Pocket Mong-o-Dex

The Fast Lane Manual

T.A. Watts

If we write raw MongoDB queries in this app, we’re walking home.

Syntax HUD

Syntax	Purpose	Example
new mongoose.Schema({})	Defines the structure.	const s = new LinkSchema({ url: String })
mongoose.model()	Creates the Factory.	const Link = mongoose.model('Link', s)
Model.find({})	Returns an Array.	await Project.find({ active: true })
Model.findOne({})	Returns an Object.	await Project.findOne({ slug: 'abc' })
Model.findById(id)	Searches by _id.	await Project.findById('65c...')
new Model(data).save()	Writes to DB.	const p = new Project(data); await p.save()

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The Blueprint

Dependencies: npm install express mongoose ejs dotenv

Server Connection:

mongoose.connect(process.env.MONGO_URI);
const db = mongoose.connection;
db.on("error", console.error);
db.once("open", () => console.log("Connected!"));

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Hazard Map

Hazard	Fix
Pending Promise	Forgot await on our database call.
Connection Error	Check the .env file and IP Whitelist.
Empty Objects	Our Schema might not match our data fields.
Ugly URLs	Use Slugs (my-page) instead of IDs.

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Solo’s Pro-Notes

• Schema vs. Model: The Schema is the floor plan. The Model is the house factory. We can’t live in a floor plan.
• Queries: Mongoose queries return a Query Object, not a standard Promise, but they behave like Promises so we can (and must) await them.

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Extra Bits & Bytes

📘 Mongoose Fundamentals: Your ODM for MongoDB (PDF)

📘 Mongoose Cheatsheet Part 1 (PNG)