
A Spotlight on the Security of Your MongoDB Database
When Percona first published a blog on this subject in 2016, it was a refreshing comparison of the important
features of an enterprise-grade MongoDB deployment.
Since then, comparing MongoDB Enterprise to Percona Server for MongoDB has become such a common topic for
discussion with Percona’s customers (and future customers) that the information from that original blog is now
ingrained in my memory.
MongoDB and Percona have both come a long way since that blog was written. Several of the recommendations
still hold true four years later, but things have also evolved on both sides. The purpose of this opinion piece is to
expand upon and refresh the comparisons we made in that original blog.
Security
One thing that hasn’t changed is that the security of their database environments is still a top priority for all
organizations. Just in the past year there have been many high-profile data leaks due to misconfigured MongoDB
databases.
It is important to note that these highly publicized leaks are often due to configuration issues, or unsupported, out-
of-date, software. If you are using up-to-date, well-maintained, properly implemented deployments of MongoDB,
there is no great reason to fear.
In this document I will explain the security options that exist in open source MongoDB software. These options
allow you to deploy a secure, enterprise-grade, MongoDB deployment without worrying about license fees.
This is important, because it gives organizations the flexibility to deploy consistent models across their entire
infrastructure.
Too often we see customers running dierent versions of software in dev/test/qa due to license restrictions. With
open source software, this is not a concern.
The Rise of Database as a Service
Since our original blog, the Database as a Service (DBaaS) sector of database management has experienced
explosive growth. DBaaS is a more specific form of Platform as a Service (PaaS).
MongoDB, Inc. has gone all-in on the DBaaS space. This aligns well with its continued mission to empower
developers by overcoming the database management burden.
2016
MongoDB Atlas went GA as
MongoDB’s DBaaS oering.
2017
MongoDB went public
on the Nasdaq.
2018
MongoDB acquired a
competitor in the space – MLab.
The most significant recent change has been its switch to a new license, SSPL. This directly impacts companies
oering “as a service” solutions of MongoDB.
According to MongoDB’s CEO, MongoDB’s long-term strategy involves Enterprise-licensed software subscriptions,
of which DBaaS components will be heavily integrated.
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