A local copy of your MongoDB database, real data included

dbplex is a Mac app that copies a MongoDB database, from Atlas or any server you can reach, to a local MongoDB 9.0 on your Mac, with every collection, document and index. You get a local address for your app, your tests and your AI agent. Production is only read.

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For Apple Silicon Macs. 7 days free with every feature. No card and no account.

Runs on: MongoDB Community Server 9.0
Download: About 172 MB, plus 81 MB of tools
Needs: A connection string, no Docker
Production: Only read, never written to

What comes with a MongoDB copy

Copied to your Mac

Collections and documentsEvery collection and document of one database.
IndexesMade again on the copy.

Left behind, and why

Atlas Search indexes and triggersThey are features Atlas runs, not part of the database's data.
TTL deletionTTL indexes are copied, but deletion starts off on a local copy.
Other databases on the serverEach copy is one database, the one the connection string names.

After each pull the Connect tab lists what was left out.

What you paste

One connection string that names the database.

Connection StringRequired

mongodb+srv://user:password@cluster.mongodb.net/dbAdd the database name after the host.

Read only. Nothing is ever written to production.

You can also start from a dump file, or from an empty database.

Then point your app at the copy

mongodb://127.0.0.1:15000/db?directConnection=true

The port is the first free one from 15000, so yours may differ. The Connect tab shows the exact values.

Where to find the MongoDB connection string

MongoDB AtlasThis Mac's address must be on the project's IP access list.
DigitalOceanUse the public host, not the one starting with private-, and keep authSource=admin.

Why not mongodump and a local mongod?

dbplex uses MongoDB's own tools. It does the rest of the work around them.

	mongodump and a local mongod	dbplex
Server	You install MongoDB and keep it running.	dbplex downloads MongoDB 9.0 and starts it with the copy.
Data	Dump, restore, check the indexes came across.	One Pull, and a list of anything left out.
Going back	Restore the dump again.	Save a state and restore it.
Trying two things at once	A second server, by hand.	Branch the copy.
Fresh data	Dump and restore again.	One Refresh button.

What you can do with a MongoDB copy

Browse collections and run commandsEvery collection and document, and any command in JSON, such as {"find": "users", "limit": 10}.
Save and restore statesSave before a risky change and go back to it.
Branch the copyWork on a second copy, from now or from the last pull, and keep the first as it is.
Back up productionDaily or weekly, read-only, to a folder you choose. Each backup opens as a new copy.
Refresh from productionOne button replaces the copy with today's data.
Read the logsThe server log of the copy, in the Logs tab.

There is no schema graph or Changes tab for MongoDB, since its collections have no fixed schema. Masking is not available for MongoDB yet, so a pull copies every field as it is.

A MongoDB sandbox for your AI agent

Give Claude Code, Cursor, Codex or Windsurf a copy of production to test on, and let it break things. dbplex's built-in MCP server hands the agent your local MongoDB copy, never production: it never sees your production credentials, and every tool it gets acts on local copies only.

Add it from the app's Settings. Atlas triggers are not copied and TTL deletion starts off, so nothing in the copy runs on its own.

Run commands on real documentsAny MongoDB command in JSON, reads and writes, on the copy only.
Save a state before it tries somethingAnd restore it when the attempt goes wrong.
A branch for each agentEach agent clones the copy and works alone. A clone holds no credentials and can never reach production.
Start over with today's dataIt can refresh the copy from production, and never sees the credentials.
Read the logsThe newest lines of the server log.

When agents had production instead

Questions about MongoDB in dbplex

Can dbplex change my MongoDB production database?

No. It only reads production to make your copy, and it has no push, sync or way to write anything back. The credentials stay in your Mac's Keychain.

Does it work with MongoDB Atlas?

Yes. Paste the mongodb+srv connection string with the database name after the host, and add this Mac's address to the project's IP access list.

Is the local copy a real MongoDB?

Yes. It is MongoDB Community Server 9.0, which dbplex downloads from MongoDB. Its licence is the SSPL.

Are indexes copied?

Yes, they are made again on the copy. Atlas Search indexes are not, since Atlas runs them outside the database.

Do I need Docker for MongoDB?

No. dbplex runs MongoDB itself, on your Mac.

Can my AI agent use the MongoDB copy?

Yes. Add dbplex's MCP server to Claude Code, Cursor, Codex or Windsurf from the app's Settings. It can list collections, read documents, run any command in JSON, and save, restore and branch the copy. Every tool acts on local copies only, and the agent never sees your production credentials.