How do I allow remote connections to MongoDB on AWS Ubuntu?

To allow remote MongoDB connections on AWS Ubuntu: edit /etc/mongod.conf and change bindIp from 127.0.0.1 to 0.0.0.0 (or specific IPs), restart MongoDB with sudo systemctl restart mongod, and update your EC2 security group to allow inbound TCP on port 27017 from your client IP address.

Is it safe to allow remote MongoDB connections on AWS?

Allowing remote MongoDB connections requires careful security measures. Always restrict access to specific IP addresses in the EC2 security group (never open 27017 to 0.0.0.0/0). Enable MongoDB authentication, use strong passwords, consider using SSH tunneling or VPN instead of direct port exposure, and encrypt connections with TLS.

How do I enable MongoDB authentication on AWS Ubuntu?

To enable MongoDB authentication, first create an admin user: use admin; db.createUser({user:'admin', pwd:'password', roles:[{role:'root',db:'admin'}]}). Then edit /etc/mongod.conf to add security: authorization: enabled under the security section, and restart MongoDB. Users must now authenticate to connect.

What port does MongoDB use for remote connections?

MongoDB uses port 27017 by default for all connections including remote ones. You can change this in mongod.conf under net: port. Remember to update your EC2 security group to allow the custom port. Using a non-default port adds a small layer of security through obscurity.

How to Allow Remote Connections to MongoDB on AWS Ubuntu Server

June 8, 2020 / Nirav Shah

What is MongoDB?

As per Wikipedia “MongoDB is a cross-platform document-oriented database program. Classified as a NoSQL database program, MongoDB uses JSON-like documents with optional schemas. MongoDB is developed by MongoDB Inc. and licensed under the Server Side Public License (SSPL)”.

How to Install MongoDB Community Edition on AWS Ubuntu

Step 1

Import the public key used by the package management system.
```
$ wget -qO - https://www.mongodb.org/static/pgp/server-4.2.asc | sudo apt-key add -
```
The operation should respond with an OK.
However, if you receive an error indicating that gnupg is not installed, you can
Install gnupg and its required libraries using the following command:
```
$ sudo apt-get install gnupg
```

Once installed, retry importing the key

$ wget -qO - https://www.mongodb.org/static/pgp/server-4.2.asc | sudo apt-key add -

Step 2

Create a list file for MongoDB
Create the list file /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mongodb-org-4.2.list for your version of Ubuntu.
```
$ sudo touch /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mongodb-org-4.2
```

Step 3

Copy the command and paste it in the terminal as this will pull the packages to install MongoDB

	$ echo "deb [ arch=amd64,arm64 ]
	https://repo.mongodb.org/apt/ubuntu bionic/mongodb-org/4.2 multiverse" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mongodb-org-4.2.list

Step 4

Reload local package database
```
$ sudo apt-get update
```

Step 5

Install the MongoDB packages
```
$ sudo apt-get install -y mongodb-org
```

Step 6

Start MongoDB.
```
$ sudo systemctl start mongod
```
If you receive an error similar to the following when starting mongod. Failed to start mongod.service: Unit mongod.service not found.
Run the following command
```
$ sudo systemctl daemon-reload
```

Step 7

Verify that MongoDB has started successfully
```
$ sudo systemctl status mongod
```

Step 8

You can optionally ensure that MongoDB will start following a system reboot by issuing the following command
```
$ sudo systemctl enable mongod
```

Step 9 (Optional)

Stop MongoDB
```
$ sudo systemctl stop mongod
```

Step 10 (Optional)

Restart MongoDB
```
$ sudo systemctl restart mongod
```

How to Uninstall MongoDB Community Edition from Ubuntu

Step 11

Stop MongoDB
```
$ sudo service mongod stop
```

Step 12

Remove Packages
```
$ sudo apt-get purge mongodb-org*
```

How to Allow Remote Connections to MongoDB on AWS Ubuntu Server

In Linux, including Ubuntu, bindIp is by default set to 127.0.0.1 in /etc/mongod.conf. This means the mongod process only listens on the local loopback interface.
If you set the value of the bindIp to 0.0.0.0 or remove the bindIp option, mongod process will listen on all interfaces.
```
	# network interfaces
	net:
	port: 27017
	bindIp: 0.0.0.0
```

Or we can bind mongod process to a specific IP Address

	# network interfaces
	net:
	port: 27017
	bindIp: 192.168.1.100

To bind to multiple IP addresses, enter a list of comma-separated IP addresses

	# network interfaces
	net:
	port: 27017
	bindIp: 127.0.0.1,192.168.1.100

Note: When you complete editing the configuration file just reload the demon this will apply the changes and restart the mongod service
```
	$ sudo systemctl daemon-reload
	$ sudo systemctl restart mongod
```

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Nirav Shah

Nirav Shah is the Director of Eternal Web Pvt Ltd, an AWS Advanced Consulting Partner and certified Odoo Partner based in the UK. With over a decade of experience in cloud computing, digital transformation, and ERP implementation, Nirav helps enterprises adopt the right technology to solve complex business challenges. He specialises in AWS infrastructure, Odoo ERP, and web development solutions for businesses across the UK and beyond.