Section 2: Installation

🐧 MongoDB Linux Installation

Complete step-by-step guide to install MongoDB Server on Ubuntu, Debian, RHEL, CentOS, and Fedora

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5+ Linux Distributions
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📖

Installation Overview

What you need to know

💡 About This Guide

This guide covers MongoDB Community Edition installation on popular Linux distributions using official MongoDB repositories. We'll use package managers (apt/yum/dnf) for easy installation and automatic updates.

⚠️ Important Notes
  • You need sudo/root privileges for installation
  • MongoDB requires 64-bit Linux systems
  • Minimum 2 GB RAM recommended (4 GB+ for production)
  • Default data directory: /var/lib/mongodb
  • Default config file: /etc/mongod.conf
  • Default port: 27017
✅

System Requirements

Supported distributions

  • Ubuntu: 20.04 LTS, 22.04 LTS, 24.04 LTS
  • Debian: 10 (Buster), 11 (Bullseye), 12 (Bookworm)
  • RHEL/CentOS: 7, 8, 9
  • Fedora: 37, 38, 39
  • Architecture: x86_64 (64-bit)
  • RAM: Minimum 2 GB (4 GB+ recommended)
  • Disk: 5 GB free space minimum
🟠

Ubuntu / Debian Installation

Using apt package manager

1
Import MongoDB GPG Key

Import the public key used by the package management system to verify package authenticity.

Terminal
$ curl -fsSL https://www.mongodb.org/static/pgp/server-7.0.asc | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/mongodb-server-7.0.gpg
💡 What this does Downloads MongoDB's GPG key and stores it in the system keyring to verify package signatures.
2
Add MongoDB Repository

Create a list file for MongoDB in your sources list directory.

For Ubuntu 22.04 (Jammy):

Terminal
$ echo "deb [ arch=amd64,arm64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/mongodb-server-7.0.gpg ] https://repo.mongodb.org/apt/ubuntu jammy/mongodb-org/7.0 multiverse" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mongodb-org-7.0.list

For Ubuntu 20.04 (Focal):

Terminal
$ echo "deb [ arch=amd64,arm64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/mongodb-server-7.0.gpg ] https://repo.mongodb.org/apt/ubuntu focal/mongodb-org/7.0 multiverse" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mongodb-org-7.0.list

For Debian 12 (Bookworm):

Terminal
$ echo "deb [ signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/mongodb-server-7.0.gpg ] http://repo.mongodb.org/apt/debian bookworm/mongodb-org/7.0 main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mongodb-org-7.0.list
⚠️ Choose the Correct Version! Replace "jammy", "focal", or "bookworm" with your distribution's codename. Check with: lsb_release -a
3
Update Package Database

Reload the local package database to include MongoDB packages.

Terminal
$ sudo apt-get update
4
Install MongoDB Packages

Install the latest stable version of MongoDB Community Edition.

Terminal
$ sudo apt-get install -y mongodb-org
Reading package lists... Done Building dependency tree... Done The following NEW packages will be installed: mongodb-database-tools mongodb-mongosh mongodb-org mongodb-org-database mongodb-org-mongos mongodb-org-server mongodb-org-shell mongodb-org-tools ... Setting up mongodb-org (7.0.x) ...
✅ Installation Complete! MongoDB is now installed. The packages include: mongod (server), mongos (sharding router), mongo/mongosh (shell), and various tools.
5
Start MongoDB Service

Start the MongoDB service and enable it to start on boot.

Terminal
# Start MongoDB $ sudo systemctl start mongod # Enable MongoDB to start on boot $ sudo systemctl enable mongod
Created symlink /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/mongod.service
# Check status $ sudo systemctl status mongod
● mongod.service - MongoDB Database Server Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/mongod.service; enabled) Active: active (running) since Mon 2024-12-14 10:30:45 UTC Docs: https://docs.mongodb.org/manual Main PID: 12345 (mongod) Memory: 65.2M CPU: 2.456s
🔴

RHEL / CentOS / Fedora Installation

Using yum or dnf package manager

1
Create MongoDB Repository File

Create a .repo file to install MongoDB with yum or dnf.

For RHEL 9 / Rocky Linux 9 / AlmaLinux 9:

Terminal
$ sudo tee /etc/yum.repos.d/mongodb-org-7.0.repo << EOF [mongodb-org-7.0] name=MongoDB Repository baseurl=https://repo.mongodb.org/yum/redhat/9/mongodb-org/7.0/x86_64/ gpgcheck=1 enabled=1 gpgkey=https://www.mongodb.org/static/pgp/server-7.0.asc EOF

For RHEL 8 / CentOS 8:

Terminal
$ sudo tee /etc/yum.repos.d/mongodb-org-7.0.repo << EOF [mongodb-org-7.0] name=MongoDB Repository baseurl=https://repo.mongodb.org/yum/redhat/8/mongodb-org/7.0/x86_64/ gpgcheck=1 enabled=1 gpgkey=https://www.mongodb.org/static/pgp/server-7.0.asc EOF
2
Install MongoDB Packages

Install MongoDB using yum (RHEL 7/8) or dnf (RHEL 9/Fedora).

