Options

General Options

--build-info

Returns a JSON-formatted document with information about your mongosh build and driver dependencies.

Example: View Build Information

You can check the build information and driver dependencies of your mongosh binary by running the following command from your terminal:

mongosh --build-info

This command returns the following JSON-formatted document:

{
  version: '1.10.1',
  distributionKind: 'packaged',
  buildArch: 'x64',
  buildPlatform: 'linux',
  buildTarget: 'unknown',
  buildTime: '2023-06-21T09:49:37.225Z',
  gitVersion: '05ad91b4dd40382a13f27abe1ae8c3f9f52a38f7',
  nodeVersion: 'v16.20.1',
  opensslVersion: '3.1.1',
  sharedOpenssl: true,
  runtimeArch: 'x64',
  runtimePlatform: 'darwin',
  deps: {
     nodeDriverVersion: '5.6.0'
   }
}

--eval <javascript>

Evaluates a JavaScript expression. You can use a single --eval argument or multiple --eval arguments together.

After mongosh evaluates the --eval argument, it prints the results to your command line. If you use multiple --eval statements, mongosh only prints the results of the last --eval.

You can use the --json flag with --eval to return mongosh results in Extended JSON format. mongosh supports both --json=canonical and --json=relaxed modes. If you omit the mode, mongosh defaults to the canonical mode. The --json flag is mutually exclusive with --shell.

Example: Format Output

To get output suitable for automated parsing, use EJSON.stringify().

mongosh --quiet  --host rs0/centos1104 --port 27500 \
        --eval "EJSON.stringify(rs.status().members.map( \
          m => ({'id':m._id, 'name':m.name, 'stateStr':m.stateStr})));" \
| jq

After parsing with jq, the output resembles this:

[
  {
     "id": 0,
     "name": "centos1104:27500",
     "stateStr": "PRIMARY"
  },
  {
     "id": 1,
     "name": "centos1104:27502",
     "stateStr": "SECONDARY"
  },
  {
     "id": 2,
     "name": "centos1104:27503",
     "stateStr": "SECONDARY"
  }
]

Note

EJSON has built in formatting options which may eliminate the need for a parser like jq. For example, the following code produces output that is formatted the same as above.

mongosh --quiet  --host rs0/centos1104 --port 27500 \
        --eval "EJSON.stringify( rs.status().members.map( \
          ({ _id, name, stateStr }) => ({ _id, name, stateStr })), null, 2);"

Example: Multiple --eval Arguments

To get a list of collections in the moviesDatabase, use multiple --eval statements:

mongosh --quiet \
        --eval 'use moviesDatabase' \
        --eval 'show collections' \
        mongodb://localhost/

Example: --json Option

To return statistics about a collection in Extended JSON format using multiple --eval statements:

mongosh --quiet --json=relaxed \
        --eval 'use <database-name>' \
        --eval 'db.<collection>.stats()' \
        mongodb://localhost/

--file, -f <javascript>

Runs a script from the command line without entering the MongoDB Shell console.

For additional details and an example, see Execute a Script From the Command Line.

--help, -h

Returns information on the options and use of the MongoDB Shell.

--nodb

Prevents the shell from connecting to any database instances.

--norc

Prevents the shell from sourcing and evaluating ~/.mongoshrc.js on startup.

--quiet

Skips all messages during startup (such as welcome messages and startup warnings) and goes directly to the prompt.

--shell

Enables the shell interface. If you invoke the mongosh command and specify a JavaScript file as an argument, or use --eval to specify JavaScript on the command line, the --shell option provides the user with a shell prompt after the file finishes executing. The --shell flag is mutually exclusive with --json.

--verbose

Increases the verbosity of the shell output during the connection process and when running commands.

--version

Returns the MongoDB Shell release number.

Stable API Options

--apiVersion <version number>

Specifies the apiVersion. "1" is currently the only supported value.

--apiStrict

Specifies that the server will respond with APIStrictError if your application uses a command or behavior outside of the Stable API.

