Amazon DocumentDB vs MongoDB Atlas: What are the differences?

Introduction

Amazon DocumentDB and MongoDB Atlas are both managed database services that provide cloud-based hosting for MongoDB databases. While they share certain similarities, there are several key differences between the two platforms.

1. Pricing Model: Amazon DocumentDB uses a pay-as-you-go pricing model, where users are charged based on the resources consumed. In contrast, MongoDB Atlas offers a flexible pricing structure with options for both pay-as-you-go and dedicated clusters. Users can choose the pricing plan that aligns with their specific needs and budget.

2. Scalability: MongoDB Atlas allows for seamless scalability with automatic sharding and the ability to scale both vertically and horizontally. On the other hand, Amazon DocumentDB currently does not support horizontal scaling, and users are limited to increasing the size of the primary instance only.

3. Global Distribution: MongoDB Atlas provides support for global clusters, allowing users to easily distribute their data across multiple regions for better performance and data redundancy. Amazon DocumentDB, on the other hand, does not currently offer global distribution and is limited to a single region.

4. Compatibility: MongoDB Atlas is fully compatible with the MongoDB API, which means that applications developed for MongoDB can be easily migrated to MongoDB Atlas without any code changes. Amazon DocumentDB is compatible with a subset of the MongoDB API, which may require some modifications to the existing codebase for migration.

5. Backup and Recovery: MongoDB Atlas offers a comprehensive backup solution with point-in-time restore capabilities, allowing users to easily recover from data loss or system failures. Amazon DocumentDB also provides backup functionality, but lacks the point-in-time restore feature, making the recovery process more cumbersome and time-consuming.

6. Supported Features: MongoDB Atlas supports the full range of MongoDB features, including transactions, text search, and geospatial queries. Amazon DocumentDB, although based on the MongoDB framework, does not currently support all MongoDB features. Some advanced functionalities may be limited or not available in Amazon DocumentDB.

In summary, Amazon DocumentDB and MongoDB Atlas differ in their pricing models, scalability options, global distribution capabilities, compatibility with MongoDB API, backup and recovery features, and support for advanced MongoDB functionalities.