Mongo WebUI
What is Mongo WebUI?
Mongo WebUI is a browser-based admin interface for MongoDB (built on the mongoclient project), letting you browse databases, collections, and documents without installing a desktop GUI. In Laradock it's a thin companion container that talks to the mongo service over the internal Docker network.
Start Mongo WebUI
docker compose up -d mongo-webui
compose.yml declares depends_on: mongo, so Docker Compose starts the mongo container automatically if it isn't already running.
Stop Mongo WebUI
docker compose stop mongo-webui
Configuration
All settings live in mongo-webui/defaults.env:
| Variable | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
MONGO_WEBUI_PORT | 3000 | Host-side port the UI is published on (host:container). |
MONGO_WEBUI_ROOT_URL | http://localhost | Root URL the UI reports itself as running at. |
MONGO_WEBUI_MONGO_URL | mongodb://mongo:27017/ | Connection string the UI uses to reach the mongo container by name. |
MONGO_WEBUI_INSTALL_MONGO | false | Whether the image should bundle and manage its own embedded MongoDB instance instead of connecting to an external one. |
Access the UI
With both mongo and mongo-webui running, open http://localhost:3000 (or your MONGO_WEBUI_PORT). Connect using the mongo container's credentials (MONGO_USERNAME/MONGO_PASSWORD from mongo/defaults.env) if authentication is enabled on that instance.
Point it at a different Mongo instance
By default MONGO_WEBUI_MONGO_URL targets Laradock's own mongo service by container name. To browse a different MongoDB instance (a remote server, or one outside Laradock), override MONGO_WEBUI_MONGO_URL in .env with its full connection string and restart the container.
Common issues
- Blank page or connection error on load. Make sure
mongois actually up (docker compose ps mongo), Mongo WebUI depends on it but a slow first boot of Mongo can still leave the UI briefly unable to connect. - Can't reach it from another machine.
MONGO_WEBUI_ROOT_URLdefaults tohttp://localhost; if you're accessing it from another host, adjust accordingly. - Port already in use on your host. Another local service is bound to
3000. ChangeMONGO_WEBUI_PORTin.envand restart. - Wrong data shows up. Double check
MONGO_WEBUI_MONGO_URLisn't still pointing at a stale or unintended Mongo instance after switching projects.
Need the database itself, not just the UI? See MongoDB. For the full list of services, see Getting Started.