other MongoDB Tools) runs with the --sslAllowInvalidCertificates option, the mongo shell (and other MongoDB Tools) will not attempt to validate the server certificates. This creates a vulnerability to expired mongod and mongos certificates as well as to foreign processes posing as valid mongod or mongos instances. If you only need to disable the validation of the hostname in the TLS/SSL certificates, see --sslAllowInvalidHostnames.

When using the allowInvalidCertificates setting, MongoDB logs as a warning the use of the invalid certificate.

For more information about TLS/SSL and MongoDB, see Configure mongod and mongos for TLS/SSL and TLS/SSL Configuration for Clients .

--tlsFIPSMode

New in version 4.2.

Directs the mongo to use the FIPS mode of the TLS/SSL library. Your system must have a FIPS compliant library to use the --tlsFIPSMode option.

Note

FIPS-compatible TLS/SSL is available only in MongoDB Enterprise. See Configure MongoDB for FIPS for more information.

--tlsCertificateSelector <parameter>=<value>

New in version 4.2: Available on Windows and macOS as an alternative to --tlsCertificateKeyFile.

The --tlsCertificateKeyFile and --tlsCertificateSelector options are mutually exclusive. You can only specify one.

Specifies a certificate property in order to select a matching certificate from the operating system’s certificate store.

--tlsCertificateSelector accepts an argument of the format <property>=<value> where the property can be one of the following:

Property	Value type	Description
subject	ASCII string	Subject name or common name on certificate
thumbprint	hex string	A sequence of bytes, expressed as hexadecimal, used to identify a public key by its SHA-1 digest. The thumbprint is sometimes referred to as a fingerprint.

When using the system SSL certificate store, OCSP (Online Certificate Status Protocol) is used to validate the revocation status of certificates.

Changed in version 4.4: mongod / mongos logs a warning on connection if the presented x.509 certificate expires within 30 days of the mongod/mongos host system time. See x.509 Certificates Nearing Expiry Trigger Warnings for more information.

--tlsDisabledProtocols <string>

New in version 4.2.

Disables the specified TLS protocols. The option recognizes the following protocols: TLS1_0, TLS1_1, TLS1_2, and starting in version 4.0.4 (and 3.6.9 and 3.4.24), TLS1_3.

• On macOS, you cannot disable TLS1_1 and leave both TLS1_0 and TLS1_2 enabled. You must also disable at least one of the other two; for example, TLS1_0,TLS1_1.
• To list multiple protocols, specify as a comma separated list of protocols. For example TLS1_0,TLS1_1.
• The specified disabled protocols overrides any default disabled protocols.

Starting in version 4.0, MongoDB disables the use of TLS 1.0 if TLS 1.1+ is available on the system. To enable the disabled TLS 1.0, specify none to --tlsDisabledProtocols. See Disable TLS 1.0.

SSL Options (Deprecated)

Important

Starting in version 4.2, the SSL options are deprecated. Use the TLS counterparts instead. The SSL protocol is deprecated and MongoDB supports TLS 1.0 and later.

Note

Starting in version 4.0, mongo disables support for TLS 1.0 encryption on systems where TLS 1.1+ is available. For more details, see Disable TLS 1.0.

--ssl

Deprecated since version 4.2: Use --tls instead.

Enables connection to a mongod or mongos that has TLS/SSL support enabled.

Starting in version 3.2.6, if --tlsCAFile or net.tls.CAFile (or their aliases --sslCAFile or ssl.CAFile) is not specified, the system-wide CA certificate store will be used when connecting to an TLS/SSL-enabled server. In previous versions of MongoDB, the mongo shell exited with an error that it could not validate the certificate.

To use x.509 authentication, --tlsCAFile or net.tls.CAFile must be specified unless using --tlsCertificateSelector or --net.tls.certificateSelector. Or if using the ssl aliases, --sslCAFile or net.ssl.CAFile must be specified unless using --sslCertificateSelector or net.ssl.certificateSelector.

For more information about TLS/SSL and MongoDB, see Configure mongod and mongos for TLS/SSL and TLS/SSL Configuration for Clients .

--sslPEMKeyFile <filename>

Deprecated since version 4.2: Use --tlsCertificateKeyFile instead.

Specifies the .pem file that contains both the TLS/SSL certificate and key. Specify the file name of the .pem file using relative or absolute paths.

This option is required when using the --ssl option to connect to a mongod or mongos that has CAFile enabled without allowConnectionsWithoutCertificates.

