Definition
sh.enableSharding(database, primaryShard)-
Note
Changed in version 6.0.
Starting in MongoDB 6.0, this method is not required to shard a collection.
Explicitly creates a database. Use the
mongoshmethodsh.shardCollection()to shard collections on the database. Themongoshmethodsh.enableSharding()wraps theenableShardingcommand.Important
mongosh Method
This page documents a
mongoshmethod. This is not the documentation for database commands or language-specific drivers, such as Node.js.For the database command, see the
enableShardingcommand.For MongoDB API drivers, refer to the language-specific MongoDB driver documentation.
Compatibility
This method is available in deployments hosted in the following environments:
- MongoDB Atlas: The fully managed service for MongoDB deployments in the cloud
Important
This command is not supported in M0 and Flex clusters. For more information, see Unsupported Commands.
- MongoDB Enterprise: The subscription-based, self-managed version of MongoDB
- MongoDB Community: The source-available, free-to-use, and self-managed version of MongoDB
Syntax
The sh.enableSharding() has the following form:
sh.enableSharding(
<database>,
<primary shard> // Optional.
)Parameter
The sh.enableSharding() method takes the following parameter:
| Parameter | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
String | The name of the database you want to create. | |
String | Optional. The primary shard for the database. It's the default shard for all unsharded collections in the database. WARNING: In general, you should not specify the primary shard. Allow the cluster to select the primary shard instead. |
Behavior
Write Concern
mongos uses "majority" for the enableSharding command and its helper sh.enableSharding().
Primary Shard
In general, you should not need to specify the primaryShard in the command. Instead, allow the balancer to select the primary shard.
However, if you do specify the primary shard for a database and the database is already enabled for sharding with a different primary shard, the operation returns an error and the primary shard for the database remains as before. To change the primary shard for a database, use the movePrimary command instead.
Example
The following example, run from a mongos, explicitly creates the shardTest database:
sh.enableSharding("shardTest")To verify, run sh.status().