Reasons to learn MongoDB

Companies and developers are increasingly turning to MongoDB, a database system that offers better flexibility and features as compared to others in the market. MongoDB is a scalable and flexible document database that provides powerful analytics and storage capabilities. The best part – it’s absolutely free!

The main difference between MongoDB and traditional relational databases is that the former is a document-oriented and NoSQL database. Unlike relational systems like MySQL and Oracle that use tables, columns, and rows for storing data, MongoDB uses JSON-like documents for storing data. This allows users to work with different data types. Also, you won’t have to work with the same data structures of fields forever.

In this article, we will be discussing the reasons why MongoDB is becoming so popular and why you should learn it.

Related Article: Top MongoDB Tools

How is MongoDB better than other databases?

• Aggregation framework – With MongoDB, you can use MapReduce for aggregation operations as well as batch processing of data. MapReduce is a process in which datasets are processed and distributed and parallel algorithms are used on clusters for generating results. There are two sets of operations involves:

• Map() – performs operations such as filtering data and sorting the dataset.
  • Reduce() – performs operations like summarizing data after map() operation.

• BSON format – BSON or Binary JSON is the binary-encoded serialization of JSON-like documents that is used by MongoDB for storing documents in collections. BSON format also enables us to map and internally index document properties. It has been designed to be more efficient in speed and size. Also, it increases MongoDB’s read/write throughput.

• Sharding – Scaling is a major issue for any web or mobile application. For this, MongoDB offers sharding features. Sharding is a method where data is distributed across different machines. Through sharding, horizontal scalability can be provided. It is a complex process that can be done using several shards. Each shard will hold a part of the data and will function as a separate database. As all the shards merge together, a single logical database will be formed. Operations are performed by query routers.

• Ad hoc queries – MongoDB supports regular expressions, range queries, and several types of searches. It can support ad hoc queries by indexing BSON documents or using a unique query language.

• Schema-Less – MongoDB is a schema-less database that is written in C++. It offers more flexibility than the traditional database. For saving an object, all you have to do is serialize it to JSON.

• Capped Collections – MongoDB has a fixed size of collections that supports capped collections. It also helps in maintaining the insertion order. If the limit is reached, it will start behaving like a circular queue.

• Indexing – Indexes have been created for improving the performance of searches. Any field can be indexed in the MongoDB document. This helps in resolving queries efficiently.

• MongoDB Management Service (MMS) – This is a powerful feature of MongoDB that allows you to track your machines or databases and can backup your data. It can also be used for tracking hardware metrics to manage deployment. MMS also provides custom alert features for discovering issues before the MongoDB instance will affect.

• File Storage – You can use MongoDB as a file storing system. It will help avoid data replication and load imbalance. This function is performed using the Grid File System which is included in the drivers that store files.

Reasons to learn MongoDB

There are several compelling reasons why you should start learning MongoDB for your development needs. Here are a few:

1. It is completely free to use – This is one of the best advantages of using MongoDB. Instead of spending money on database software that is less flexible and doesn’t have a strong community, you can just use MongoDB and save some money. You can even get a free version in the cloud along with the free trial version of MongoDB Atlas. Developers can use MongoDB to suit their own needs as it is transparent and can be easily modified.

• It makes complex tasks easier for developers – MongoDB is a document-oriented model that can be used with several programming languages. This way, it can satisfy the complex document requirements of several modern applications. And even though it can handle complicated tasks, learning the framework is not complicated at all. You will quickly get the hang of it.

• It is flexible and future-proof – When you use a rigid database system, you are forced to keep the data in a certain way. So, you are locked into whichever vendor you started with it. With the flexibility that MongoDB offers, this will no longer be an issue. Whenever you want, you can start using a new data structure.

• It is already used at several large organizations – MongoDB is already used at several large companies across different industries. The most popular ones being Gap, Adobe, eBay, Google, Intuit, Business Insider, and Verizon. Once you learn MongoDB, you will be able to give yourself extra marketability as more organizations adopt the software.

• It can be used in the cloud – Atlas is the SaaS version of MongoDB. You can use it for developing and deploying in the cloud easily and quickly. Check out their Getting Started guide for learning how to create an account, import data to Atlas, and launch a cluster.

• It does not require any web hosting or application services – MongoDB has a serverless platform known as Stitch that has removed the need for web hosting or application services. You can use the Stitch SDK for running JavaScript code, authenticating end users, accessing the data stores in Atlas, and much more. This just provides more evidence on how flexible MongoDB is.

• It is fast – MongoDB has made data processing faster and easier. However, this is valid for the data in the document format. You will be able to handle a large volume of unstructured data within a few seconds.

Now it must be clear why MongoDB has become so popular. If you want to take advantage of this opportunity, you can opt for a MongoDB certification course that will help you cover the fundamentals of the software through hands-on training.