MongoDB findOneAndUpdate() to update a single document

The findOneAndUpdate() method is used to update only a single document in MongoDB. It finds the first document that matches the query criteria and updates it, returning either the original or updated document.

Syntax

db.collection.findOneAndUpdate(
    filter,
    update,
    options
)

Sample Data

Let us create a collection with student documents ?

db.demo349.insertMany([
    {"Name": "Chris", "Marks": 56},
    {"Name": "David", "Marks": 78},
    {"Name": "Chris", "Marks": 89},
    {"Name": "David", "Marks": 54}
]);

{
    "acknowledged": true,
    "insertedIds": [
        ObjectId("5e55384af8647eb59e5620b4"),
        ObjectId("5e553853f8647eb59e5620b5"),
        ObjectId("5e55385af8647eb59e5620b6"),
        ObjectId("5e55385ff8647eb59e5620b7")
    ]
}

Display all documents from the collection ?

db.demo349.find();

{ "_id": ObjectId("5e55384af8647eb59e5620b4"), "Name": "Chris", "Marks": 56 }
{ "_id": ObjectId("5e553853f8647eb59e5620b5"), "Name": "David", "Marks": 78 }
{ "_id": ObjectId("5e55385af8647eb59e5620b6"), "Name": "Chris", "Marks": 89 }
{ "_id": ObjectId("5e55385ff8647eb59e5620b7"), "Name": "David", "Marks": 54 }

Example: Update Single Document

The following query updates the first David's marks by incrementing them by 10 ?

db.demo349.findOneAndUpdate(
    { "Name": "David" },
    { $inc: { Marks: 10 } }
);

{
    "_id": ObjectId("5e553853f8647eb59e5620b5"),
    "Name": "David",
    "Marks": 78
}

Verify Result

Check the updated collection ?

db.demo349.find();

{ "_id": ObjectId("5e55384af8647eb59e5620b4"), "Name": "Chris", "Marks": 56 }
{ "_id": ObjectId("5e553853f8647eb59e5620b5"), "Name": "David", "Marks": 88 }
{ "_id": ObjectId("5e55385af8647eb59e5620b6"), "Name": "Chris", "Marks": 89 }
{ "_id": ObjectId("5e55385ff8647eb59e5620b7"), "Name": "David", "Marks": 54 }

Key Points

• findOneAndUpdate() updates only the first matching document, not all matching documents
• Returns the document before the update by default
• Use returnDocument: "after" option to return the updated document

Conclusion

The findOneAndUpdate() method efficiently updates a single document and returns it in one operation. It's ideal when you need both update functionality and immediate access to the document data.