FerretDB is an open-source alternative to MongoDB. It is a proxy that converts MongoDB 5.0+ wire protocol queries to SQL and uses PostgreSQL with DocumentDB extension as a database engine.

Connecting to FerretDB

FerretDB is a drop-in replacement for MongoDB so you can simply construct a mongodb connection string like this: mongodb://{{postgres_username}}:{{postgres_password}}@{{railway_tcp_url}}:{{railway_tcp_port}}/

For {{postgres_username}} and {{postgres_password}}, they are autogenerated by the Postgres service deployed by the template.

For {{railway_tcp_url}} and {{railway_tcp_port}}, they are autogenerated by the FerretDB service deployed by the template.

Why do we need FerretDB?

MongoDB was originally an eye-opening technology for many of us developers, empowering us to build applications faster than using relational databases. In its early days, its ease-to-use and well-documented drivers made MongoDB one of the simplest database solutions available. However, as time passed, MongoDB abandoned its open-source roots; changing the license to SSPL - making it unusable for many open-source and early-stage commercial projects.

Most MongoDB users do not require any advanced features offered by MongoDB; however, they need an easy-to-use open-source document database solution. Recognizing this, FerretDB is here to fill that gap.