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Getting Started

VS Code Extension Quick Start

Get started with DocumentDB using the Visual Studio Code extension for a seamless development experience.

Prerequisites

  • Visual Studio Code installed
  • Docker Desktop installed and running
  • Basic familiarity with document databases
  • Git installed (for cloning the repository)

Installing the Extension

  1. Open VS Code
  2. Navigate to the Extensions marketplace (Ctrl+Shift+X or Cmd+Shift+X)
  3. Search for "DocumentDB for VS Code"
  4. Click Install
  5. Reload VS Code if prompted

Setting Up Your First Database

  1. Creating a new DocumentDB instance

    docker pull ghcr.io/documentdb/documentdb/documentdb-local:latest
docker tag ghcr.io/documentdb/documentdb/documentdb-local:latest documentdb
docker run -dt -p 10260:10260 --name documentdb-container documentdb --username <YOUR_USERNAME> --password <YOUR_PASSWORD>
docker image rm -f ghcr.io/documentdb/documentdb/documentdb-local:latest

    Note: During the transition to the Linux Foundation, Docker images may still be hosted on Microsoft's container registry. These will be migrated to the new DocumentDB organization as the transition completes. Note: Replace <YOUR_USERNAME> and <YOUR_PASSWORD> with your desired credentials. You must set these when creating the container for authentication to work. Port Note: Port 10260 is used by default in these instructions to avoid conflicts with other local database services. You can use port 27017 (the standard MongoDB port) or any other available port if you prefer. If you do, be sure to update the port number in both your docker run command and your connection string accordingly.

  2. Connecting to your database

    • Click the DocumentDB icon in the VS Code sidebar
    • Click "Add New Connection"
    • On the navigation bar, click on "Connection String"
    • Paste your connection string: 
      mongodb://<YOUR_USERNAME>:<YOUR_PASSWORD>@localhost:10260/?tls=true&tlsAllowInvalidCertificates=true&authMechanism=SCRAM-SHA-256

  3. Creating your first database and collection

    • Click on the drop-down next to your local connection and select "Create Database..."
    • Enter database name and confirm
    • Click on the drop-down next to your created dataabse and select "Create Collection..."
    • Enter collection name and confirm
    • Repeat for every database and collection you wish to create under your connection

Working with Documents

  1. Creating documents

    • Use the Table View for quick data entry
    • Use the Tree View for hierarchical data exploration
    • Use the JSON View for detailed document structure
    {
  "name": "Test Document",
  "type": "example",
  "created_at": new Date()
}

  2. Using the document explorer

    • Browse documents in multiple views:
      • Table View for quick insights
      • Tree View for hierarchical exploration
      • JSON View for detailed structure
    • Use smooth pagination for large datasets

Import and Export

  1. Importing data

    • Click on the "Import" button on each collection
    • Choose your JSON file
    • Confirm import

  2. Exporting data

    • Export entire collections or query results using the "Export" button on each collection

Debugging and Troubleshooting

  1. Common issues and solutions

  2. Using the extension logs

  3. Getting support

Next Steps