MongoDB JSON

What is JSON?

JSON stands for JavaScript Object Notation. It was introduced in the early 2000s as part of JavaScript and gradually expanded to become the most common medium for describing and exchanging text-based data. Today, JSON is the universal standard of data exchange. JSON is a programming language model data interchange format. It is minimal, textual, and a subset of JavaScript. It is lightweight and very easy to parse. 

JSON is a lightweight, text-based, language-independent data interchange format. It was derived from the JavaScript/ECMAScript programming language but is programming language independent. JSON is considered a lightweight alternative to XML, as in JSON.

JSON defines a small set of structuring rules for the portable representation of structured data. JSON provides a simple notation for expressing objects, collections of name/value pairs, and for arrays, ordered lists of values. Nesting these two basic structures can represent trees and other complex data structures.

JSON is not a document format. It is not a markup language. It is not even a general serialization format in that it does not have a direct representation for cyclical structures, although it can support a meta representation that does.

Syntax of MongoDB JSON

MongoDB JSON Document Structure Syntax

{
  "Field1": "Value1"
  "Field2": "Value2"
  ......
  "FieldN": "ValueN"
}

• Field1 to FieldN contains the field which was used in the JSON documents.
• Value1 to ValueN is the value of the JSON field.

Export the MongoDB Collection into a JSON File.

mongoexport -collection = collection_name -db = db_name -out = filename.JSON

Let's create a dump file.

Import the MongoDB JSON file

mongoimport -collection = collection_name -db = db_name -username <name_of_user> --password -file filename.JSON

How JSON works in MongoDB?

It is like a handwritten plain text written in JavaScript object notation. You can use it to send data from one computer to another computer. The use of JSON in MongoDB is very easy; also, you can use the JavaScript built-in function to convert the JSON strings into the object of JavaScript.

JSON is a notation that represents data using strings as key-value pairs. This format allows for easy export and import into various tools. Its primary function is to facilitate data transmission between web applications and servers. JSON serves as an alternative to XML, providing a language-independent data format. 

There are two built-in functions:
 

• JSON.parse ()
• JSON. Stringify ()
   

It supports all the data types shown below

• Number
• Array
• Boolean
• String

It uses a UTF-8 string format, making it easily readable and understandable by humans and machines when working with file data. One of the key advantages of JSON is its flexibility in database and schema design compared to the traditional tabular data model used in relational databases. JSON documents are polymorphic, meaning that the fields can vary from one document to another within the same collection. 

Note: In the context of JSON and MongoDB, using UTF-8 as the string format means that JSON documents can store and transmit text in various languages, including non-Latin scripts and special characters. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Does MongoDB support SQL?

MongoDB does not support traditional SQL. But in the future, we can accept that MongoDB can easily work with SQL. However, MongoDB provides its own query language called MongoDB Query Language (MQL) that allows for powerful document-based queries and operations.

Is MongoDB offered as a hosted service?

Yes, MongoDB is offered as a hosted service through MongoDB Atlas, which provides managed database hosting on various cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.

What is a storage engine?

The storage engine is the database component responsible for managing how data is stored, both in memory and on disk. It determines the performance, scalability, and durability characteristics of the database.

Conclusion

With its flexible and schema-less document model, MongoDB offers a powerful and scalable solution for storing and querying data. Its JSON-like structure and rich features make it a popular choice for modern applications.
 
To better understand the topic, you can refer to 

• Introduction to MongoDB
   
• Setting up MongoDB
   
• MongoDB vs SQL
   

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