Difference Between findOneAndUpdate and findByIdAndUpdate in MongoDB

Last Updated : 26 Apr, 2024

In MongoDB, findOneAndUpdate and findByIdAndUpdate are both update operations used to modify documents in a collection. But they are used for different behaviors and use cases.

In this article, we’ll explore the differences between these two methods by providing detailed examples and outputs to understand the concepts effectively.

Introduction to Update Operations in MongoDB

MongoDB offers various update operations, such as updateOne, updateMany, findOneAndUpdate, and findByIdAndUpdate, to modify documents in a collection.
These operations allow us to update specific fields or replace entire documents based on specified criteria.

Understanding findOneAndUpdate

findOneAndUpdate is a MongoDB operation that finds a single document matching the specified criteria, updates it and returns either the original document by default or the modified document if specified.
It is commonly used for atomic updates, ensuring consistency in concurrent operations.

Syntax:

db.collection.findOneAndUpdate(
  <filter>,
  <update>,
  {
    returnOriginal: <boolean>,
    // Additional options
  }
);

Parameters:

<filter>: Specifies the criteria to select the document to be updated.
<update>: Specifies the modifications to apply to the selected document.
returnOriginal: Optional. Determines whether to return the original document (true) or the modified document (false). Default is true.

Understanding findByIdAndUpdate

findByIdAndUpdate is a MongoDB operation that finds a single document by its unique _id field, updates it and returns either the original document by default or the modified document if specified.
It is particularly useful when you have the _id of the document you want to update.

Syntax:

db.collection.findByIdAndUpdate(
  <id>,
  <update>,
  {
    returnOriginal: <boolean>,
    // Additional options
  }
);

Parameters:

<id>: Specifies the unique _id of the document to be updated.
<update>: Specifies the modifications to apply to the selected document.
returnOriginal: Optional. Determines whether to return the original document (true) or the modified document (false). Default is true.

Examples

Let’s set up an Environment:

To understand Difference Between findOneAndUpdate and findByIdAndUpdate in MongoDB we need a collection and some documents on which we will perform various operations and queries. Here we will consider a collection called users which contains the information shown below:

{
  "_id": ObjectId("60a1e862b29a55098a80e50c"),
  "name": "John",
  "age": 30,
  "email": "john@example.com"
}
{
  "_id": ObjectId("60a1e862b29a55098a80e50d"),
  "name": "Alice",
  "age": 25,
  "email": "alice@example.com"
}
{
  "_id": ObjectId("60a1e862b29a55098a80e50e"),
  "name": "Bob",
  "age": 35,
  "email": "bob@example.com"
}
{
  "_id": ObjectId("60a1e862b29a55098a80e50f"),
  "name": "Charlie",
  "age": 40,
  "email": "charlie@example.com"
}
{
  "_id": ObjectId("60a1e862b29a55098a80e510"),
  "name": "Eve",
  "age": 22,
  "email": "eve@example.com"
}

Example of findOneAndUpdate

// Update the age of the user with the name "John" to 32 using findOneAndUpdate
const result = db.users.findOneAndUpdate(
  { name: "John" }, // Filter criteria
  { $set: { age: 32 } }, // Update operation
  { returnOriginal: false } // Return the modified document
);

// Output
printjson(result);

Output:

If the document with the name “John” exists and is successfully updated, the output will be the modified document:

{
  "_id": ObjectId("60a1e862b29a55098a80e50c"),
  "name": "John",
  "age": 32,
  "email": "john@example.com"
}

Example of findByIdAndUpdate

const userId = ObjectId("60a1e862b29a55098a80e50c"); // Assuming this is the user's _id
const result = db.users.findByIdAndUpdate(
  userId, // Document _id
  { $set: { age: 35 } }, // Update operation
  { returnOriginal: false } // Return the modified document
);

printjson(result);

Output:

{
  "_id": ObjectId("60a1e862b29a55098a80e50c"),
  "name": "John",
  "age": 35,
  "email": "john@example.com"
}