If you specify --apiStrict, you must also specify --apiVersion.

--apiDeprecationErrors

Specifies that the server will respond with APIDeprecationError if your application uses a command or behavior that is deprecated in the specified apiVersion.

If you specify --apiDeprecationErrors, you must also specify --apiVersion.

Connection Options

--host <hostname>

Specifies the name of the host machine where the mongod or mongos is running. If this is not specified, the MongoDB Shell attempts to connect to a MongoDB process running on the localhost.

To connect to a replica set,

Specify the replica set name and a seed list of set members. Use the following form:

<replSetName>/<hostname1><:port>,<hostname2><:port>,<...>

For TLS/SSL connections (--tls),

The MongoDB Shell verifies that the hostname (specified in the --host option or the connection string) matches the SAN (or, if SAN is not present, the CN) in the certificate presented by the mongod or mongos. If SAN is present, the MongoDB Shell does not match against the CN. If the hostname does not match the SAN (or CN), the MongoDB Shell shell fails to connect.

For DNS seedlist connections,

Specify the connection protocol as mongodb+srv, followed by the DNS SRV hostname record and any options. The authSource and replicaSet options, if included in the connection string, overrides any corresponding DNS-configured options set in the TXT record. Use of the mongodb+srv: connection string implicitly enables TLS / SSL (normally set with tls=true) for the client connection. The TLS option can be turned off by setting tls=false in the query string.

Example

mongodb+srv://server.example.com/?connectionTimeoutMS=3000

--port <port>

Specifies the port where the mongod or mongos instance is listening. If --port is not specified, the MongoDB Shell attempts to connect to port 27017.

Authentication Options

--authenticationDatabase <dbname>

Specifies the authentication database where the specified --username has been created. See Authentication Database.

If you do not specify a value for --authenticationDatabase, the MongoDB Shell uses the database specified in the connection string.

--authenticationMechanism <name>

Specifies the authentication mechanism the MongoDB Shell uses to authenticate to the mongod or mongos. If you don't specify an authenticationMechanism but provide user credentials, the MongoDB Shell and drivers attempt to use SCRAM-SHA-256. If this fails, they fall back to SCRAM-SHA-1.

Value	Description
SCRAM-SHA-1	RFC 5802 standard Salted Challenge Response Authentication Mechanism using the SHA-1 hash function.
SCRAM-SHA-256	RFC 7677 standard Salted Challenge Response Authentication Mechanism using the SHA-256 hash function. Requires featureCompatibilityVersion set to 4.0.
MONGODB-X509	MongoDB TLS / SSL certificate authentication.
GSSAPI (Kerberos)	External authentication using Kerberos. This mechanism is available only in MongoDB Enterprise.
PLAIN (LDAP SASL)	External authentication using LDAP. You can also use PLAIN for authenticating in-database users. PLAIN transmits passwords in plain text. This mechanism is available only in MongoDB Enterprise.
MONGODB-OIDC (OpenID Connect)	External authentication using OpenID Connect. This mechanism is available only in MongoDB Enterprise.

--gssapiServiceName

Specify the name of the service using GSSAPI/Kerberos. Only required if the service does not use the default name of mongodb.

This option is available only in MongoDB Enterprise.

--sspiHostnameCanonicalization <string>

Specifies whether or not to use Hostname Canonicalization.

--sspiHostnameCanonicalization has the same effect as setting the CANONICALIZE_HOST_NAME:true|false key-pair in the authMechanismProperties portion of the connection string.

If --sspiHostnameCanonicalization is set to:

• forwardAndReverse, performs a forward DNS lookup and then a reverse lookup. New in mongosh 1.3.0.

• forward, the effect is the same as setting authMechanismProperties=CANONICALIZE_HOST_NAME:true.

• none, the effect is the same as setting authMechanismProperties=CANONICALIZE_HOST_NAME:false.

