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A .NET Dev’s Guide to MongoDB: Step-by-Step Setup, CRUD APIs & Interview Prep
Learn how to go from zero to full-stack MongoDB mastery with real-world .NET 9 examples, cloud setup tips, and REST API code you can actually use (plus bonus interview prep and GitHub repo to boot).
The first time I stumbled into MongoDB, it felt like I’d walked into a developer’s playground where the rules were looser, the structure more fluid, and the possibilities… well, kind of wild.
Coming from the world of SQL Server — with its rigid schemas, foreign keys, and perfectly normalized tables — I was used to thinking in rows, columns, and relationships.
Then, suddenly, MongoDB tossed me into a world of curly braces and flexible documents. It was like switching from playing chess to building with LEGO blocks — less restriction, more creativity.
And honestly?
It was exactly the shake-up I didn’t know I needed.
If you’re a .NET backend dev, dipping your toes into MongoDB might seem like cheating on SQL. But let’s be real — MongoDB isn’t here to replace SQL. It’s here to give you a different way to think about data.
Let’s dive into what MongoDB actually is, how it stacks up against traditional SQL databases, what you need to know before you start using it, and finally, how to get it up and running with .NET 9, including full-blown CRUD operations.
What Is MongoDB Anyway?
MongoDB is a NoSQL document database. That means instead of tables and rows, you get collections and documents. The data is stored in JSON-like format, specifically BSON (Binary JSON), which makes it super flexible.
It belongs to the broader family of NoSQL databases, which also includes:
