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Python MongoDB Create Collection


A collection in MongoDB is the same as a table in SQL databases.

Creating a Collection

To create a collection in MongoDB, use database object and specify the name of the collection you want to create.

MongoDB will create the collection if it does not exist.

Example

Create a collection called "customers":

import pymongo

myclient = pymongo.MongoClient("mongodb://localhost:27017/")
mydb = myclient["mydatabase"]

mycol = mydb["customers"]
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Important: In MongoDB, a collection is not created until it gets content!

MongoDB waits until you have inserted a document before it actually creates the collection.


Check if Collection Exists

Remember: In MongoDB, a collection is not created until it gets content, so if this is your first time creating a collection, you should complete the next chapter (create document) before you check if the collection exists!

You can check if a collection exist in a database by listing all collections:

Example

Return a list of all collections in your database:

print(mydb.list_collection_names())
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Or you can check a specific collection by name:

Example

Check if the "customers" collection exists:

collist = mydb.list_collection_names()
if "customers" in collist:
  print("The collection exists.")
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