How to delete a table from MongoDB database?

In MongoDB, collections are equivalent to tables in relational databases. To delete a collection (table) from a MongoDB database, use the drop() method, which removes the entire collection and all its documents permanently.

Syntax

db.collectionName.drop()

Create Sample Data

Let us first create a collection with some sample documents ?

db.deleteTableDemo.insertMany([
    {"Name": "Chris", "Age": 23},
    {"Name": "Carol", "Age": 21},
    {"Name": "David", "Age": 24}
]);

{
    "acknowledged": true,
    "insertedIds": [
        ObjectId("5ccfb705140b992277dae0e6"),
        ObjectId("5ccfb70c140b992277dae0e7"),
        ObjectId("5ccfb714140b992277dae0e8")
    ]
}

Example: Display Collection Data

Display all documents from the collection to verify it exists ?

db.deleteTableDemo.find().pretty()

{
    "_id": ObjectId("5ccfb705140b992277dae0e6"),
    "Name": "Chris",
    "Age": 23
}
{
    "_id": ObjectId("5ccfb70c140b992277dae0e7"),
    "Name": "Carol",
    "Age": 21
}
{
    "_id": ObjectId("5ccfb714140b992277dae0e8"),
    "Name": "David",
    "Age": 24
}

Example: Delete the Collection

Now delete the entire collection using the drop() method ?

db.deleteTableDemo.drop()

true

The return value true confirms that the collection was successfully deleted.

Verify Deletion

You can verify the collection no longer exists by listing all collections ?

show collections

The deleteTableDemo collection will no longer appear in the list.

Conclusion

The drop() method permanently removes a collection and all its documents from MongoDB. It returns true if successful or false if the collection doesn't exist.