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Documentation SurrealQL SurrealDB for MongoDB developers

MongoDB to SurrealDB mapping

Quickly learn how to map your MongoDB knowledge to corresponding SurrealDB concepts and syntax.

Introduction

As a multi-model database, SurrealDB offers a lot of flexibility. Our SQL-like query language SurrealQL is a good example of this, where we often have more than one way to achieve the same result, depending on developer preference. In this mapping guide, we will focus on the syntax that most closely resembles the MongoDB query language (MQL).

Concepts mapping

For more in-depth explanations of SurrealDB concepts, see the concepts page.

MongoDB SurrealDB
database database
collection table
document record
field field
index index
ObjectId record id
transactions transactions
reference and embedding record links, embedding and graph relations

Syntax mapping

Let's get you up to speed with SurrealQL syntax with some CRUD examples.

Create

As MongoDB is schemaless, only the SurrealQL schemaless approach is shown below. For a schemafull option see the define table page.

For more SurrealQL examples, see the create and insert pages.

MQL SurrealQL 
db.createCollection("person")
 
CREATE person
 
db.person.insertOne({
    name: "John"
})

Collection implicitly created if it doesn't exist

 
INSERT INTO person {
    name: "John"
}

Table implicitly created if it doesn't exist

 
db.person.insertMany([
    {name: "John"},
    {name: "Jane"},
])
 
INSERT INTO person [
    {name: "John"},
    {name: "Jane"}
]
 
db.person.createIndex({name: 1})
 
DEFINE INDEX idx_name 
ON TABLE person COLUMNS name

Read

For more SurrealQL examples, see the select, live select and return pages.

MQL SurrealQL 
db.person.find()
 
SELECT *
FROM person
 
db.person.find(
    {},
    {_id: 0, name: 1}
)
 
SELECT name 
FROM person
 
db.person.find(
    {name: "Jane"},
    {_id: 0, name: 1}
)
 
SELECT name
FROM person
WHERE name = "Jane"
 
db.person.find(
    {name: "Jane"},
    {_id: 0, name: 1}
).explain()
 
SELECT name
FROM person
WHERE name = "Jane"
EXPLAIN
 
db.person.aggregate([
    { $count: "personCount" }
])
 
SELECT count() AS person_count
FROM person
GROUP ALL
 
db.person.aggregate([ 
    { $group: { _id : "$name" } }
])
 
SELECT array::distinct(name)
FROM person
GROUP ALL
 
db.person.find().limit(10)
 
SELECT *
FROM person
LIMIT 10
 
db.review.aggregate([{
    "$lookup": {
        "from": "person",
        "localField": "person",
        "foreignField": "_id",
        "as": "person_detail"
    }
}])
 
SELECT *,
person.name as reviewer
FROM review

Update

For more SurrealQL examples, see the update page.

MQL SurrealQL 
db.person.updateMany(
    { name: "Jane" },
    { $set: { last_name: "Doe" } }
)
 
UPDATE person
SET last_name = "Doe"
WHERE name = "Jane"
 
db.person.updateMany(
    { name: "Jane" },
    { $unset: { last_name: 1 } }
)
 
UPDATE person
UNSET last_name
WHERE name = "Jane"

Delete

For more SurrealQL examples, see the delete and remove pages.

MQL SurrealQL 
db.person.deleteMany(
    { name: "Jane" }
)
 
DELETE person
WHERE name = "Jane"
 
db.person.deleteMany({})
 
DELETE person
 
db.person.drop()
 
REMOVE TABLE person