Getting Started with Node.js and MongoDB

This guide provides a beginner-friendly introduction to using Node.js with MongoDB, a popular NoSQL database. Below are the key concepts and steps to get started.

Key Concepts

• Node.js: A JavaScript runtime built on Chrome's V8 engine that allows you to run JavaScript on the server side.
• MongoDB: A NoSQL database that stores data in flexible, JSON-like documents, making it easy to work with large amounts of data.

Setting Up Your Environment

1. Install Node.js: Download and install Node.js from the official website.
2. Install MongoDB: Download and install MongoDB from the official MongoDB website.

Install MongoDB Driver: Use npm (Node Package Manager) to install the MongoDB driver.

npm install mongodb

Basic Operations

1. Connecting to MongoDB

To connect to a MongoDB database, use the following code snippet:

const { MongoClient } = require('mongodb');

// Replace with your MongoDB connection string
const url = 'mongodb://localhost:27017';
const client = new MongoClient(url);

async function run() {
    try {
        await client.connect();
        console.log("Connected correctly to server");
    } finally {
        await client.close();
    }
}
run().catch(console.dir);

2. CRUD Operations

Delete: Remove data from the database.

const deleteResult = await collection.deleteOne({ name: "John" });
console.log('Deleted document count:', deleteResult.deletedCount);

Update: Modify existing data.

const updateResult = await collection.updateOne(
    { name: "John" },
    { $set: { age: 31 } }
);
console.log('Updated document count:', updateResult.modifiedCount);

Read: Retrieve data from the database.

const findResult = await collection.findOne({ name: "John" });
console.log('Found document:', findResult);

Create: Insert data into the database.

const db = client.db('sampleDB');
const collection = db.collection('sampleCollection');

const insertResult = await collection.insertOne({ name: "John", age: 30 });
console.log('Inserted document:', insertResult.insertedId);

Conclusion

With Node.js and MongoDB, you can build powerful applications that handle data efficiently. The examples provided illustrate basic CRUD operations, which are essential for interacting with any database. As you become more comfortable, you can explore more advanced features and functionalities.