# What MongoDB got Right

DevFeed: [What MongoDB got Right](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/what-mongodb-got-right-21937.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://blog.nelhage.com/2015/11/what-mongodb-got-right/>)

Author: Nelson Elhage

Published: 2015-11-01T10:00:00Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Nelson Elhage](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/nelson-elhage.md>)

Topics: [MongoDB](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/mongodb.md>), [Databases](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/databases.md>)

Tags: [database](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/database.md>), [mongodb](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/mongodb.md>), [mysql](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/mysql.md>), [postgresql](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/postgresql.md>), [rdbms](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/rdbms.md>)

## AI overview

The article examines design decisions the author believes MongoDB got right compared with SQL databases. It argues that MongoDB's structured BSON interface is better suited to programmatic data access than constructing textual SQL queries, while acknowledging criticism of MongoDB's engineering and limiting the discussion to selected areas.

## Source excerpt

MongoDB is perhaps the most-widely-mocked piece of software out there right now. While some of the mockery is out-of-date or rooted in misunderstandings, much of it is well-deserved, and it's difficult to disagree that much of MongoDB's engineering is incredibly simplistic, inefficient, and immature compared to more-established databases like PostgreSQL or MySQL. You can argue, and I would largely agree, that this is actually part of MongoDB's brilliant marketing strategy, of sacrificing engineering quality in order to get to market faster and build a hype machine, with the idea that the engineering will follow later.