How to Install MongoDB on a VPS (Step-by-Step Guide for Ubuntu)

MongoDB is a powerful NoSQL database widely used for modern web and mobile applications. If you’re running a VPS and want to set up MongoDB for your project, this guide will walk you through the complete process in a simple and practical way.

This tutorial is focused on Ubuntu-based VPS servers (20.04 / 22.04), which are the most commonly used.

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✅ Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure:

• You have a VPS with Ubuntu installed
• You can access it via SSH
• You are logged in as root or a sudo user

Connect to your server:

ssh root@your_server_ip

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🔄 Step 1: Update Your System

Always start by updating system packages:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

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📦 Step 2: Install Required Packages

MongoDB needs some basic packages to be added first:

sudo apt install -y gnupg curl

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🔑 Step 3: Add MongoDB Official GPG Key

Import MongoDB’s public key:

curl -fsSL https://pgp.mongodb.com/server-7.0.asc | \
sudo gpg -o /usr/share/keyrings/mongodb-server-7.0.gpg --dearmor

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📁 Step 4: Add MongoDB Repository

Now add the official MongoDB repository:

echo "deb [ arch=amd64,arm64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/mongodb-server-7.0.gpg ] \
https://repo.mongodb.org/apt/ubuntu jammy/mongodb-org/7.0 multiverse" | \
sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mongodb-org-7.0.list

Then update again:

sudo apt update

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⚙️ Step 5: Install MongoDB

Install MongoDB with:

sudo apt install -y mongodb-org

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▶️ Step 6: Start and Enable MongoDB

Start the MongoDB service:

sudo systemctl start mongod

Enable MongoDB to run automatically on boot:

sudo systemctl enable mongod

Check status:

sudo systemctl status mongod

You should see: active (running) ✅

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🧪 Step 7: Test MongoDB

Open the Mongo shell:

mongosh

Test command:

show dbs

Exit:

exit

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🔐 (Optional but Recommended) Step 8: Secure MongoDB

Edit config:

sudo nano /etc/mongod.conf

Change bind IP (for security):

bindIp: 127.0.0.1

Restart MongoDB:

sudo systemctl restart mongod

To enable authentication later, you can turn on:

security:
  authorization: enabled

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🔐 (Recommended) Step 9: Create MongoDB User

mongosh

use admin
db.createUser({
  user: "admin",
  pwd: "STRONG_PASSWORD",
  roles: [ { role: "root", db: "admin" } ]
})

Enable auth:

nano /etc/mongod.conf

Add:

security:
  authorization: enabled

Restart:

systemctl restart mongod

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✅ Connection string example (Node.js / Laravel)

MONGO_URI=mongodb://admin:password@127.0.0.1:27017/dbname?authSource=admin

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🧩 Common Issues & Fixes

MongoDB service failed?

Run:

journalctl -xeu mongod

Port issue?

Allow MongoDB in firewall (if needed):

sudo ufw allow 27017

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🎉 Conclusion

Your MongoDB server is now successfully installed and running on your VPS. You can connect it with Laravel, Node.js, Python, or any backend service and start building scalable applications.

If you are building APIs, SaaS apps, or real-time platforms, MongoDB on VPS gives you full control, performance, and flexibility.