Chapter 8. Administration

Administering MongoDB is usually a simple task. From taking backups to setting up multinode systems with replication, most administrative tasks are quick and painless. This reflects a general philosophy of MongoDB, which is to minimize the number of dials in the system. Whenever possible, configuration is done automatically by the system rather than forcing users and administrators to tweak configuration settings. That said, there are still some administrative tasks that require manual intervention.

In this chapter we’ll be switching gears from the developer perspective and discussing what you need to know to work with MongoDB from the operations or administration side. Whether you’re working for a startup where you are both the engineering and ops teams or you’re a DBA looking to work with MongoDB, this is the chapter for you. Here’s the big picture:

  • MongoDB is run as a normal command-line program using the mongod executable.

  • MongoDB features a built-in admin interface and monitoring functionality that is easy to integrate with third-party monitoring packages.

  • MongoDB supports basic, database-level authentication including read-only users and a separate level of authentication for admin access.

  • There are several different ways of backing up a MongoDB system, the choice of which depends on a couple of key considerations.

Starting and Stopping MongoDB

In Chapter 2, we covered the basics of starting MongoDB. This chapter will go into more detail about what administrators ...

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