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In this section we will talk about our MongoDB DATABASE SETUP!! ✨

Since we're mastered setting our our Express backend, now let's try to save our data somewhere!

Create Account and Connect to MongoDB ✨

Let's learn how to first setup our MongoDB! (credits to Simon's notes but brought here for your convenience~)

1. Create FREE Atlas Account​

(You can use Google Login)

2. Welcome to ATLAS​

(Fill in anything you'd like but here's an example below) step 1

3. Create a Database​

step 2

To note you can name the cluster whatever you'd like but remember to add it into your DATABASE_URL which we will introduce later into your .env file!

4. Create a Database User​

This is so that you can access your database using the application you've created step 3

You will then see this page step 4

REMEMBER TO TAKE NOTE OF YOUR CREDENTIALS YA!! You will also need it in your DATABASE_URL

5. Allow your database to be accessed from any IP-Address (anywhereeee~~~)​

If you don't do this you won't be able to connect!!

  • Scroll down to the second step: Where would you like to connect from?
  • In the IP Address field, enter the text 0.0.0.0/0 exactly as shown below.
  • In the description, write Anywhere. Then click the Add Entry button.

step 5

  • Finish and close

step 6

6. Get the CONNECTION STRING​

(we will use this as a connection for our app to our database!)

  • click Connect button

step 7

  • select Drivers

step 8

  • copy the string and ADD IT INTO YOU .env file it will look like this
DATABASE_URL=<this-is-my-string-here-without-any-quotes>

❗️ please set up your .env file and gitignore - see .env & gitignore file notes

step 9

The string will look like this: mongodb+srv://<username>:<password>@<cluster-name>.uwdsn12.mongodb.net/<database-name>?retryWrites=true&w=majority

REPLACE <username>, <password> and <database-name> respectively, usually cluster-name would've been prefilled.

  • add in the exact database you'd like to connect to in the string!

IMPORTANT! add in the database string you want to connect to! The connection string does not include a database name by default.You'll add an appropriate database name between the /? part of the connection string for each project.

For example, if you have a project named mongoose-movies, you could give the database the same name: mongodb+srv://<username>:<password>@<cluster-name>.uwdsn12.mongodb.net/mongoose-movies?retryWrites=true&w=majority

View the data in my MongoDB Database!​

So now that you've created a database, although you do not have any data in it right not (you've to create the data by using Bruno and your application~) but you can still access it!

step 10

View the data in your MongoDB Compass​

  1. Download MongoDB Compass
  2. Add in the same URL that you've added into your .env file as DATABASE_URL
  3. Connect! ~