Discover why MongoDB is non-relational, distributed, and open source, using JSON-like documents stored in a binary format for scalable, multi-server storage for big data, content management, and mobile apps.

Explore common MongoDB terms like documents, fields, and collections, plus referencing and embedding; discover how cursors and find queries produce results and document growth.

Install MongoDB on Windows by downloading the correct version, extracting to drive C, creating data and log folders, and starting the server; then test the connection with the MongoDB shell.

Install MongoDB on Red Hat, CentOS, or Fedora Linux using either manual download and extraction or the package manager, then start the service and verify with the mongo shell.

Explore installing and using the MongoDB Perl driver across Windows, Mac, and Linux with CPAN, Strawberry Perl, and platform package managers; then connect, insert, and query data.

Learn to use the Mongo built-in javascript shell to access databases, insert documents, and perform find queries with filters and limits.

Master the Mongo built-in JavaScript shell to update and remove documents, use $set for field updates, and create reusable JavaScript functions saved in system.js and executed with db.eval.

Install MongoDB on Windows 8 64-bit, create data and log folders, and test with the mongo shell. Then install PHP driver, enable in php.ini, and verify with a test document.

Learn how to add information to a MongoDB database by creating a database, a collection, and inserting documents, including single and batch inserts, with save vs insert differences.

Explore when to include or exclude the underscore id field in MongoDB documents, compare object id versus custom ids, and avoid duplicate key errors.

Understand manual one-to-one relations in MongoDB by linking customer and profile via a shared id, with two lookups across collections.

Embed a profile as a nested document inside a customer to model one-to-one relationships in MongoDB. Learn to insert and query embedded data using dot notation.

Learn to model one-to-many relationships in MongoDB using the DBRef approach, linking customers and products through purchases, and store and query DBRefs with lookups.

Authenticate from outside the Mongo shell by supplying username, password, and the authentication database, then use the admin database. In apps, use connection string with a user of limited privileges.

Learn to set up and configure sharding in MongoDB, including starting config servers, launching mongos, adding shards, and enabling sharding on a database with hashed index on the shared key.

Back up and restore MongoDB databases using mongodump and mongorestore, backing up entire database folders and exporting or importing single collections, with replica sets offering continuous online backups.

Celebrate completing the MongoDB course by exploring PHP driver setup and configuration variations. Learn to run phpinfo and verify your OS architecture and thread safety.