> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.flowx.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Unmanaged MongoDB > Connect to externally managed MongoDB instances as a data source in FlowX workflows. ## Overview Unmanaged MongoDB is a data source type that lets you connect FlowX workflows to **external MongoDB databases that your organization manages independently**. Unlike the built-in [FlowX Database](https://docs.flowx.ai/6.x/docs/platform-deep-dive/integrations/flowx-database.md) — which provisions and manages MongoDB collections automatically — Unmanaged MongoDB connects to existing databases and collections you control. > [card] Use your infrastructure > > Connect to MongoDB instances you already manage, including Atlas, self-hosted, or cloud-managed deployments > [card] Same operations > > Use the same CRUD operations (find, insert, update, delete) as FlowX Database > [card] Connection discovery > > Browse available databases and collections directly from the Designer after connecting > [card] Connection pooling > > Configure pool size, idle timeouts, and maintenance frequency per data source *** ## Managed vs unmanaged MongoDB | Aspect | FlowX Database (managed) | Unmanaged MongoDB | | - | - | - | | **Collection creation** | Automatic — FlowX creates and manages collections | Manual — you provide an existing collection | | **Schema management** | Defined in FlowX Designer | Optional — you manage schemas externally | | **Index management** | CRUD via Designer UI | You manage indexes externally | | **Connection** | Internal, handled by FlowX | You provide a connection URI | | **Auth** | Internal | Username/password (SCRAM-SHA-256), or credentials embedded in the connection URI | | **Use case** | Data sharing between FlowX processes | Integrate with existing MongoDB infrastructure | > [!TIP] > > Use **FlowX Database** when you need FlowX to manage the full lifecycle of your data. Use **Unmanaged MongoDB** when you need to read from or write to databases that exist outside FlowX. > [!NOTE] > > Both [FlowX Database](https://docs.flowx.ai/6.x/docs/platform-deep-dive/integrations/flowx-database.md) (managed) and Unmanaged MongoDB are served by the same **nosql-db-runner** service. Managed collections are stored in nosql-db-runner's own MongoDB database, while an Unmanaged MongoDB data source opens a separate, isolated connection to the external instance you specify — it never touches nosql-db-runner's internal database. Point it at infrastructure you own and manage. *** ## Prerequisites * A MongoDB 6.0+ instance accessible from your FlowX deployment * An existing database and collection on the target instance * A MongoDB user with appropriate permissions (read, write, or both) * Network connectivity between FlowX services and the MongoDB instance * For TLS/SSL connections: appropriate certificates configured on the MongoDB instance *** ## Creating an Unmanaged MongoDB data source ![Unmanaged MongoDB data source configuration](https://s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/docx.flowx.ai/5.6/unmanaged_mongo.png) **1. Open Data Sources** Navigate to **Integrations** → **Data Sources** in your project. **2. Create a new data source** Click **New Data Source** and select **Unmanaged MongoDB** as the type. **3. Configure the connection** Enter the MongoDB connection URI: ``` mongodb+srv://username:password@cluster.example.net ``` Or standard format: ``` mongodb://username:password@host:27017 ``` **4. Test the connection** Click **Test Connection** to verify connectivity and credentials. **5. Select database and collection** After a successful connection test, browse available databases and select the target database. Then browse and select the target collection. **6. Configure authorization (optional)** In the **Authorization** tab, configure authentication if not embedded in the connection URI. **7. Save** Click **Save** to create the data source. > [!WARNING] > > The target collection must already exist on the MongoDB instance. FlowX does not create collections on unmanaged databases. *** ## Connection pool configuration Each Unmanaged MongoDB data source has its own connection pool. You can tune pool settings in the data source **Settings** tab: | Setting | Description | Default | | - | - | - | | **Min pool size** | Minimum number of connections maintained | `0` | | **Max pool size** | Maximum number of concurrent connections | `100` | | **Max idle time** | How long an idle connection stays open | `60000` ms (1 min) | | **Max lifetime** | Maximum lifetime of a connection | `0` (unlimited) | | **Wait queue timeout** | How long a request waits for an available connection | `120000` ms (2 min) | | **Maintenance frequency** | How often the pool checks for idle connections to close | `60000` ms (1 min) | > [!TIP] > > For production workloads, set **Min pool size** to match your baseline concurrent usage to avoid connection warm-up latency. *** ## Operations Unmanaged MongoDB supports the same operations as [FlowX Database](https://docs.flowx.ai/6.x/docs/platform-deep-dive/integrations/flowx-database.md): | Operation | Description | | - | - | | `find` | Retrieve multiple documents based on criteria | | `findOne` | Retrieve a single document | | `insertOne` | Add a single document | | `insertMany` | Add multiple documents at once | | `updateOne` | Modify a single document | | `updateMany` | Modify multiple documents at once | | `deleteOne` | Remove a single document | | `deleteMany` | Remove multiple documents at once | Operations are configured the same way as FlowX Database operations — with filters, projections, sorting, and parameter substitution using `${paramName}` syntax. You can test operations directly in the Designer before using them in workflows. `updateOne`, `updateMany`, `deleteOne`, and `deleteMany` operations with a missing or empty filter are rejected. To match every document on purpose, use the filter `{"_id": {"$exists": true}}`. The **Documents** tab on the data source page lets you browse documents in the collection with pagination, filtering, and sorting. For details on configuring each operation, see the [FlowX Database operations documentation](https://docs.flowx.ai/6.x/docs/platform-deep-dive/integrations/flowx-database.md#mongodb-operations-supported). *** ## Using in workflows Unmanaged MongoDB data sources are used in workflows the same way as other data sources: **1. Create operations** Define operations on the data source (find, insert, update, delete). **2. Add a Data Source node** Add a **Data Source** node to your workflow. **3. Select the data source** Select the Unmanaged MongoDB data source and operation. **4. Map parameters** Map input/output parameters in the data mapper. *** ## Deployment No additional microservices are required. Unmanaged MongoDB uses the existing **nosql-db-runner** service to execute operations against your external MongoDB instance. Ensure the `nosql-db-runner` service has network access to your MongoDB instance. If your MongoDB is behind a firewall, configure the appropriate network rules. *** ## Related resources > [card] [FlowX Database](https://docs.flowx.ai/6.x/docs/platform-deep-dive/integrations/flowx-database.md) > > Managed MongoDB data storage within FlowX > [card] [Integration Designer](https://docs.flowx.ai/6.x/docs/platform-deep-dive/integrations/integration-designer.md) > > Overview of all data source types and workflow building > [card] [NoSQL DB Runner setup](https://docs.flowx.ai/6.x/setup-guides/nosql-db-runner.md) > > Deployment configuration for the database runner service ## Related topics - [FlowX.AI 5.6.0 Release Notes](https://docs.flowx.ai/release-notes/v5.x/v5.6.0-march-2026/v5.6.0-march-2026.md) - [FlowX.AI 5.9.0 Release Notes](https://docs.flowx.ai/release-notes/v5.x/v5.9.0-june-2026/v5.9.0-june-2026.md) - [Deployment guidelines v6.0.0](https://docs.flowx.ai/release-notes/v6.x/v6.0.0-october-2026/deployment-guidelines-v6.0.md) - [Oracle Database](https://docs.flowx.ai/6.x/docs/platform-deep-dive/integrations/oracle-database.md) - [PostgreSQL Database](https://docs.flowx.ai/6.x/docs/platform-deep-dive/integrations/postgresql-database.md) This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.