MongoDb - MongoDB Data API

1. What is the MongoDB Data API?

The MongoDB Data API is a RESTful API provided by MongoDB Atlas that allows you to interact with your MongoDB cluster without writing server-side code.
You can insert, read, update, delete, and aggregate documents directly via HTTPS requests.

It’s very useful when:

• You're building serverless applications.

• You want to avoid setting up backend SDKs.

• You need to expose MongoDB operations over a secure REST API.

2. How It Works

• You create a MongoDB Atlas cluster.

• Enable the Data API in the Atlas dashboard.

• Generate an API key or App Service ID.

• Use HTTPS requests to interact with your database.

3. Enabling the Data API

Step 1 — Go to MongoDB Atlas

• Log in to https://cloud.mongodb.com

• Open your project.

Step 2 — Enable Data API

• Go to App Services → Data API.

• Enable it for your cluster.

• You’ll get:

  • App ID (e.g., myapp-abcde)

  • Endpoint:

    https://data.mongodb-api.com/app/<app-id>/endpoint/data/v1/action
    

  • API Key: Used for authentication.

4. Data API Endpoints

The Data API supports these actions:

5. Example: Insert a Document

Request:

curl --location \
'https://data.mongodb-api.com/app/<app-id>/endpoint/data/v1/action/insertOne' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--header 'api-key: <YOUR_API_KEY>' \
--data '{
    "dataSource": "Cluster0",
    "database": "shopDB",
    "collection": "products",
    "document": {
        "name": "iPhone 16",
        "price": 1200,
        "stock": 50
    }
}'

Response:

{
  "insertedId": "66b01e5b2fcf1c123abc456d"
}

6. Example: Find Documents

Request:

curl --location \
'https://data.mongodb-api.com/app/<app-id>/endpoint/data/v1/action/find' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--header 'api-key: <YOUR_API_KEY>' \
--data '{
    "dataSource": "Cluster0",
    "database": "shopDB",
    "collection": "products",
    "filter": { "price": { "$gt": 500 } },
    "limit": 5
}'

Response:

{
  "documents": [
    { "name": "iPhone 16", "price": 1200, "stock": 50 },
    { "name": "MacBook Pro", "price": 2500, "stock": 10 }
  ]
}

7. Example: Update a Document

curl --location \
'https://data.mongodb-api.com/app/<app-id>/endpoint/data/v1/action/updateOne' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--header 'api-key: <YOUR_API_KEY>' \
--data '{
    "dataSource": "Cluster0",
    "database": "shopDB",
    "collection": "products",
    "filter": { "name": "iPhone 16" },
    "update": { "$set": { "stock": 40 } }
}'

8. Example: Aggregate Data

curl --location \
'https://data.mongodb-api.com/app/<app-id>/endpoint/data/v1/action/aggregate' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--header 'api-key: <YOUR_API_KEY>' \
--data '{
    "dataSource": "Cluster0",
    "database": "shopDB",
    "collection": "products",
    "pipeline": [
        { "$match": { "price": { "$gt": 500 } } },
        { "$group": { "_id": null, "totalStock": { "$sum": "$stock" } } }
    ]
}'

Response:

{
  "documents": [
    { "totalStock": 60 }
  ]
}

9. Using Data API in JavaScript

You can also use JavaScript fetch:

const url = "https://data.mongodb-api.com/app/<app-id>/endpoint/data/v1/action/find";
const options = {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
    "api-key": "<YOUR_API_KEY>"
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    dataSource: "Cluster0",
    database: "shopDB",
    collection: "products",
    filter: {}
  })
};

const response = await fetch(url, options);
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data.documents);

10. Key Notes

• Authentication → Always use the API Key or JWT.

• Security → Restrict the API key in Atlas settings.

• Rate Limits → Default is 500 requests/sec.

• Best For → Serverless apps, mobile apps, Next.js, React, etc.