Python MongoDB Insert Document

  document in MongoDB is the same as a record in SQL databases.

To insert a record, or document as it is called in MongoDB, into a collection, we use the insert_one() method.

The first parameter of the insert_one() method is a dictionary containing the name(s) and value(s) of each field in the document you want to insert.

Insert a record in the "customers" collection

import pymongo

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

mydict = { "name": "John", "address": "Highway 37" }

x = mycol.insert_one(mydict)

The insert_one() method returns a InsertOneResult object, which has a property, inserted_id, that holds the id of the inserted document.

mydict = { "name": "Peter", "address": "Lowstreet 27" }

x = mycol.insert_one(mydict)

print(x.inserted_id)

If you do not specify an _id field, then MongoDB will add one for you and assign a unique id for each document.

In the example above no _id field was specified, so MongoDB assigned a unique _id for the record (document).

To insert multiple documents into a collection in MongoDB, we use the insert_many() method.

The first parameter of the insert_many() method is a list containing dictionaries with the data you want to insert:

import pymongo

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

mylist = [
  { "name": "Amy", "address": "Apple st 652"},
  { "name": "Hannah", "address": "Mountain 21"},
  { "name": "Michael", "address": "Valley 345"},
  { "name": "Sandy", "address": "Ocean blvd 2"},
  { "name": "Betty", "address": "Green Grass 1"},
  { "name": "Richard", "address": "Sky st 331"},
  { "name": "Susan", "address": "One way 98"},
  { "name": "Vicky", "address": "Yellow Garden 2"},
  { "name": "Ben", "address": "Park Lane 38"},
  { "name": "William", "address": "Central st 954"},
  { "name": "Chuck", "address": "Main Road 989"},
  { "name": "Viola", "address": "Sideway 1633"}
]

x = mycol.insert_many(mylist)

#print list of the _id values of the inserted documents:
print(x.inserted_ids)

The insert_many() method returns a InsertManyResult object, which has a property, inserted_ids, that holds the ids of the inserted documents.

If you do not want MongoDB to assign unique ids for you document, you can specify the _id field when you insert the document(s).

Remember that the values has to be unique. Two documents cannot have the same _id.

import pymongo

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

mylist = [
  { "_id": 1, "name": "John", "address": "Highway 37"},
  { "_id": 2, "name": "Peter", "address": "Lowstreet 27"},
  { "_id": 3, "name": "Amy", "address": "Apple st 652"},
  { "_id": 4, "name": "Hannah", "address": "Mountain 21"},
  { "_id": 5, "name": "Michael", "address": "Valley 345"},
  { "_id": 6, "name": "Sandy", "address": "Ocean blvd 2"},
  { "_id": 7, "name": "Betty", "address": "Green Grass 1"},
  { "_id": 8, "name": "Richard", "address": "Sky st 331"},
  { "_id": 9, "name": "Susan", "address": "One way 98"},
  { "_id": 10, "name": "Vicky", "address": "Yellow Garden 2"},
  { "_id": 11, "name": "Ben", "address": "Park Lane 38"},
  { "_id": 12, "name": "William", "address": "Central st 954"},
  { "_id": 13, "name": "Chuck", "address": "Main Road 989"},
  { "_id": 14, "name": "Viola", "address": "Sideway 1633"}
]

x = mycol.insert_many(mylist)

#print list of the _id values of the inserted documents:
print(x.inserted_ids)