MongoDB Atlas CLI: Full API Coverage and Faster Updates

Jeroen Vervaeke

We’re thrilled to announce that starting today, you can access every feature in the MongoDB Atlas Administration API from the MongoDB Atlas CLI. This significant enhancement means that you’ll also get new features quicker than ever, within just days of their launch. No more hoping for feature support or switching between interfaces. If it’s in the MongoDB Atlas Admin API, it’s in your Atlas CLI.

Full parity with the API

Until now, you had to wait for the Atlas CLI team to manually implement support for new MongoDB Atlas Administration API endpoints. Those days are over. Every MongoDB Atlas capability, whether it launched today or has been around for years, will now automatically become available from your command line.

With the new atlas api subcommands, you get:

  • Full feature parity with the MongoDB Atlas Administration API.

  • Quicker access to future MongoDB Atlas Administration API features.

  • A unified, predictable command structure that makes automation easy.

  • Simplified handling of long-running operations with the ⁠--watch flag, eliminating the need for complex polling logic.

  • The ability to pin a desired API version, ensuring your scripts remain reliable even if you update the CLI.

The reason we built this

We prioritized this feature to ensure our users could use all capabilities exposed by the MongoDB Atlas Administration API through the Atlas CLI without delays. This isn’t about adding new capabilities to MongoDB Atlas but about making existing API functionality accessible through the Atlas CLI, eliminating the previous gap in functionality.

Our goal was simple: If a feature exists in the MongoDB Atlas Administration API, you should be able to access it through the CLI immediately, not weeks or months later. Now you can.

The CLI simplifies API interactions

With the arrival of the complete coverage of the MongoDB Atlas Administration API in the MongoDB Atlas CLI, users no longer need to implement workarounds in order to make use of these endpoints. For example:

  • Authentication: The CLI makes API interactions simpler by automatically handling authentication. This means you don’t have to manage tokens or credentials on your own when making requests to endpoints that need authentication.

  • Monitoring long-running operations: The CLI offers a powerful--watch flag for all API subcommands. This feature automatically monitors long-running operations until they are completed, eliminating the need to implement polling loops manually. Without this flag, you would have to repeatedly check the operation status by directly calling the API.

Let’s take a look at an example of how the --watch flag simplifies waiting for long-running operations.

atlas api clusters createCluster --file clusterspec.json --watch

This command creates a cluster and waits until it’s fully provisioned before returning, eliminating the need for complex polling logic in your scripts.

Practical applications

The atlas api subcommands enable powerful workflows that were previously unavailable in the CLI:

  • Cluster outage simulation: Simulate regional outage scenarios directly through the CLI. You can now script tests that simulate an entire cloud provider’s region being down, helping ensure your applications remain resilient during actual outages.

  • Invoice investigation: Generate custom reports and retrieve billing information programmatically. Need to pull invoice data for your finance team? That’s now a simple CLI command away.

  • Access tracking: Monitor and manage user access patterns across your MongoDB Atlas resources, enhancing your security posture without leaving the command line.

These are just a few of the features now available through the new atlas api subcommands. Visit our documentation to explore the full range of available commands.

Robust and fully documented API subcommands

All atlas api subcommands are auto-generated from our OpenAPI specification, ensuring they stay up to date with the latest Atlas Administration API features. Additionally, these subcommands are versioned, which ensures that your scripts won’t break when the API updates —a critical feature for reliable automation.

For detailed information on syntax and usage, please refer to our comprehensive documentation.

Status: In public preview and ready for your feedback

The introduction of atlas api subcommands represents a significant advancement in making MongoDB Atlas more accessible and automatable. By bringing the full power of the MongoDB Atlas Administration API to the command line, we’re enabling anyone who automates their MongoDB Atlas cloud to work more efficiently.

Whether you’re managing infrastructure, implementing testing protocols, or generating reports, these new capabilities can transform your MongoDB Atlas experience—all without leaving the command line.

As this feature is currently in public preview, we’re actively seeking your input.

Here is how to get started:

Your feedback helps us understand how you’re using these capabilities and what improvements would make them even more valuable to your workflows.

Learn more about the MongoDB Atlas CLI through our documentation.