For more information about TLS/SSL and MongoDB, see Configure mongod and mongos for TLS/SSL and TLS/SSL Configuration for Clients .

--sslPEMKeyPassword <value>

Deprecated since version 4.2: Use --tlsCertificateKeyFilePassword instead.

Specifies the password to de-crypt the certificate-key file (i.e. --sslPEMKeyFile). Use the --sslPEMKeyPassword option only if the certificate-key file is encrypted. In all cases, the mongo will redact the password from all logging and reporting output.

If the private key in the PEM file is encrypted and you do not specify the --sslPEMKeyPassword option, the mongo will prompt for a passphrase. See TLS/SSL Certificate Passphrase.

For more information about TLS/SSL and MongoDB, see Configure mongod and mongos for TLS/SSL and TLS/SSL Configuration for Clients .

--sslCAFile <filename>

Deprecated since version 4.2: Use --tlsCAFile instead.

Specifies the .pem file that contains the root certificate chain from the Certificate Authority. Specify the file name of the .pem file using relative or absolute paths.

Starting in version 3.2.6, if --tlsCAFile or net.tls.CAFile (or their aliases --sslCAFile or ssl.CAFile) is not specified, the system-wide CA certificate store will be used when connecting to an TLS/SSL-enabled server. In previous versions of MongoDB, the mongo shell exited with an error that it could not validate the certificate.

To use x.509 authentication, --tlsCAFile or net.tls.CAFile must be specified unless using --tlsCertificateSelector or --net.tls.certificateSelector. Or if using the ssl aliases, --sslCAFile or net.ssl.CAFile must be specified unless using --sslCertificateSelector or net.ssl.certificateSelector.

For more information about TLS/SSL and MongoDB, see Configure mongod and mongos for TLS/SSL and TLS/SSL Configuration for Clients .

--sslCertificateSelector <parameter>=<value>

Deprecated since version 4.2: Use --tlsCertificateSelector instead.

New in version 4.0: Available on Windows and macOS as an alternative to --tlsCertificateKeyFile.

--tlsCertificateKeyFile and --sslCertificateSelector options are mutually exclusive. You can only specify one.

Specifies a certificate property in order to select a matching certificate from the operating system’s certificate store.

--sslCertificateSelector accepts an argument of the format <property>=<value> where the property can be one of the following:

Property	Value type	Description
subject	ASCII string	Subject name or common name on certificate
thumbprint	hex string	A sequence of bytes, expressed as hexadecimal, used to identify a public key by its SHA-1 digest. The thumbprint is sometimes referred to as a fingerprint.

When using the system SSL certificate store, OCSP (Online Certificate Status Protocol) is used to validate the revocation status of certificates.

--sslCRLFile <filename>

Deprecated since version 4.2: Use --tlsCRLFile instead.

Specifies the .pem file that contains the Certificate Revocation List. Specify the file name of the .pem file using relative or absolute paths.

Note

Starting in version 4.4, to check for certificate revocation, MongoDB enables the use of OCSP (Online Certificate Status Protocol) by default as an alternative to specifying a CRL file or using the system SSL certificate store.

For more information about TLS/SSL and MongoDB, see Configure mongod and mongos for TLS/SSL and TLS/SSL Configuration for Clients .

--sslFIPSMode

Deprecated since version 4.2: Use --tlsFIPSMode instead.

Directs the mongo to use the FIPS mode of the TLS/SSL library. Your system must have a FIPS compliant library to use the --sslFIPSMode option.

Note

FIPS-compatible TLS/SSL is available only in MongoDB Enterprise. See Configure MongoDB for FIPS for more information.

--sslAllowInvalidCertificates

Deprecated since version 4.2: Use --tlsAllowInvalidCertificates instead.

Bypasses the validation checks for server certificates and allows the use of invalid certificates to connect.

Note

Starting in MongoDB 4.0, if you specify --sslAllowInvalidCertificates or net.ssl.allowInvalidCertificates: true (or in MongoDB 4.2, the alias --tlsAllowInvalidateCertificates or net.tls.allowInvalidCertificates: true) when using x.509 authentication, an invalid certificate is only sufficient to establish a TLS/SSL connection but is insufficient for authentication.

Warning

Although available, avoid using the --sslAllowInvalidCertificates option if possible. If the use of --sslAllowInvalidCertificates is necessary, only use the option on systems where intrusion is not possible.

