Web2 Storage

How to set up and use MongoDB for database storage in your applications

Why MongoDB?

After trying many providers, MongoDB works the fastest and best with AI. It's the recommended choice for your database needs.

You can create as many databases for as many projects as you want for free (as long as your project doesn't go viral) and it's pretty easy to work with.

MongoDB Benefits:

AI-friendly document structure
Generous free tier
Easy to set up and use
Scales with your project
Multiple databases per account

Network Access Setup

Important Configuration:

If your app should allow users to store things (like name, bio, high score…), make sure you go to the Network Access tab and allow all IPs.

By default, MongoDB limits access to your IP address only. This works fine during development but will break when you deploy to production.

Step-by-Step Network Setup:

Go to your MongoDB Atlas dashboard
Click on Network Access in the sidebar
Click Add IP Address
Choose Allow Access from Anywhere (0.0.0.0/0)
Click Confirm

Common Issues

Works Locally But Not in Production?

If your project works locally (http://localhost:3000/) but not in production (https://website.com/), it's likely one of these issues:

❌ IP Access Issue

You forgot to allow IP access from all locations (0.0.0.0/0) in MongoDB Network Access settings.

❌ Environment Variables

You forgot to add your .env (environment variables) to your hosting provider like Vercel.

Quick Debugging Checklist:

✅ Network Access set to allow all IPs (0.0.0.0/0)
✅ Environment variables added to production hosting
✅ Database connection string is correct
✅ Database user has proper permissions
✅ No typos in environment variable names

Security Best Practices

IMPORTANT: When allowing users to interact with your Web2 storage, make sure you limit access to your frontend. Users should only be able to record data through your website, not directly access or inject data into your database.

Ask AI to Help You:

🔒 Secure Your Database

Implement proper authentication and authorization layers

🌐 Limit Frontend Access

Ensure users can only access data through your website

Example Security Prompt for AI:

"Help me secure my MongoDB database so that users can only add high scores through my Next.js website and cannot directly access or manipulate the database. I want to prevent unauthorized access and data injection."

Quick Start

Sign up for MongoDB Atlas
Create a new cluster (choose the free tier)
Create a database user with a secure password
Set up Network Access to allow all IPs (0.0.0.0/0)
Get your connection string
Add the connection string to your .env file
Install MongoDB driver: npm install mongodb
Ask AI to help you set up the database connection

Pro Tip:

Always test your database connection both locally and in production. Use environment variables for sensitive information and never commit database credentials to your repository.