# Mongonaut ## FAQ > Category: Community --- ## Pages - [About Mongonaut](https://mongonaut.org/about-mongonaut) - [Installation](https://mongonaut.org/installation) ### Security - [Authentication](https://mongonaut.org/security/authentication) - [Zero Trust Tunnel](https://mongonaut.org/security/zero-trust-tunnel) ### Community - [FAQ](https://mongonaut.org/community/faq) - [Contributing](https://mongonaut.org/community/contributing) --- # Frequently Asked Questions ### Is Mongonaut production ready? Mongonaut is currently in an early alpha state (`0.0.1-alpha.x`). It is usable for personal projects, internal tools and staging environments, but the API, UI and configuration surface may still change between releases. Pin to a specific image tag if you depend on it, and review the [Authentication](/security/authentication) page before exposing it to anyone other than yourself. ### How is Mongonaut different from mongo-express? Mongonaut is built as a drop in replacement for mongo-express, with a focus on: - a modern, mobile friendly UI on top of Next.js 16 and React 19 - a built in authentication layer with static password or OIDC - bulk operations like delete all documents and full collection export - type aware search (numbers, booleans and case insensitive regex on strings) - a clear read only mode for safer shared access Feature parity is not the goal. If you rely on heavy mongo-express features such as GridFS browsing, full aggregation pipelines or shell access, Mongonaut is not a replacement yet. ### Does Mongonaut work with MongoDB Atlas? Yes. Mongonaut uses the standard MongoDB driver, so any connection string Atlas gives you works. Make sure the IP your Mongonaut container runs from is on the Atlas access list, and include the database user credentials in `MONGO_CONNECTION_URL`: ```env MONGO_CONNECTION_URL=mongodb+srv://user:password@cluster.example.mongodb.net/?retryWrites=true&w=majority ``` ### Does it support replica sets and clusters? Yes. Any valid MongoDB URI works, including `mongodb://host1,host2,host3/?replicaSet=rs0`. Connection and server selection timeouts can be tuned through `MONGONAUT_TIMEOUT`. ### Are aggregation pipelines supported? Not yet. The current version supports browsing collections, viewing and editing single documents, deleting documents, bulk delete, full collection export as JSON and a type aware key/value search. Aggregation, indexes management and shell style queries are not part of the UI today. ### Can I use Mongonaut as a read only viewer? Yes. Set `MONGONAUT_READONLY=true` and all write operations are disabled in the UI and the underlying server actions. This is a good fit for support, audit or demo access. ### Can multiple users share one Mongonaut instance? Yes, with `MONGONAUT_AUTH_MODE=STATIC_PASSWORD` or `OIDC`. Sessions are isolated per cookie, but every authenticated user sees the same data and has the same permissions on the underlying MongoDB. There are no per user roles inside Mongonaut today, the MongoDB user from `MONGO_CONNECTION_URL` defines what is actually possible. ### Does Mongonaut store anything itself? No. Mongonaut has no own database. Sessions are stored entirely in a signed, HTTP only cookie. The only thing it persists in MongoDB is a small placeholder collection called `__mongonaut_init` when you create a new database through the UI (MongoDB only materializes a database on first write). ### Where do `admin`, `local` and `config` go? These internal MongoDB databases are hidden from the sidebar to keep the navigation clean. They are not affected by any operation Mongonaut performs. ### Does Mongonaut send telemetry? No. Next.js telemetry is disabled in the published Docker image and Mongonaut itself does not phone home. ### How do I update? Mongonaut ships as a Docker image tagged with each release. Pull the new version and restart your container: ```bash docker pull ghcr.io/withzu/mongonaut docker compose up -d ``` Until Mongonaut reaches a stable `1.0`, pin to a specific tag (for example `0.0.1-alpha.11`) instead of `latest` if you want predictable upgrades. ### Where do I report bugs or suggest features? Open an issue on [GitHub](https://github.com/withzu/mongonaut/issues). When reporting a bug, please include the Mongonaut version, the MongoDB version, the relevant environment variables (without secrets) and steps to reproduce. ### Is there a roadmap? The closest thing to a roadmap is the issue tracker and the commit history on GitHub. Larger themes that are on our radar include aggregation pipelines, indexes management and multi connection support, but priorities follow user feedback.