If the mongo shell (and other MongoDB Tools) runs with the --sslAllowInvalidCertificates option, the mongo shell (and other MongoDB Tools) will not attempt to validate the server certificates. This creates a vulnerability to expired mongod and mongos certificates as well as to foreign processes posing as valid mongod or mongos instances. If you only need to disable the validation of the hostname in the TLS/SSL certificates, see --sslAllowInvalidHostnames.

When using the allowInvalidCertificates setting, MongoDB logs as a warning the use of the invalid certificate.

For more information about TLS/SSL and MongoDB, see Configure mongod and mongos for TLS/SSL and TLS/SSL Configuration for Clients .

--sslAllowInvalidHostnames

Deprecated since version 4.2: Use --tlsAllowInvalidHostnames instead.

Disables the validation of the hostnames in TLS/SSL certificates. Allows mongo to connect to MongoDB instances even if the hostname in their certificates do not match the specified hostname.

For more information about TLS/SSL and MongoDB, see Configure mongod and mongos for TLS/SSL and TLS/SSL Configuration for Clients .

--sslDisabledProtocols <string>

Deprecated since version 4.2: Use --tlsDisabledProtocols instead.

Disables the specified TLS protocols. The option recognizes the following protocols: TLS1_0, TLS1_1, TLS1_2, and starting in version 4.0.4 (and 3.6.9), TLS1_3.

• On macOS, you cannot disable TLS1_1 and leave both TLS1_0 and TLS1_2 enabled. You must also disable at least one of the other two; for example, TLS1_0,TLS1_1.
• To list multiple protocols, specify as a comma separated list of protocols. For example TLS1_0,TLS1_1.
• The specified disabled protocols overrides any default disabled protocols.

Starting in version 4.0, MongoDB disables the use of TLS 1.0 if TLS 1.1+ is available on the system. To enable the disabled TLS 1.0, specify none to --sslDisabledProtocols. See Disable TLS 1.0.

New in version 3.6.5.

Sessions

--retryWrites

New in version 3.6.

Enables retryable writes as the default for sessions in the mongo shell.

For more information on sessions, see Client Sessions and Causal Consistency Guarantees.

Client-Side Field Level Encryption Options

--awsAccessKeyId <string>

An AWS Access Key associated to an IAM user with List and Read permissions for the AWS Key Management Service (KMS). The mongo shell uses the specified --awsAccessKeyId to access the KMS.

--awsAccessKeyId is required for enabling Client-Side Field Level Encryption for the mongo shell session. --awsAccessKeyId requires all of the following command line options:

• --awsSecretAccessKey
• --keyVaultNamespace

If --awsAccessKeyId is omitted, use the Mongo() constructor within the shell session to enable client-side field level encryption.

To mitigate the risk of leaking access keys into logs, consider specifying an environmental variable to --awsAccessKeyId.

--awsSecretAccessKey <string>

An AWS Secret Key associated to the specified --awsAccessKeyId.

--awsSecretAccessKey is required for enabling Client-Side Field Level Encryption for the mongo shell session. --awsSecretAccessKey requires all of the following command line options:

• --awsAccessKeyId
• --keyVaultNamespace

If --awsSecretAccessKey and its supporting options are omitted, use Mongo() within the shell session to enable client-side field level encryption.

To mitigate the risk of leaking access keys into logs, consider specifying an environmental variable to --awsSecretAccessKey.

--awsSessionToken <string>

An AWS Session Token associated to the specified --awsAccessKeyId.

--awsSessionToken is required for enabling Client-Side Field Level Encryption for the mongo shell session. --awsSessionToken requires all of the following command line options:

• --awsAccessKeyId
• --awsSecretAccessKey
• --keyVaultNamespace

If --awsSessionToken and its supporting options are omitted, use Mongo() within the shell session to enable client-side field level encryption.

To mitigate the risk of leaking access keys into logs, consider specifying an environmental variable to --awsSessionToken.

--keyVaultNamespace <string>

The full namespace (<database>.<collection>) of the collection used as a key vault for Client-Side Field Level Encryption. --keyVaultNamespace is required for enabling client-side field level encryption. for the mongo shell session. mongo creates the specified namespace if it does not exist.

--keyVaultNamespace requires all of the following command line options:

• --awsAccessKeyId
• --awsSecretAccessKey

If --keyVaultNamespace and its supporting options are omitted, use the Mongo() constructor within the shell session to enable client-side field level encryption.

Files

~/.dbshell

mongo maintains a history of commands in the .dbshell file.

Note

mongo does not record interaction related to authentication in the history file, including authenticate and db.createUser().

