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Setting Up MongoDB on WSL

Prerequisites:

  • Windows 10/11 with WSL2 installed
  • Ubuntu or Debian distribution in WSL
  • VS Code installed (optional)

1. Update System

Update package lists to ensure latest versions and avoid compatibility issues.

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade -y

2. Import MongoDB Repository Key

MongoDB isn't in Ubuntu's default repositories. Import MongoDB's official GPG key to verify authenticity.

curl -fsSL https://www.mongodb.org/static/pgp/server-7.0.asc | \
   sudo gpg -o /usr/share/keyrings/mongodb-server-7.0.gpg --dearmor

3. Add MongoDB Repository

Tell Ubuntu's package manager where to find MongoDB packages.

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

sudo apt-get update

4. Install MongoDB

Install the complete MongoDB database system including server, shell, and tools.

sudo apt-get install -y mongodb-org

Verify installation:

mongod --version
mongosh --version

5. Create Data Directory

MongoDB requires a directory to store database files. Default location is /data/db.

# Create directory
sudo mkdir -p /data/db

# Set ownership to your user
sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /data/db

# Verify permissions
ls -ld /data/db

Expected output: drwxr-xr-x ... /data/db

6. Start MongoDB Server

Method 1: Using systemctl

# Start MongoDB service
sudo systemctl start mongod

# Check status
sudo systemctl status mongod

# Enable auto-start on boot (optional)
sudo systemctl enable mongod

Look for "Active: active (running)" in status output.

Method 2: Manual start (if systemctl doesn't work)

sudo mongod --dbpath /data/db --fork --logpath /var/log/mongodb.log

Flags: - --dbpath /data/db - Data storage location - --fork - Runs in background - --logpath - Log file location

7. Connect to MongoDB Shell

Launch MongoDB shell to interact with databases.

mongosh

Expected output: 

Connecting to: mongodb://127.0.0.1:27017/
Using MongoDB: 7.0.x
test>

The test> prompt indicates connection success.

8. Test MongoDB Operations

Run these commands inside mongosh:

Check current database: 

db

Create database: 

use testdb

Insert document: 

db.users.insertOne({ 
  name: "Alice", 
  age: 28, 
  city: "Tirana"
})

Query documents: 

db.users.find()

Insert multiple documents: 

db.users.insertMany([
  { name: "Bob", age: 32, city: "Durrës" },
  { name: "Carol", age: 25, city: "Vlorë" }
])

Count documents: 

db.users.countDocuments()

Query with filter: 

db.users.find({ age: { $gte: 30 } })

Update document: 

db.users.updateOne(
  { name: "Alice" },
  { $set: { age: 29 } }
)

Delete document: 

db.users.deleteOne({ name: "Bob" })

Show collections: 

show collections

Show databases: 

show dbs

Exit shell: 

exit

9. Stop MongoDB Server

sudo systemctl stop mongod

Or if started manually: 

sudo pkill mongod

10. VS Code Integration (Optional)

Install extension:

  1. Open VS Code
  2. Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
  3. Search "MongoDB for VS Code"
  4. Install official extension

Connect:

  1. Click MongoDB icon in sidebar
  2. Add Connection
  3. Enter: mongodb://localhost:27017
  4. Connect

Features: Browse databases, run queries, view documents, export/import data.

Verification Commands

# Check versions
mongod --version
mongosh --version

# Verify service
sudo systemctl status mongod

# Test connection
mongosh --eval "db.version()"

Essential Commands

# Start
sudo systemctl start mongod

# Connect
mongosh

# Stop
sudo systemctl stop mongod

# Status
sudo systemctl status mongod