Before an application can be deployed to a managed database service, it has to be developed. Unlike MongoDB, Amazon DocumentDB has no downloadable option, and their free tier is limited to one month. Applications can’t be developed locally against genuine MongoDB because of the database compatibility issues discussed here. This means developers face much more friction and higher costs to developing applications on DocumentDB.
MongoDB Atlas, the fully managed MongoDB service, comes with a free tier that is perfect for development - free forever and available across all three major cloud providers.
DocumentDB lacks integration to real-time event notifications, code execution, or analytics facilities. MongoDB Atlas integrates with all of these via Atlas App Services, our serverless application platform. MongoDB Atlas and Atlas For the Edge provide database triggers to act on real time data changes, which in turn invoke lightweight serverless functions. Within those functions, developers can integrate directly with third-party services, or use the AWS SDK to leverage the full capabilities of the AWS platform.
MongoDB Atlas customers get access to advanced tooling that improves developer productivity, and provides analysts with the simplest way to extract value from their MongoDB data. With its licensing and use of the native MongoDB API, none of this tooling is available to users of DocumentDB. As a result, customers will need to either develop their own tools, or rely on expensive and feature limited third party options.
MongoDB’s advanced tooling includes the following:
MongoDB Compass, the GUI for MongoDB, makes it easy for anyone to explore and manipulate their data. They can visualize the structure of data in MongoDB, run ad hoc queries, build sophisticated aggregation pipelines and evaluate their performance, view and create indexes, build data validation rules, and more.
MongoDB Charts is native, document-aware tool that enables you to create and share visualisations of your MongoDB data, without needing to move it into other systems or leverage third-party tools. It’s the fastest and easiest way to get insights into your operational data, in real time.
The Atlas SQL Interface presents a regular SQL interface to MongoDB, enabling you to use MongoDB as a data source for your existing BI and analytics platforms such as Tableau, Looker, SAP Business Objects, PowerBI, Qlik, and more. You can seamlessly create the visualizations and dashboards that will help you extract the insights and hidden value in your multi-structured data, blending it with other enterprise data sources to create a complete view of your business.
Beyond the backend, Atlas App Services and Atlas for the Edge bring your data and the power of the document model to your mobile, edge and IoT devices. With local access to your data using a familiar query language, your apps run faster, and keep on running – even when disconnected from the network. Atlas for the Edge keeps the data in MongoDB Atlas and all your devices in sync. DocumentDB offers no mobile solution and so developers must use another database technology (such as SQLite) and write bespoke, complex solutions to map between different data models and sync with the backend database.