InletMongoDB GUI for Mac
Browse collections as tables, read documents in the inspector, and query in mongosh syntax. An edit changes only the fields you touched, keeps each value’s type, and checks the document first.
Free for personal use · macOS 26 Tahoe or later · Apple silicon and Intel
Tested on MongoDB 8 and Atlas
mongodb+srv:// URLs from Atlas connect as they are.
What you can do with MongoDB
Collections as tables
Documents open as rows, with their fields as columns, so you can scan, sort and filter them.
Documents in the inspector
Embedded documents and arrays pretty-printed beside the grid, with the rest of the document below.
Queries in mongosh syntax
db.orders.find({ status: 'paid' }).sort({ placed: -1 }), aggregate, countDocuments, distinct and the rest. Results come back as tables.
Edits that keep types
Change a value and only that field is updated. ObjectIds, dates, decimals and numbers stay exactly what they were.
Checked before it’s written
Each change is compared with what you loaded first, so you never overwrite someone else’s.
Add, delete and export
Add and delete documents. Export to CSV, JSON or Excel.
Safe on production
Nothing changes until you say so, and nothing you save overwrites a change you never saw. How Inlet keeps data safe
Production opens read-only
MongoDB has no read-only session, so Inlet refuses writes itself, before they’re sent. Unlock it for ten minutes when you mean to change something.
Changes wait until you save
Edits, new documents and deletions wait, marked in colour, until ⌘S saves them.
No lost updates
Each update checks the document is still what you loaded. If someone changed it, nothing is saved and you see their version beside yours.
Connecting
Paste the URL from Atlas or your own server and Inlet fills in the form.
TLSAtlas’s TLS is on as the URL says, with a custom CA, client certificate and key for your own servers.
SSH tunnelsProThrough the ssh on your Mac, so ~/.ssh/config, the SSH agent and 1Password’s agent work as they do in Terminal.
Import what you haveFrom TablePlus, or a MongoDB URL in a .env file.
mongodb+srv://app:•••@cluster0.abcde.mongodb.net/shopmongodb://app@mongo.example.com:27017/shop?authSource=adminmongodb://localhost:27017
MongoDB errors, explained
25 MongoDB error messages, each reproduced on a real server: what it means, why it happens and the fix. Inlet links to them when they happen.
- MongoServerError: Authentication failedThe server didn’t accept the user name and password for the database the client authenticated against. Usually the password is wrong or authSource names a database where the user doesn’t exist; MongoDB gives the same message for both.
- MongoServerSelectionError: connect ECONNREFUSEDYour driver couldn’t reach a usable MongoDB server before its timeout (30 seconds by default), so the query was never sent. The text after the colon says why: nothing listening, a name that doesn’t resolve, a blocked network, or a replica set that doesn’t match.
- E11000 duplicate key error collectionA unique index already holds the value your insert or update tried to write. The message names the collection, the index and the duplicate key; find the document that has it, then upsert, change the value or remove duplicates.
- not authorized on db to execute commandYou signed in, but your user has no role that allows this command on this database. Check which roles the connection has, then grant the role it needs on the right database, or connect as a user that has it.
- Transaction numbers are only allowed on a replica set member or mongosYou started a transaction (or a retryable write) on a standalone mongod, and only replica sets and sharded clusters support them. Run the server as a replica set; a single-member set is enough for development.
- Document failed validationThe collection has a validator, and the document your insert or update would produce breaks one of its rules. The error’s errInfo field says which rule and which field; fix the document, or change the rules if they’re wrong.
- Performing an update on the path '_id' would modify the immutable field '_id'A document’s _id can never change, and your update or replacement would change it, often only its type (a string instead of an ObjectId). Remove _id from the update; to really change an id, insert a copy with the new one and delete the old document.
- Sort exceeded memory limit of 104857600 bytes, but did not opt in to external sortingMongoDB had to sort the results in memory, the sort needed more than 100 MB, and the query wasn’t allowed to spill to disk. Give the sort an index, sort fewer or smaller documents, or allow disk use (Atlas free and Flex clusters can’t).
- Cast to ObjectId failed for valueMongoose tried to turn a value into an ObjectId and couldn’t, because it isn’t 24 hex characters. Usually a route parameter such as “undefined”, “me” or a mistyped id; check it with isValidObjectId and answer 400 or 404.
MongoDB guides
- Connect to MongoDB Atlas from your MacAdd your IP address to the project’s IP access list, create a database user, then copy the mongodb+srv:// string from the cluster’s Connect button. TLS is on by default with that string.
- MongoDB connection stringsmongodb:// and mongodb+srv://, every option, with a checker.
Coming from another app?
What’s different, side by side, and how to bring your connections across.
- Inlet vs MongoDB CompassInlet and MongoDB Compass compared on a Mac: price, platforms, MongoDB features like aggregation and schema analysis, read-only mode, and switching.
- Inlet vs DBeaverInlet and DBeaver compared on a Mac: price, editions, engines, Java vs native, MongoDB, schema compare and production safety, and how to switch.
- Inlet vs DataGripInlet and JetBrains DataGrip compared on a Mac: licences for work and personal use, engines, IDE features, data collection, and how to move connections.
Inlet for MongoDB
Free for personal use, with every safety feature. For work, Pro is $49 once, with a year of updates.
Version 0.1.0 · macOS 26 Tahoe or later · Apple silicon and IntelQuestions
Something else? Write to hello@inletdb.com.
Is Inlet free for MongoDB?
It’s free for personal use: personal projects, students and open source, with every engine and every safety feature. For work, Pro is $49 once, with a year of updates, and a new install has 14 days of Pro to try it.
Does it work with MongoDB Atlas?
Yes. Paste the mongodb+srv:// URL Atlas gives you; the guide covers network access and TLS.
Do I need mongosh installed?
No. Inlet reads mongosh syntax itself and sends the commands to MongoDB with its own driver.
Will editing a document change its types?
No. Only the fields you edit are updated, and each keeps its type: an ObjectId stays an ObjectId, a date a date.