How to get the last N records in MongoDB?

To get the last N records in MongoDB, you need to use limit() method combined with sorting. The $natural parameter sorts documents in reverse insertion order, and limit() restricts the number of returned records.

Syntax

db.yourCollectionName.find().sort({$natural:-1}).limit(yourValue);

Sample Data

To understand the above syntax, let us create a collection with documents. The query to create a collection with documents is as follows ?

db.getLastNRecordsDemo.insertMany([
    {"EmployeeName": "Maxwell"},
    {"EmployeeName": "Carol"},
    {"EmployeeName": "Bob"},
    {"EmployeeName": "Sam"},
    {"EmployeeName": "Robert"},
    {"EmployeeName": "Mike"},
    {"EmployeeName": "Chris"},
    {"EmployeeName": "James"},
    {"EmployeeName": "Jace"},
    {"EmployeeName": "Ramit"},
    {"EmployeeName": "David"}
]);

{
    "acknowledged": true,
    "insertedIds": [
        ObjectId("5c6ecf3d6fd07954a4890689"),
        ObjectId("5c6ecf496fd07954a489068a"),
        ObjectId("5c6ecf4e6fd07954a489068b"),
        ObjectId("5c6ecf546fd07954a489068c"),
        ObjectId("5c6ecf596fd07954a489068d"),
        ObjectId("5c6ecf606fd07954a489068e"),
        ObjectId("5c6ecf686fd07954a489068f"),
        ObjectId("5c6ecf6f6fd07954a4890690"),
        ObjectId("5c6ecf756fd07954a4890691"),
        ObjectId("5c6ecf7d6fd07954a4890692"),
        ObjectId("5c6ecf8d6fd07954a4890693")
    ]
}

Display all documents from a collection with the help of find() method ?

db.getLastNRecordsDemo.find().pretty();

{ "_id" : ObjectId("5c6ecf3d6fd07954a4890689"), "EmployeeName" : "Maxwell" }
{ "_id" : ObjectId("5c6ecf496fd07954a489068a"), "EmployeeName" : "Carol" }
{ "_id" : ObjectId("5c6ecf4e6fd07954a489068b"), "EmployeeName" : "Bob" }
{ "_id" : ObjectId("5c6ecf546fd07954a489068c"), "EmployeeName" : "Sam" }
{ "_id" : ObjectId("5c6ecf596fd07954a489068d"), "EmployeeName" : "Robert" }
{ "_id" : ObjectId("5c6ecf606fd07954a489068e"), "EmployeeName" : "Mike" }
{ "_id" : ObjectId("5c6ecf686fd07954a489068f"), "EmployeeName" : "Chris" }
{ "_id" : ObjectId("5c6ecf6f6fd07954a4890690"), "EmployeeName" : "James" }
{ "_id" : ObjectId("5c6ecf756fd07954a4890691"), "EmployeeName" : "Jace" }
{ "_id" : ObjectId("5c6ecf7d6fd07954a4890692"), "EmployeeName" : "Ramit" }
{ "_id" : ObjectId("5c6ecf8d6fd07954a4890693"), "EmployeeName" : "David" }

Example: Getting Last N Records

Here is the query to get last 7 records from a collection using $natural and limit() ?

db.getLastNRecordsDemo.find().sort({$natural:-1}).limit(7);

{ "_id" : ObjectId("5c6ecf8d6fd07954a4890693"), "EmployeeName" : "David" }
{ "_id" : ObjectId("5c6ecf7d6fd07954a4890692"), "EmployeeName" : "Ramit" }
{ "_id" : ObjectId("5c6ecf756fd07954a4890691"), "EmployeeName" : "Jace" }
{ "_id" : ObjectId("5c6ecf6f6fd07954a4890690"), "EmployeeName" : "James" }
{ "_id" : ObjectId("5c6ecf686fd07954a489068f"), "EmployeeName" : "Chris" }
{ "_id" : ObjectId("5c6ecf606fd07954a489068e"), "EmployeeName" : "Mike" }
{ "_id" : ObjectId("5c6ecf596fd07954a489068d"), "EmployeeName" : "Robert" }

How It Works

This query returns the last 7 inserted documents in reverse chronological order. The $natural:-1 sorts by insertion order descending, while limit(7) restricts the output to exactly 7 records.

• $natural:-1 − Sorts documents by reverse insertion order (newest first)
• limit(7) − Restricts the result to exactly 7 documents

Conclusion

Use sort({$natural:-1}).limit(N) to retrieve the last N inserted records in MongoDB. The $natural parameter ensures documents are sorted by insertion order, making this an efficient way to get the most recently added records.