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Embedded MongoDB Shell

Starting in version 1.22, MongoDB Compass contains an embedded shell, mongosh. mongosh is a JavaScript environment for interacting with MongoDB deployments. You can use mongosh to test queries and operations in your database.

To open the embedded mongosh,you can either:

  • Click >_ on the right of your deployment name in the Connections Sidebar.

  • Click >_Open MongoDB shell in the top right of any tab connected to a MongoDB deployment.

By default, mongosh, connects to the test database. To use a different database, run the following command in mongosh:

use <database name>

To run an operation in the embedded MongoDB Shell, type the operation into the shell and press Enter.

The following example runs a db.collection.find() operation:

Example

db.employees.find( { "last_name": "Smith" } )

To write an operation that spans multiple lines in the embedded mongosh, begin with the first line, then press Shift + Enter to move to the next line of code.

When you are finished writing your operation, press Enter to run it.

The following multi-line example runs the $match stage in an aggregation pipeline:

Example

db.employees.aggregate( [ // press Shift + Enter
{ $match: { "last_name": "Smith" } } // press Shift + Enter
] ) // Press Enter

You can disable the embedded MongoDB shell in Compass to avoid running unauthorized commands on mongosh.

To disable the embedded MongoDB shell:

1
2

Compass opens a dialog box where you configure your MongoDB Compass settings.

3

If you select Set Read-Only Mode, Compass automatically unchecks the Enable MongoDB Shell setting.

4

The following links direct to the mongosh documentation, which contains more a complete reference for mongosh, including syntax and behaviors.