How to Show All Collections in MongoDB Quickly

To show all collections in MongoDB, use the show collections command in the MongoDB shell or call db.getCollectionNames() in your code. These commands list all collection names in the current database.

Syntax

There are two common ways to list collections in MongoDB:

• show collections: A shell command that lists all collections in the current database.
• db.getCollectionNames(): A JavaScript method that returns an array of collection names.

mongodb

show collections

// or in JavaScript
const collections = db.getCollectionNames();
printjson(collections);

Example

This example shows how to list all collections in the test database using the MongoDB shell.

mongodb

use test
show collections

Output

users
products
orders

Common Pitfalls

Some common mistakes when listing collections include:

• Running show collections without selecting a database first, which will list collections from the default database.
• Using db.getCollectionNames() without a proper database context.
• Expecting collection details instead of just names; these commands only list names.

mongodb

/* Wrong: No database selected */
show collections

/* Right: Select database first */
use myDatabase
show collections

Quick Reference

Command/Method	Description
show collections	Lists all collections in the current database in the shell
db.getCollectionNames()	Returns an array of collection names in JavaScript
use	Switches to the specified database

Key Takeaways

Use show collections in the MongoDB shell to list all collections in the current database.

Use db.getCollectionNames() in scripts to get an array of collection names.

Always select the correct database with use <database> before listing collections.

These commands only show collection names, not their contents or details.