Setting Up MongoDB Using Docker and Docker Compose

When it comes to integrating MongoDB into your project, you have several options available. MongoDB Atlas provides a convenient cloud-based database service, while installing MongoDB directly on your local machine is another viable option.

In this guide, we’ll explore setting up a MongoDB database within a Docker container, leveraging the official MongoDB images hosted on Docker Hub.

Prerequisites

Before getting started, ensure you have Docker Desktop installed on your system. You can find the installation instructions for your operating system on the official docker website.

Starting a MongoDB Container

To initiate a MongoDB server within a Docker container, open your terminal and execute the following command:

docker run --name mongodb -d -p 27017:27017 mongodb/mongodb-community-server:7.0.0-ubi8

This command will start a MongoDB server running version 7.0 in detached mode, allowing it to run as a background process (-d flag).

By specifying -p 27017:27017, we ensure that port 27017 on the container is mapped to port 27017 on the host system. Using this, you will be able to connect to your MongoDB instance on mongodb://localhost:27017 from another application running locally.

Additionally, the -name mongodb flag assigns the name mongodb to the container for easy reference.

Stoping and Removing a Container

Docker provides the stop and remove commands to halt and delete a container.

docker stop mongodb && docker rm mongodb

Persisting Data with Docker

Data generated during the container’s lifecycle is typically lost when the container is removed. To preserve data on your local machine, you can utilize Docker volumes. You can mount a volume using -v flag.

docker run --name mongodb -d -p 27017:27017 -v mongodata:/data/db mongodb/ mongodb-community-server:7.0.0-ubi8

This command mounts a volume named mongodata to store MongoDB data. Now, even if you stop and restart the container, your data will persist.

Initializing MongoDB with a Root User

For enhanced security, MongoDB can be initialized with a root user using environment variables MONGO_INITDB_ROOT_USERNAME and MONGO_INITDB_ROOT_PASSWORD:

docker run --name mongodb -d -p 27017:27017 -e MONGO_INITDB_ROOT_USERNAME=user -e MONGO_INITDB_ROOT_PASSWORD=pass -v mongodata:/data/db mongodb/ mongodb-community-server:7.0.0-ubi8

The -e flag is used to pass the environment variables to the container.

Running MongoDB Container Using Docker Compose

To streamline the process of starting and stopping the container, Docker Compose offers a convenient solution.

Create a docker-compose.yml file and define your MongoDB server container as below:

version: '3.9'

services:
    mongo_db:
        container_name: mongodb_container
        image: mongodb/mongodb-community-server:7.0.0-ubi8
        ports:
            - 27017:27017
        environment:
            - MONGO_INITDB_ROOT_USERNAME=user
            - MONGO_INITDB_ROOT_PASSWORD=pass
        volumes:
            - mongodata:/data/db

volumes:
    mongodata: {}

Now, execute the following command from the directory containing the docker-compose.yml file.

docker compose up -d

To stop the container, simply execute:

docker compose down

With MongoDB now set up and running, you’re ready to leverage it locally to develop your applications.