How to Install and Setup a MongoDB Server on MacOS

Introduction

One of the benefits of having a MongoDB server on your macOS is that it resembles a Unix-like system. That being said, you can do a lot with a Linux distro and MongoDB’s latest version. The best news is that you can use a variety of methods to install MongoDB on the different distros of Linux. So let’s proceed with this tutorial on how to install and setup a MongoDB server on macOS.

Prerequisites:

• Localhost web server – It must be running.

OR

• Linux server remote SSH access – You must have sudo privileges and a private key to gain access.

Debian-based distros: Install and Run MongoDB

• Use the APT (Advanced Packaging Tool) repository manager to install and run the MongoDB server.

• The sources.list.d file must have the MongoDB repository added to it.

• Access a terminal in Linux before you add MongoDB or anything else that is new. Prepare your OS by updating all repositories.

• Next, go ahead and install MongoDB. Include dependencies that go with it.

or specify a particular version

• If you experience problems locating mongodb-org, try the sudo apt-get install method below:

>NOTE: The repository file sources.list.d has to be complete and all packages have to be intact, nothing broken. If you come across an incomplete repository or some other error occurs, don’t stress. Just remove MongoDB entirely. Yes, it’s best to purge instead of trying to figure out the error because it could be anywhere and you don’t want to waste time. The sudo apt-get purge mongodb-org* command will get you to a place where you can start the installation process again.

Red Hat distros: Install and Run MongoDB

• The YUM (Yellowdog Updater Modified) package manager works well with Red Hat Linux distros. Fedora and CentOS use YUM for installations. The good news is that within the directory of the YUM repository, a .repo file for MongoDB is created.

• Use cd to create the MongoDB repository .repo file.

• The sudo command touch creates the .repo file. You’ll do this when you’re in the yum.repos.d folder. Check that you downloaded MongoDB’s current installation because you want to base the .repo file on that.

• Next, the nano command line editor allows you to do some file editing.

• Edit the file by pasting the repository installation’s configuration settings information.

• Now that the YUM directory contains the .repo file, you’re ready to install MongoDB.

• Update repositories with the YUM command This is the simplest way for those that use the RPM (Red Hat Package Manager):

• CentOS distros

• Fedora distros

• Red Hat distros

Use PHP and PEAR: Install and Run MongoDB

The PHP Extension and Application Repository is another way to install MongoDB. Before you begin though, use php --version to verify your current version of PHP on your OS.

• Check that your PHP 7 version is complete. Verify that you have the necessary development libraries for it.

• PEAR has a pecl library. Install MongoDB with it.

The version is identified on a macOS terminal by using the pear version command.

Be sure to verify your installation of PEAR .

Use a Tarball archive: Install and Run MongoDB

• You can install and run MongoDB using a tarball archive. After you download, you can unarchive it.

Use cURL to download Tarball file

Use tar to unpack the Tarbarll file

• A new directory will contain the unpacked installation files for MongoDB.

• Move it to the $PATH environment variable

OR

• Link it symbolically to point to the directory folder

Option 1: MongoDB Directory – Use MV for Path Exporting

• The mv command will move the MongoDB archive (unzipped) to a new location where it can stay for good.

• If you do that, the next thing you’ll want to do is use cd to gain access into the directory.

• The pwd command will show you the directory’s path.

• For the ability to gain access to the folder wherever, export the directory’s name and its path to $PATH in Linux.

• Another way to export the path is to copy and paste the following code below in the ~/.bashrc file:

• To look at every environmental path, use the echo $PATH command.

• To view every environmental variable, use the echo $VARIABLE command.

Option 2: MongoDB Directory – Move it to Linux

For this option, there are two ways to move the MongoDB directory:

• Put it in a system directory of Linux

OR

• Put it in an established environment in Linux such as:

• /usr/bin

• /usr/local/bin
• another similar path based on your OS and Linux system

• View the environment path directory listing by inputting the terminal command: echo $PATH

Optional Validation Task: Use a Public Key

• If you want to validate the installer’s character, you can download a GPG public key and the TAR archive at the same time. Start with this script:

• To get the public signature file, use cURL.

• The last step in this process is to use cURL again to import the server.

Use Composer: Install and Run MongoDB

• You can use composer to install MongoDB as well through composer require mongodb/mongodb.

MongoDB: Setup and Configure the Server

• If you don’t see the file mongodb.service in the cd /etc/systemd/system/ system directory, then in the terminal, paste the following code:

• It’s likely that you won’t find MongoDB files in the system folder, but you can try ls -A to find out after you accessed the system folder.

• Go to the directory /etc/systemd/system/ and use the command touch to create the mongodb.servicefile.

• Edit the mongodb.service file you just created with the command line terminal editor nano or another one.

• Export the file’s changes you just made by pressing Ctrl+O

• Next, close the command line terminal editor nano or whichever one you used to edit by pressing Ctrl+X.

• Press CTRL+O to output the changes to the file, and then press CTRL+X to close the nano editor running in terminal.

• Try these sudo commands:

• sudo systemctl start mongodb

• sudo systemctl status mongodb

NOTE: To stop MongoDB service in Linux while in the terminal, press Ctrl+Z.

MongoDB: Test it. Start it up

Time to Create a MongoDB Database Directory

• You might already have a directory for MongoDB. Find out by going into a terminal and pasting the data directory path /data/db/. Press Return when finished.

• If you receive a “error: dbpath (/data/db) does not exist” or similar error message, create the `/data/db/ by entering the following code:

• Start up the MongoDB service

*Restart the MongoDB service

*Stop MongoDB service

• Type Ctrl+Z to stop running the MongoDB service in the terminal.

Conclusion

This tutorial explained the various Linux distros and how you can setup MongoDB server on a macOS with them. Among the ways discussed, we talked about Debian-based, Red Hat, PHP and PEAR, Tarball archive, Composer, plus some more tips and tricks. With so many choices, you can select the method that suits you best.