~/.mongorc.js

mongo will read the .mongorc.js file from the home directory of the user invoking mongo. In the file, users can define variables, customize the mongo shell prompt, or update information that they would like updated every time they launch a shell. If you use the shell to evaluate a JavaScript file or expression either on the command line with mongo --eval or by specifying a .js file to mongo, mongo will read the .mongorc.js file after the JavaScript has finished processing.

Specify the --norc option to disable reading .mongorc.js.

/etc/mongorc.js

Global mongorc.js file which the mongo shell evaluates upon start-up. If a user also has a .mongorc.js file located in the HOME directory, the mongo shell evaluates the global /etc/mongorc.js file before evaluating the user’s .mongorc.js file.

/etc/mongorc.js must have read permission for the user running the shell. The --norc option for mongo suppresses only the user’s .mongorc.js file.

On Windows, the global mongorc.js </etc/mongorc.js> exists in the %ProgramData%\MongoDB directory.

/tmp/mongo_edit<time_t>.js

Created by mongo when editing a file. If the file exists, mongo will append an integer from 1 to 10 to the time value to attempt to create a unique file.

%TEMP%mongo_edit<time_t>.js

Created by mongo.exe on Windows when editing a file. If the file exists, mongo will append an integer from 1 to 10 to the time value to attempt to create a unique file.

Environment

EDITOR

Specifies the path to an editor to use with the edit shell command. A JavaScript variable EDITOR will override the value of EDITOR.

HOME

Specifies the path to the home directory where mongo will read the .mongorc.js file and write the .dbshell file.

HOMEDRIVE

On Windows systems, HOMEDRIVE specifies the path the directory where mongo will read the .mongorc.js file and write the .dbshell file.

HOMEPATH

Specifies the Windows path to the home directory where mongo will read the .mongorc.js file and write the .dbshell file.

Keyboard Shortcuts

The mongo shell supports the following keyboard shortcuts: [1]

Keybinding	Function
Up arrow	Retrieve previous command from history
Down-arrow	Retrieve next command from history
Home	Go to beginning of the line
End	Go to end of the line
Tab	Autocomplete method/command
Left-arrow	Go backward one character
Right-arrow	Go forward one character
Ctrl-left-arrow	Go backward one word
Ctrl-right-arrow	Go forward one word
Meta-left-arrow	Go backward one word
Meta-right-arrow	Go forward one word
Ctrl-A	Go to the beginning of the line
Ctrl-B	Go backward one character
Ctrl-C	Exit the mongo shell
Ctrl-D	Delete a char (or exit the mongo shell)
Ctrl-E	Go to the end of the line
Ctrl-F	Go forward one character
Ctrl-G	Abort
Ctrl-J	Accept/evaluate the line
Ctrl-K	Kill/erase the line
Ctrl-L or type cls	Clear the screen
Ctrl-M	Accept/evaluate the line
Ctrl-N	Retrieve next command from history
Ctrl-P	Retrieve previous command from history
Ctrl-R	Reverse-search command history
Ctrl-S	Forward-search command history
Ctrl-T	Transpose characters
Ctrl-U	Perform Unix line-discard
Ctrl-W	Perform Unix word-rubout
Ctrl-Y	Yank
Ctrl-Z	Suspend (job control works in linux)
Ctrl-H	Backward-delete a character
Ctrl-I	Complete, same as Tab
Meta-B	Go backward one word
Meta-C	Capitalize word
Meta-D	Kill word
Meta-F	Go forward one word
Meta-L	Change word to lowercase
Meta-U	Change word to uppercase
Meta-Y	Yank-pop
Meta-Backspace	Backward-kill word
Meta-<	Retrieve the first command in command history
Meta->	Retrieve the last command in command history

[1]	MongoDB accommodates multiple keybinding. Since 2.0, mongo includes support for basic emacs keybindings.

Use

Typically users invoke the shell with the mongo command at the system prompt. Consider the following examples for other scenarios.

Connect to a mongod Instance with Access Control

To connect to a database on a remote host using authentication and a non-standard port, use the following form:

copy

mongo --username <user> --password --host <host> --port 28015

Alternatively, consider the following short form:

copy

mongo -u <user> -p  --host <host> --port 28015

Replace <user> and <host> with the appropriate values for your situation and substitute or omit the --port as needed.

If you do not specify the password to the --password or -p command-line option, the mongo shell prompts for the password.

Connect to a Replica Set Using the DNS Seedlist Connection Format

New in version 3.6.