Using yum (RHEL 7/8):

Terminal
$ sudo yum install -y mongodb-org

Using dnf (RHEL 9/Fedora):

Terminal
$ sudo dnf install -y mongodb-org
3
Start MongoDB Service

Start and enable MongoDB to run on system boot.

Terminal
# Start MongoDB $ sudo systemctl start mongod # Enable on boot $ sudo systemctl enable mongod # Verify status $ sudo systemctl status mongod
✓

Verify Installation

Confirm MongoDB is working

Connect to MongoDB

Use the MongoDB Shell (mongosh) to connect and verify.

MongoDB Shell
$ mongosh
Current Mongosh Log ID: 657b3a4c9e8a7b2c3d4e5f6a Connecting to: mongodb://127.0.0.1:27017 Using MongoDB: 7.0.5 Using Mongosh: 2.1.1 For mongosh info see: https://docs.mongodb.com/mongodb-shell/ test>
# Check MongoDB version test> db.version()
7.0.5
# Show databases test> show dbs
admin 40.00 KiB config 12.00 KiB local 40.00 KiB
# Test insert test> db.test.insertOne({ name: "MongoDB", status: "running" })
{ acknowledged: true, insertedId: ObjectId('657b3a4c9e8a7b2c3d4e5f6b') }
# Exit test> exit
✅ MongoDB is Working! If you can connect and run commands, MongoDB is installed correctly and running.
Check Service Status

Verify MongoDB is running as a system service.

Terminal
# Check if MongoDB is running $ sudo systemctl is-active mongod
active
# Check if enabled on boot $ sudo systemctl is-enabled mongod
enabled
# View MongoDB logs $ sudo tail -f /var/log/mongodb/mongod.log
⚙️

Basic Configuration

Essential settings

Configuration File

MongoDB's configuration file is located at /etc/mongod.conf

/etc/mongod.conf
# Storage settings storage: dbPath: /var/lib/mongodb journal: enabled: true # Network settings net: port: 27017 bindIp: 127.0.0.1 # Change to 0.0.0.0 for remote access # Process management processManagement: timeZoneInfo: /usr/share/zoneinfo # Security (uncomment to enable) #security: # authorization: enabled
⚠️ After Editing Config Always restart MongoDB after configuration changes:
$ sudo systemctl restart mongod
Useful Management Commands
Service Management
# Start MongoDB $ sudo systemctl start mongod # Stop MongoDB $ sudo systemctl stop mongod # Restart MongoDB $ sudo systemctl restart mongod # Check status $ sudo systemctl status mongod # Enable on boot $ sudo systemctl enable mongod # Disable on boot $ sudo systemctl disable mongod # View logs $ sudo journalctl -u mongod $ sudo tail -f /var/log/mongodb/mongod.log
🔧

Troubleshooting

Common issues and solutions

MongoDB Won't Start

Symptoms: systemctl start mongod fails

Solutions:

  1. Check logs: sudo journalctl -xe -u mongod
  2. Verify data directory permissions:
    $ sudo chown -R mongodb:mongodb /var/lib/mongodb $ sudo chown mongodb:mongodb /tmp/mongodb-27017.sock
  3. Check if port 27017 is already in use: sudo lsof -i :27017
  4. Verify config file syntax: mongod --config /etc/mongod.conf --test
Cannot Connect to MongoDB

Symptoms: mongosh connection fails

Solutions:

  1. Verify MongoDB is running: sudo systemctl status mongod
  2. Check firewall:
    # Ubuntu/Debian (ufw) $ sudo ufw allow 27017 # RHEL/CentOS (firewalld) $ sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=27017/tcp $ sudo firewall-cmd --reload
  3. Check bindIp in /etc/mongod.conf
Package Not Found

Symptoms: "Package mongodb-org not found"

Solutions:

  1. Verify repository was added correctly
  2. Update package database:
    # Ubuntu/Debian $ sudo apt-get update # RHEL/CentOS $ sudo yum clean all && sudo yum update
  3. Check internet connectivity
  4. Verify correct distribution codename in repository URL
🎉 Installation Complete!

Congratulations! MongoDB is now running on your Linux system. Here's what to do next:

  • Secure MongoDB: Enable authentication and create admin user
  • Install MongoDB Compass: Get the GUI tool for easier management
  • Learn mongosh: Practice MongoDB shell commands
  • Create Databases: Start building your applications
  • Set Up Backups: Configure regular backups with mongodump
  • Monitor Performance: Use built-in monitoring tools