--oidcFlows

Specifies OpenID Connect flows in a comma-separated list. The OpenID Connect flows specify how mongosh interacts with the identity provider for the authentication process. mongosh supports the following OpenID Connect flows:

OpenID Connect Flow	Description
auth-code	Default. mongosh opens a browser and redirects you to the identity provider log-in screen.
device-auth	mongosh provides you with a URL and code to finish authentication. This is considered a less secure OpenID Connect flow but can be used when mongosh is run in an environment in which it cannot open a browser.

To set device-auth as a fallback option to auth-code, see the following example:

mongosh 'mongodb://localhost/' --authenticationMechanism MONGODB-OIDC --oidcFlows=auth-code,device-auth

--oidcRedirectUri

Specifies a URI where the identity provider redirects you after authentication. The URI must match the configuration of the identity provider. The default is http://localhost:27097/redirect.

--oidcTrustedEndpoint

Specifies a connection to a trusted endpoint that is not Atlas or localhost. Only use this option when connecting to servers that you trust.

--browser

Specifies the browser mongosh redirects you to when MONGODB-OIDC is enabled.

This option is run with the system shell.

--password <password>, -p <password>

Specifies a password with which to authenticate to a MongoDB database that uses authentication. Use in conjunction with the --username and --authenticationDatabase options.

To force the MongoDB Shell to prompt for a password, enter the --password option as the last option and leave out the argument.

--username <username>, -u <username>

Specifies a username with which to authenticate to a MongoDB database that uses authentication. Use in conjunction with the --password and --authenticationDatabase options.

Session Options

--retryWrites

Enables Retryable Writes.

By default, retryable writes are:

• enabled in mongosh

• disabled in the legacy mongo shell

To disable retryable writes, use --retryWrites=false.

For more information on sessions, see Client Sessions and Causal Consistency Guarantees.

Client-Side Field Level Encryption Options

--awsAccessKeyId <string>

An AWS Access Key associated with an IAM user who has List and Read permissions for the AWS Key Management Service (KMS). mongosh uses the specified --awsAccessKeyId to access the KMS.

--awsAccessKeyId is required to enable Client-Side Field Level Encryption for the mongosh shell session. --awsAccessKeyId requires both of the following command line options:

• --awsSecretAccessKey

• --keyVaultNamespace

If --awsAccessKeyId is omitted, use the Mongo() constructor within the shell session to enable client-side field level encryption.

To mitigate the risk of leaking access keys into logs, consider specifying an environmental variable to --awsAccessKeyId.

--awsSecretAccessKey <string>

An AWS Secret Key associated to the specified --awsAccessKeyId.

--awsSecretAccessKey is required to enable Client-Side Field Level Encryption for the mongosh session. --awsSecretAccessKey requires both of the following command line options:

• --awsAccessKeyId

• --keyVaultNamespace

If --awsSecretAccessKey and its supporting options are omitted, use Mongo() within the shell session to enable client-side field level encryption.

To mitigate the risk of leaking access keys into logs, consider specifying an environmental variable to --awsSecretAccessKey.

--awsSessionToken <string>

An AWS Session Token associated to the specified --awsAccessKeyId.

--awsSessionToken is required to enable Client-Side Field Level Encryption for the mongosh shell session. --awsSessionToken requires all of the following command line options:

• --awsAccessKeyId

• --awsSecretAccessKey

• --keyVaultNamespace

If --awsSessionToken and its supporting options are omitted, use Mongo() within the shell session to enable client-side field level encryption.

To mitigate the risk of leaking access keys into logs, consider specifying an environmental variable to --awsSessionToken.

--keyVaultNamespace <string>

The full namespace (<database>.<collection>) of the collection used as a key vault for Client-Side Field Level Encryption. --keyVaultNamespace is required for enabling client-side field level encryption for the mongosh shell session. mongosh creates the specified namespace if it does not exist.

--keyVaultNamespace requires both of the following command line options:

• --awsAccessKeyId

• --awsSecretAccessKey

If --keyVaultNamespace and its supporting options are omitted, use the Mongo() constructor within the shell session to enable client-side field level encryption.