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db.runCommand()

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  • Definition
  • Compatibility
  • Behavior
  • Response
db.runCommand(command)

Provides a helper to run specified database commands. This is the preferred method to issue database commands, as it provides a consistent interface between the shell and drivers.

Parameter
Type
Description
command
document or string
"A database command, specified either in document form or as a string. If specified as a string, db.runCommand() transforms the string into a document."

To specify a time limit in milliseconds, see Terminate Running Operations.

This method is available in deployments hosted in the following environments:

  • MongoDB Atlas: The fully managed service for MongoDB deployments in the cloud

Note

This command is supported in all MongoDB Atlas clusters. For information on Atlas support for all commands, see Unsupported Commands.

db.runCommand() runs the command in the context of the current database. Some commands are only applicable in the context of the admin database, and you must change your db object to before running these commands or use db.adminCommand().

The method returns a response document that contains the following fields:

Field
Description
<command result>
Result fields specific to the command that ran.
ok
A number that indicates if the command succeeded (1) or failed (0).
operationTime

The logical time of the operation. MongoDB uses the logical time to order operations. Only for replica sets and sharded clusters.

If the command does not generate an oplog entry, for example, a read operation, then the operation does not advance the logical clock. In this case, operationTime returns:

For operations associated with causally consistent sessions, the MongoDB drivers use the logical time to automatically set the Read Operations and afterClusterTime period.

$clusterTime

A document that returns the signed cluster time. Cluster time is a logical time used for ordering of operations. Only for replica sets and sharded clusters. For internal use only.

The document contains the following fields:

  • clusterTime: timestamp of the highest known cluster time for the member.

  • signature: a document that contains the hash of the cluster time and the id of the key used to sign the cluster time.

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