How to Create a MongoDB Dump of Database

MongoDB is a popular NoSQL database known for its flexibility, scalability, and ease of use. However, to protect our data from potential data loss or corruption, it’s critical to have a reliable MongoDB backup strategy in place.

In this article, we will go through the process of creating a MongoDB dump using the powerful mongodump tool, ensuring that our MongoDB database backup is secure and easy to restore in case of failure.

How to Create a MongoDB Dump of Database?

Data loss or corruption can occur for various reasons such as hardware failure, human error, or software bugs. Regularly backing up our MongoDB database is essential to minimize these risks. One of the best ways to backup your MongoDB database is by creating a MongoDB dump using the mongodump tool. Below are the steps that help us to create a backup for an entire server are as follow:

1. Create Direct Backups Using Mongodump
   
2. Backup a Remote MongoDB Instance
   
3. Backup a Secure MongoDB Instance
   
4. Select Databases & Collections
   
5. Change the Backup Directory
   
6. Create an Archive File
   
7. Compress the MongoDB Backup
   
8. Restore Database

Step 1: Create Direct Backups Using Mongodump

We can run the mongodump command using the below syntax from the system command line as follows:

mongodump <options> <connection-string>

This structure also permits us to connect to a Mongo database with the –uri command along with a formatted string or flag such as –user, –db, and –password. However, we can’t use more than 1 flag in a single command.

Alternatively, we can use the default configurations and create a Mongo Backup via Mongodump command as follows:

Mongodump

This statement operates on the assumption that your database resides in localhost (127.0.0.1), uses port 27017, and requires no access authentication. This backup process creates a dump folder directly in the current directory as shown in the below image.

Step 2: Backup a Remote MongoDB Instance

As mentioned in Step 1, you can customize a host and a port number with the –uri connection string using the following syntax:

mongodump --uri="mongodb://<host URL/IP>:<Port>" [additional options]

Moreover, you can set up a server connection with the host option using the following command:

mongodump --host="<host URL/IP>:<Port>"  [additional options]

If you also wish to specify the port number, implement the following statement:

mongodump --host="<host URL/IP>" --port=<Port> [additional options]

The following code demonstrates the process of backing up a remote MongoDB instance:

mongodump --host="10.10.10.59" --port=27017

Output:

Step 3: Backup a Secure MongoDB Instance

MongoDB’s Mongodump command allows you to implement access control mechanisms for your data backups. This will require you to provide a Username, Password, and specific Authentication options in the following syntax:

mongodump --authenticationDatabase=<Database> -u=<Username> -p=<Password> [additional options

For instance, we can use a Username & Password to connect to a remote MongoDB instance using the following command:

mongodump --host=10.10.10.59 --port=27017 --authenticationDatabase="admin" -u="barryadmin" -p="testpassword"

Output:

Step 4: Select Databases & Collections

In Step 3 you learned how to back up a remote database using Mongodump. This step involves the –db and –collection options that indicate a database and a collection that requires backing up. You can run the –db option in a standalone manner, but to execute a collection, you have to specify a database. Moreover, you can remove a collection from the backup process, by using the –excludeCollection option.

To select a particular database use the following command:

mongodump  --db=<Backup Target - Database> [additional options]

If you wish to select a whole collection, execute the following:

mongodump  --db=<Backup Target - Database> --collection=<Collection Name> [additional options]

To exclude a particular collection, run the following command:

mongodump  --db=<Backup Target - Database> --excludeCollection=<Collection Name> [additional options]

Step 5: Change the Backup Directory

We can use the –out option to specify the backup folder’s location in the following way:

mongodump --out=<Directory Location> [additional options]

Now, if we wish to switch the backup directory with the “dbbackup” folder, run:

mongodump --host=10.10.10.59 --port=27017 --authenticationDatabase="admin" -u="barryadmin" -p="testpassword" --out=dbbackup

Output:

Step 6: Create an Archive File

The Mongodump utility provides us with a method to create an archive file. We can use the –archive option for specifying the file to be archived. In case no specification is given, the output will be in the standard form (stdout).

Keep in mind that you can’t use the –archive option along with the –out option.

mongodump --archive=<file> [additional options]

You can easily define any archive file using the following command:

mongodump --host=10.10.10.59 --port=27017 --authenticationDatabase="admin" -u="barryadmin" -p="testpassword" --archive=db.archive

Output:

Step 7: Compress the MongoDB Backup

Now, since you know how to backup data using Mongodump, it’s time to understand the process of compressing these files. You can use the –gzip option to compress the JSON and BSON files individually using the following command:

mongodump --gzip [additional options]

For instance, the below statement will compress a complete Mongo database:

mongodump --host=10.10.10.59 --port=27017 --authenticationDatabase="admin" -u="barryadmin" -p="testpassword" --gzip

Output:

Step 8: Restore Database

Apart from excellent backups, MongoDB also provides us the facility to restore our data. The Mongorestore command will seamlessly load data from the Mongodumb backups and restore our Mongo database. The mongorestore command, however, can not overwrite documents present in the database if the id for the document already exists. Otherwise, Mongorestore will generate a new database or will add data to the existing one.

The Mongorestore command requires you to mention the path to your dump directory and the syntax is s follows:

mongorestore dump/

Moreover, in the Mongostore command:

• We must specify the –uri flag or provide every standard connection flag.
  
• We can directly use the most preferred –nsInclude option to restore different collections. It allows users to choose a namespace when restoring the collections for a database.

For instance, in the following command, you can isolate and import the db1 database to restore it in your local environment:

mongorestore --db=redbase --nsInclude="db1.*" dump/

This will restore all the collections of db1 that were earlier dumped. However, it won’t touch the data stored in db2 even both dn1 and db2 have their data stored in the same dump directory.

Benefits of Using Mongodump for MongoDB Backup

The mongodump tool is a powerful and flexible way to create MongoDB backups. Some benefits of using mongodump include:

• Efficient Data Backups: Whether you want to back up a single collection, query, or an entire MongoDB database, mongodump supports various backup strategies.
  
• Oplog Support: By including the oplog file, you can create a point-in-time snapshot of your MongoDB data for easy recovery.
  
• Small-Scale Backups: mongodump works exceptionally well for small MongoDB databases, and with the oplog feature, it’s ideal for incremental backups.

Conclusion

In conclusion, backing up your MongoDB database is a crucial part of database management, ensuring data safety and integrity. The mongodump tool makes it simple to create secure, efficient, and scalable MongoDB database backups, whether you're dealing with local, remote, or secure instances. Regularly backing up your data with MongoDB dumps will protect you from data loss and help ensure smooth recovery when needed.