mongoimport and mongoexport — MongoDB Technical Interview Questions & Answers

Bulk-loading and exporting JSON/CSV data.

mongoimport and mongoexport

  • Simple meaning: mongoexport writes JSON/CSV files. mongoimport loads them. Good for spreadsheets and sharing class data.
  • How to use: mongoexport --uri=... --db=college --collection=students --out=students.json then mongoimport --file=students.json --jsonArray if needed.
  • Common mistake: importing JSON array without --jsonArray. Mixing this with mongodump (dump is BSON backup).
  • Interview tip: export/import = readable JSON/CSV. dump/restore = binary backup.

Technical Interview Tip: export/import vs dump/restore.

Code Examples for mongoimport and mongoexport

mongoimport and mongoexport — working example

// Terminal:
// mongoexport --uri="mongodb://localhost:27017" --db=prep_pilot --collection=users --out=users.json
// mongoimport --uri="mongodb://localhost:27017" --db=prep_pilot --collection=users --file=users.json --jsonArray

db.users.find().limit(2)

mongoimport and mongoexport — mongoexport/mongoimport move JSON/CSV; use mongodump for full binary backups.

How to Explain mongoimport and mongoexport to an Interviewer

mongoexport vs mongodump?

JSON/CSV vs binary backup