Introduction
Learn how to delete documents from a MongoDB collection using the mongosh shell interface.
Connecting to MongoDB
Before deleting documents, ensure you are connected to your MongoDB server:
Example: Connecting to MongoDB
mongoshThis command starts the mongosh shell and connects to the default MongoDB server running locally.
Switching to a Database
Switch to the database where your collection resides using the use command:
Example: Switching to a Database
use mydatabaseThis command switches to the “mydatabase” database. Replace mydatabase with your database name.
Deleting Documents
To delete documents from a MongoDB collection, use the deleteOne or deleteMany methods:
Example: Deleting a Single Document
db.mycollection.deleteOne({ name: "John Doe" })This command deletes a single document from the mycollection collection where the name field equals “John Doe”.
Example: Deleting Multiple Documents
db.mycollection.deleteMany({ status: "inactive" })This command deletes multiple documents from the mycollection collection where the status field equals “inactive”.
Deleting All Documents
To delete all documents from a collection, omit the filter criteria:
Example: Deleting All Documents
db.mycollection.deleteMany({})This command deletes all documents from the mycollection collection.
Verifying Deletions
Verify that the documents have been deleted by querying the collection:
Example: Verifying Deletions
db.mycollection.find()This command retrieves all remaining documents from the mycollection collection after deletion. Ensure that the expected documents have been removed.
Conclusion
Deleting documents in a MongoDB collection using mongosh provides control over data management operations. Experiment with different delete methods and criteria to suit your application’s requirements.