# How to install MongoDB on macOS using Homebrew

By Atta Ur Rehman Shah (https://attacomsian.com/about). Published Dec 6, 2020, updated Oct 6, 2022. Topics: DevOps, MongoDB, macOS.
Canonical URL: https://attacomsian.com/blog/install-mongodb-macos

> Learn how to install and use the MongoDB community edition on macOS Catalina and higher.

In an [earlier article](https://attacomsian.com/blog/install-mongodb-ubuntu-18-04), I wrote about how to install the MongoDB community edition on Ubuntu operating system. Today, you'll learn to install the MongoDB community edition on macOS Catalina and higher.

## Creating Data Folder

Before you install and use MongoDB, you must create a `data/db` folder on your computer for storing MongoDB data. 

**Before macOS Catalina**, you can create this folder in the user's root directory with the following command:

```bash
$ sudo mkdir -p /data/db

# adjust permission
$ sudo chown -R `id -un` /data/db
```

If you are on **macOS Catalina or Big Sur** (or any future release), you can not use the root folder for this purpose. macOS Catalina runs in a read-only system volume, separate from other files on the system.

Apple [created a secondary volume](https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210650) on Catalina that you need to use for storing the MongoDB data folder: 

```bash
$ sudo mkdir -p /System/Volumes/Data/data/db

# adjust permission
$ sudo chown -R `id -un` /System/Volumes/Data/data/db
```

## Installing MongoDB

You can install the MongoDB community edition with [Homebrew](https://attacomsian.com/blog/install-homebrew-macos). If Homebrew is not already installed, execute the following command first:

```bash
$ ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)"
```

Now update Homebrew to the latest version:

```bash
$ brew update
```

Next, tap the MongoDB formulae into Homebrew:

```bash
$ brew tap mongodb/brew
```

Finally, execute the following command to install the MongoDB community edition:

```bash
$ brew install mongodb-community
```

That's it. MongoDB is now installed on your macOS computer.

## Managing MongoDB Service

Use the `brew services` command to manage MongoDB service on your macOS computer.

First of all, install `brew services` by tapping `homebrew/services`:

```bash
$ brew tap homebrew/services
```

To start the MongoDB service, you use the following command:

```bash
$ brew services start mongodb-community
```

The above command will start MongoDB as a background service. Here's what you will see on the terminal:

```bash
==> Successfully started `mongodb-community` (label: homebrew.mxcl.mongodb-community)
```

> **Note:** You can also use the `run` command instead of `start`. The `start` command will configure MongoDB to automatically start when you log into your Macbook. If you do not want to run MongoDB all the time, use the `run` command instead.

To check the current status of the MongoDB service, issue the following command:

```bash
$ brew services list
```

The above command will output something like the below:

```bash
Name              Status  User       Plist
mongodb-community started forestudio /Users/forestudio/Library/LaunchAgents/homebrew.mxcl.mongodb-community.plist
redis             started forestudio /Users/forestudio/Library/LaunchAgents/homebrew.mxcl.redis.plist
```

You can stop the service anytime by typing:

```bash
$ brew services stop mongodb-community
```

If you want to restart the service, use the following command:

```bash
$ brew services restart mongodb-community
```

## Creating Aliases

You can also create aliases for managing the MongoDB service. Just add the following to `~/.zshrc`:

```bash
alias mongod-start="brew services run mongodb-community"
alias mongod-status="brew services list"
alias mongod-stop="brew services stop mongodb-community"
```

Next, source the `~/.zshrc` file to load aliases:

```bash
$ source ~/.zshrc
```

Now you can use aliases to manage your MongoDB service:

```bash
# Start MongoDB
$ mongod-start

# Check status
$ mongod-status

# Stop MongoDB
$ mongod-stop
```

## Conclusion

That's all for this article. We learned how to install the MongoDB community edition on macOS Catalina and higher.

We use the [Homebrew](https://attacomsian.com/blog/install-homebrew-macos) package manager to install MongoDB binaries and manage MongoDB service.

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