Does Django Work With MongoDB?
You can use Django with MongoDB, but it requires an ODM library since Django's ORM is SQL-focused by design.
Quick Facts
How Django Works With MongoDB
Django and MongoDB can work together, but not seamlessly. Django's built-in ORM (Django ORM) is tightly coupled to relational databases, so you'll need a third-party Object Document Mapper (ODM) like MongoEngine or Djongo to bridge the gap. MongoEngine is the most mature option—it provides a document-based API similar to Django's ORM, supporting querysets, validation, and signals. Djongo attempts tighter Django integration by allowing you to use Django's ORM syntax with MongoDB, though it has limitations with complex queries and joins. The developer experience is reasonably smooth if you accept that some Django conveniences (the admin panel, migrations, certain queryset operations) work differently or require workarounds. You lose Django's migration system entirely and gain MongoDB's flexible schema, which is a trade-off worth considering. The real win is using MongoDB's document model naturally within Django's request/response cycle, perfect for projects with evolving or nested data structures.
Best Use Cases
Quick Setup
pip install django mongoengine django-mongoengine# settings.py
INSTALLED_APPS = ['django_mongoengine']
MONGODB = {
'connect': False,
'host': 'mongodb://localhost:27017/mydb'
}
# models.py
from mongoengine import Document, StringField, IntField
class Article(Document):
title = StringField(required=True)
content = StringField()
author = StringField()
views = IntField(default=0)
meta = {'collection': 'articles'}
# views.py
from django.http import JsonResponse
def article_list(request):
articles = Article.objects()[:10]
data = [{'title': a.title, 'author': a.author} for a in articles]
return JsonResponse(data, safe=False)Known Issues & Gotchas
Django admin doesn't work out-of-the-box with MongoDB ODMs
Fix: Use MongoEngine's built-in admin support or build custom admin views with Django REST Framework
Migrations don't exist—schema changes are implicit and untracked
Fix: Document schema versions in your code or use custom migration scripts; rely on application-level validation
Complex joins and transactions are awkward compared to relational databases
Fix: Denormalize data, use MongoDB's aggregation pipeline, or reconsider if you need relational integrity
MongoEngine querysets don't support all Django ORM methods
Fix: Learn MongoEngine's API separately; some operations require raw MongoDB queries
Alternatives
- •Django + PostgreSQL with JSONB fields (keep Django ORM, add document flexibility)
- •FastAPI + MongoDB (async-first, no ORM overhead, simpler for APIs)
- •Node.js + Express + Mongoose (JavaScript throughout, native document orientation)
Resources
Related Compatibility Guides
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