Update: 10th Feb 2017. MongoChef has been renamed to Studio 3T. 

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I am a bit of a newbie when it comes to MongoDB but have decided to commit to it after evaluating MySQL, CouchDB and other databases for a mobile app backend. I use MS-SQL and Oracle in my day job but they are too expensive for private/solo jobs.

I have an active cluster of 3 MongoDB servers (AWS Sydney) on https://cloud.mongodb.com .  MongoDB has a MongoDB Compass application (currently at version 1.4.0) but it is severely lacking in features and feels like a slow web app thrown into a native shell.  Some days it loads and others it just sits there for no reason. with little UI updates.

Tip: https://cloud.mongodb.com has tight security and you will most likely need to configure allowed IP Whitelist’s before any client can connect to your server to authenticate.  To get your IP open a web browser and navigate to http://www.icanhazip.com, then add this IP to your MongoDB Cluster, Security area. If you are using a hotspot your public IP may change a lot so you will need to do this every time your resume development.

The MongoDB Compass application is frustratingly slow some days (even with no other apps using my ADSL2 connection).

I was going to review MongoDB Compas but it is too slow and I will review something else and wait for MongoDB Compass to mature.

RoboMongo (Win/Mac/Linux) 

Robomongo has a good reputation as a cross-platform MongoDB client: https://robomongo.org/download

I had issues connecting to my cluster with Robomongo?

Time to find a cluster compatible software package.

Studio 3T Pro from https://studio3t.com/

I googled and found Studio 3T for MongoDB at https://studio3t.com/ The Pro version is essential for me as I need cluster synchronization reporting.

Studio 3T for MongoDB is free for non-commercial and learners and has a 14 day free trial for other versions.

Studio 3T for MongoDB appears to be the perfect GUI for managing MongoDB Databases.

Connecting to Local MongoDB Servers

I have a local development MongoDB installation on OSX and I started it up before opening MongoChef.

cd /Users/simon/mongodb/bin/
sudo ./mongod

I then opened the 14 day trial of studio 3T for MongoDB Pro and connected to the “localhost”.

MongoChef worked a treat with local instances.  Let’s see if it can connect to my cluster on AWS.

Connecting Studio 3T for MongoDB for a MongoDB Atlas Cluster Servers on AWS

Tip: MongoDB Cloud allows you to create a single connection URL to your cluster and MongoChef will allow you to paste the connection string it in and it will split up the parameters and configure new connections saving you time. You can find your clusters connection string at https://cloud.mongodb.com

This is my connection string to my cluster.

mongodb://mycluster:[email protected]:27017,mycluster-shard-00-01-nvjmn.mongodb.net:27017,mycluster-shard-00-02-nvjmn.mongodb.net:27017/admin?ssl=true&replicaSet=mycluster-shard-0&authSource=admin

Open Studio 3T for MongoDB and click Connect then click From URL and paste your connection string (remember to update your password).

MongChef will then configure your connection.

Confirm your login settings and ensure SSL is enabled.

Testing the Connection

MongoChef Overview

I am no MongoDB expert and will update this guide with MongoDB and Studio 3T for MongoDB GUI features.

The IntelliShell is a nice touch to give power users somewhere to perform CRUD and power options.  MongoChef provides you with a handy link to the MongoDB manual.

The shell is handy for running quick commands.

db.copyDatabase('collection', 'collection_clone')

etc

Importing Data

Importing JSON is a snap. Just click Import then select the JSON file and import settings.

Comparing Collections on the same (or different servers)

Being able to compare collections on the same server or different server is invaluable.

I cloned a collection, deleted some documents and edited others before comparing them.  Changes were found 🙂

Change types are grouped and showed all changes.

This feature is invaluable on development and production systems.

Studio 3T for MongoDB Cluster Reporting

Server performance charts are available from the view menu.

I will add in more Mongo and MongoChef tips here later, but it is time to go back to being productive.

Conclusion

I am very happy with Studio 3T for MongoDB and will definitely be used as my default MongoDB GUI. You can download the 14 day trial of Studio 3T for MongoDB here: https://studio3t.com/

fyi: Studio 3T for MongoDB has a great blog ( http://3t.io/blog/category/blog/ ) so don’t forget to keep check it out for Mongo and MongoDB tips.

v1.8 renamed to Studio 3T

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