db.getCollectionInfos()

Definition

db.getCollectionInfos(filter, nameOnly, authorizedCollections)

Returns an array of documents with collection or view information, such as name and options, for the current database. The results depend on the user's privilege. For details, see Required Access.

The db.getCollectionInfos() helper wraps the listCollections command.

The db.getCollectionInfos() method has the following optional parameter:

Parameter	Type	Description
filter	document	Optional. A query expression to filter the list of collections. You can specify a query expression on any of the fields returned by db.getCollectionInfos().
nameOnly	boolean	Optional. A flag to indicate whether the command should return just the name and type (view, collection, or timeseries) or return both the name and other information. The default value is false. When nameOnly is true, your filter expression can only filter based on a collection's name and type. No other fields are available.
authorizedCollections	boolean	Optional. A flag, when set to true and used with nameOnly: true, that allows a user without the required privilege (i.e. listCollections action on the database) to run the command when access control is enforced. When both authorizedCollections and nameOnly options are set to true, the command returns only those collections for which the user has privileges. For example, if a user has find action on specific collections, the command returns only those collections; or, if a user has find or any other action, on the database resource, the command lists all collections in the database. The default value is false. That is, the user must have listCollections action on the database to run the command. For a user who has listCollections action on the database, this option has no effect since the user has privileges to list the collections in the database. When used without nameOnly: true, this option has no effect. That is, the user must have the required privileges to run the command when access control is enforced. Otherwise, the user is unauthorized to run the command.

Compatibility

This method is available in deployments hosted in the following environments:

• MongoDB Atlas: The fully managed service for MongoDB deployments in the cloud

• MongoDB Enterprise: The subscription-based, self-managed version of MongoDB

• MongoDB Community: The source-available, free-to-use, and self-managed version of MongoDB

Required Access

Since db.getCollectionInfos() is a wrapper around the listCollections, users must have the same privileges as listCollections when access control is enforced.

The listCollections command requires the listCollections action when access control is enforced. Users must have privileges that grant the listCollections action on the database to run listCollections.

For example, the following command grants the privilege to run db.getCollectionInfos() against the test database:

{ resource: { db: "test", collection: "" }, actions: [ "listCollections" ] }

The built-in role read provides the privilege to run listCollections for a specific database.

Users without the required read privilege can run listCollections when authorizedCollections and nameOnly are both set to true. In this case, the command returns the names and types for collection(s) where the user has privileges.

For example, consider a user with a role that grants the following find privilege:

{ resource: { db: "sales", collection: "currentQuarter" }, actions: [ "find" ] }

The user can run listCollections if authorizedCollections and nameOnly are both set to true.

db.runCommand(
   {
       listCollections: 1.0,
       authorizedCollections: true,
       nameOnly: true
   }
)

The operation returns the name and type of the currentQuarter collection.

However, the following operations return an error if the user does not have the required access authorization:

db.runCommand(
   {
       listCollections: 1.0,
       authorizedCollections: true
   }
)
db.runCommand(
   {
       listCollections: 1.0,
       nameOnly: true
   }
)

db.runCommand(
   {
       listCollections: 1.0,
       authorizedCollections: true,
       nameOnly: true
   }
)

Behavior

Example

The following returns information for all collections in the example database:

use example
db.getCollectionInfos()

The method returns an array of documents that contain collection information:

[
   {
      "name" : "employees",
      "type" : "collection",
      "options" : {
         "flags" : 1,
         "validator" : {
            "$or" : [
               {
                  "phone" : {
                     "$exists" : true
                  }
               },
               {
                  "email" : {
                     "$exists" : true
                  }
               }
            ]
         }
      },
      "info" : {
         "readOnly" : false,
         "uuid" : UUID("222e18ca-4a10-4a42-a8fe-c39255cc4c55")
      },
      "idIndex" : {
         "v" : 2,
         "key" : {
            "_id" : 1
         },
         "name" : "_id_",
         "ns" : "example.employees"
      }
   },
   {
      "name" : "products",
      "type" : "collection",
      "options" : {
         "flags" : 1
      },
      "info" : {
         "readOnly" : false,
         "uuid" : UUID("1bc898b2-3b91-45e4-9d8b-0be462d5a157")
      },
      "idIndex" : {
         "v" : 2,
         "key" : {
            "_id" : 1
         },
         "name" : "_id_",
         "ns" : "example.products"
      }
   },
   {
      "name" : "mylogs",
      "type" : "collection",
      "options" : {
         "capped" : true,
         "size" : 256
      },
      "info" : {
         "readOnly" : true,
         "uuid" : UUID("8e62116d-b6a0-490a-808c-258ccb7ea947")
      },
      "idIndex" : {
         "v" : 2,
         "key" : {
            "_id" : 1
         },
         "name" : "_id_",
         "ns" : "example.mylogs"
      }
   }
]

To request collection information for a specific collection, specify the collection name when calling the method, as in the following:

use example
db.getCollectionInfos( { name: "employees" } )

The method returns an array with a single document that details the collection information for the employees collection in the example database.

[
   {
      "name" : "employees",
      "type" : "collection",
      "options" : {
         "flags" : 1,
         "validator" : {
            "$or" : [
               {
                  "phone" : {
                     "$exists" : true
                  }
               },
               {
                  "email" : {
                     "$exists" : true
                  }
               }
            ]
         }
      },
      "info" : {
         "readOnly" : false,
         "uuid" : UUID("222e18ca-4a10-4a42-a8fe-c39255cc4c55")
      },
      "idIndex" : {
         "v" : 2,
         "key" : {
            "_id" : 1
         },
         "name" : "_id_",
         "ns" : "example.employees"
      }
   }
]

You can specify a filter on any of the fields returned by db.getCollectionInfos().

For example, the following command returns information for all collections in the example database where info.readOnly is true:

use example
db.getCollectionInfos( { "info.readOnly" : true } )

The command returns the following:

[
   {
      "name" : "mylogs",
      "type" : "collection",
      "options" : {
         "capped" : true,
         "size" : 256
      },
      "info" : {
         "readOnly" : true,
         "uuid" : UUID("8e62116d-b6a0-490a-808c-258ccb7ea947")
      },
      "idIndex" : {
         "v" : 2,
         "key" : {
            "_id" : 1
         },
         "name" : "_id_",
         "ns" : "example.mylogs"
      }
   }
]