To connect to a replica set described using the DNS Seed List Connection Format, use the --host option to specify the connection string to the mongo shell. In the following example, the DNS configuration resembles:

copy

Record                            TTL   Class    Priority Weight Port  Target
_mongodb._tcp.server.example.com. 86400 IN SRV   0        5      27317 mongodb1.example.com.
_mongodb._tcp.server.example.com. 86400 IN SRV   0        5      27017 mongodb2.example.com.

The TXT record for the DNS entry includes the replicaSet and authSource options:

copy

Record              TTL   Class    Text
server.example.com. 86400 IN TXT   "replicaSet=rs0&authSource=admin"

The following command then connects the mongo shell to the replica set:

copy

mongo --host "mongodb+srv://server.example.com/?username=allison"

The mongo shell will automatically prompt you to provide the password for the user specified in the username option.

Connect to a MongoDB Atlas Cluster using AWS IAM Credentials

New in version 4.4.

To connect to a MongoDB Atlas cluster which has been configured to support authentication via AWS IAM credentials, provide a connection string to the mongo shell similar to the following:

copy

mongo 'mongodb+srv://<aws access key id>:<aws secret access key>@cluster0.example.com/testdb?authSource=$external&authMechanism=MONGODB-AWS'

Connecting to Atlas using AWS IAM credentials in this manner uses the MONGODB-AWS authentication mechanism and the $external authSource, as shown in this example.

If using an AWS session token as well, provide it with the AWS_SESSION_TOKEN authMechanismProperties value in your connection string, as follows:

copy

mongo 'mongodb+srv://<aws access key id>:<aws secret access key>@cluster0.example.com/testdb?authSource=$external&authMechanism=MONGODB-AWS&authMechanismProperties=AWS_SESSION_TOKEN:<aws session token>'

If the AWS access key ID, secret access key, or session token include the ‘at’ sign @, colon :, slash /, or the percent sign % characters, those characters must be converted using percent encoding.

Alternatively, the AWS access key ID, and secret access key, and optionally session token can each be provided outside of the connection string using the --username, --password, and --awsIamSessionToken options instead, like so:

copy

mongo 'mongodb+srv://cluster0.example.com/testdb?authSource=$external&authMechanism=MONGODB-AWS' --username <aws access key id> --password <aws secret access key> --awsIamSessionToken <aws session token>

When provided as command line parameters, these three options do not require percent encoding.

You may also set these credentials on your platform using standard AWS IAM environment variables. The mongo shell checks for the following environment variables when you use the MONGODB-AWS authentication mechanism:

• AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID
• AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY
• AWS_SESSION_TOKEN

If set, these credentials do not need to be specified in the connection string or via the explicit options to the mongo shell (i.e. --username and --password).

The following example sets these environment variables in the bash shell:

copy

export AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID='<aws access key id>'
export AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY='<aws secret access key>'
export AWS_SESSION_TOKEN='<aws session token>'

Syntax for setting environment variables in other shells will be different. Consult the documentation for your platform for more information.

You can verify that these environment variables have been set with the following command:

copy

env | grep AWS

Once set, the following example connects to a MongoDB Atlas cluster using these environment variables:

copy

mongo 'mongodb+srv://cluster0.example.com/testdb?authSource=$external&authMechanism=MONGODB-AWS'

Execute JavaScript Against the mongo Shell

To execute a JavaScript file without evaluating the ~/.mongorc.js file before starting a shell session, use the following form:

copy

mongo --shell --norc alternate-environment.js

To execute a JavaScript file with authentication, with password prompted rather than provided on the command-line, use the following form:

copy

mongo script-file.js -u <user> -p

See also

isInteractive()

Use --eval to Execute JavaScript Code

You may use the --eval option to execute JavaScript directly from the command line.

For example, the following operation evaluates a JavaScript string which queries a collection and prints the results as JSON.

On Linux and macOS, you will need to use single quotes (e.g. ') to enclose the JavaScript, using the following form:

copy

mongo --eval 'db.collection.find().forEach(printjson)'

On Windows, you will need to use double quotes (e.g. ") to enclose the JavaScript, using the following form:

copy

mongo --eval "db.collection.find().forEach(printjson)"

See also

• mongo Shell Quick Reference
• mongo Shell Methods
• The mongo Shell
• isInteractive()

←   mongos mongod.exe  →

© MongoDB, Inc 2008-present. MongoDB, Mongo, and the leaf logo are registered trademarks of MongoDB, Inc.