Attach a new Atlas database to your Heroku app⌁
In December 2020, mLab stopped operations.
If you didn't migrate your database from mLab to Atlas you need to create a new database for your Nightscout site.
If you prefer to follow a video
Use this easy guide. Make sure to use only letters and numbers in database name and password.
Step 1: Create an Atlas account⌁
- Click here: https://www.mongodb.com/cloud/atlas and click
Start Free
- Enter information then click
Get Started Free
- Select
Create a cluster in Shared Clusters (FREE)
- Leave all default values and click
Create Cluster
Atlas will create your default cluster, wait until completion… (can take more than 3 minutes)
- Click on
CONNECT
- Click on
Allow Access from Anywhere
If you don't allow access from anywhere (IP 0.0.0.0/0) Nightscout will not be able to access your database.
- Click on
Add IP Address
- Add a database username (for example
nightscout
) and a database password (in the example belowsoo5ecret
).
Database credentials
Do not use your Atlas account credentials. Do not use special characters: only letters and numbers.
Write down these credentials in the boxes below (yes, in this browser window you're reading now, unless you're reading a printed version). You’ll need them later.
Database password:
Database username:
- Then click
Create Database User
.
- Click on
Choose a connection method
- Select
Connect your application
- Copy the connection string: click
Copy
.
- Paste the string in the box below.
It should be similar to this (xxxxx
will be different):
mongodb+srv://nightscout:<password>@cluster0.xxxxx.mongodb.net/<dbname>?retryWrites=true&w=majority
- Click the
Generate
button (just here below this line: in this browser window you're reading):
The connection string will appear here
Warning
Keep this string safely aside, it is called your MONGODB_URI
- If you want to do it manually: replace
<password>
with your database password as noted previously (in the example belowsoo5ecret
) and<dbname>
by any text you want, saymycgmic
for example. The result will be like this:
mongodb+srv://nightscout:soo5ecret@cluster0.xxxxx.mongodb.net/mycgmic?retryWrites=true&w=majority
Note
There are no < and > characters in the final string, neither for password nor for database name.
Step 2: Add your connection string to Heroku⌁
Access your variables opening Heroku.
- Select your app
- Click
Settings
- Scroll down and click
Reveal Config Vars
- Scroll down Config Vars until you’ll see
KEY
andVALUE
- In
KEY
writeMONGODB_URI
and paste in the fieldVALUE
the connection string you obtained above from Atlas. Click Add
- This new key will be inserted at the bottom of the list.
Step 3: Update Nightscout⌁
Update your Nightscout to latest release!
Versions older than 13.0.x won't probably run.
Versions 13.x are not optimized for the Atlas database.
Check your profile time zone is correct.