# How to sort documents with MongoDB Sort

By using MongoDB Sort you can organize documents according to specific fields. You can view your output in either ascending or descending order.

## What is MongoDB Sort?

By using the [database management system](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/hosting/technical-matters/database-management-systems-dbms/ "Database Management Systems (DBMS)") [MongoDB](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/websites/web-development/mongodb-an-introduction-and-comparison-to-mysql/ "MongoDB: an introduction and comparison to MySQL"), you can save data in the form of documents in databases which you create using [MongoDB Create Database](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/websites/web-development/mongodb-create-database/ "MongoDB Create Database"). Documents can also be collated within collections and indexed to get a better overview and create a logical order. The aim of this system is not only to save the data but also to make them available at every moment. To **optimize the output**, the system uses MongoDB Sort. This changes the order in which the documents are organized. This makes lists and queries quicker and easier to use.

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### Tip

You can find many other commands in our overview at [MongoDB commands](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/websites/web-development/mongodb-commands/ "MongoDB commands").

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## Syntax and how to use MongoDB Sort

Alongside [MongoDB Find](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/websites/web-development/mongodb-find/ "MongoDB Find"), MongoDB Sort is something you will use often when working with a database. They can also be used together. The basic syntax looks like this:

```none
db.collection_name.find().sort({field_name: sort_order})
```

Together with the actual MongoDB Sort command which must contain the name of the collection, there is another parameter. This is a document and determines the fields by which the system should sort the documents. What’s more, you can set the **sort order** by changing the *sort\_order* parameter: You can do this by using the value 1 for ascending order and -1 for descending order. If you do not define this value, then MongoDB Sort will automatically output the documents in ascending order.

## MongoDB Sort examples

To better illustrate MongoDB Sort and the different ways in which it can be used, here are a few simple examples. Let’s take a client list, which has three entries and information on the client’s name and the number of orders. This is how the list looks without being sorted:

```none
>db.clientlist.find()
{ _id : ObjectID ( "409f288c184f9132cd772c1" ), "name" : "Smith", "purchases" : 2 },
{ _id : ObjectID ( "409f288c184f9132cd772c2" ), "name" : "Jones", "purchases" : 1 },
{ _id : ObjectID ( "409f288c184f9132cd772c3" ), "name" : "Nguyen", "purchases" : 4 }
>
```

### Sort by name

You can use MongoDB Sort to put the client list in alphabetical order. For our example it would look as follows:

```none
>db.clientlist.find().sort({name : 1})
{ _id : ObjectID ( "409f288c184f9132cd772c3" ), "name" : "Jones", "purchases" : 4 },
{ _id : ObjectID ( "409f288c184f9132cd772c1" ), "name" : "Nguyen", "purchases" : 2 },
{ _id : ObjectID ( "409f288c184f9132cd772c2" ), "name" : "Smith", "purchases" : 1 }
>
```

If you want to view the list in descending order, use MongoDB Sort as follows:

```none
>db.clientlist.find().sort({name : -1})
{ _id : ObjectID ( "409f288c184f9132cd772c2" ), "name" : "Smith", "purchases" : 1 },
{ _id : ObjectID ( "409f288c184f9132cd772c1" ), "name" : "Nguyen", "purchases" : 2 },
{ _id : ObjectID ( "409f288c184f9132cd772c3" ), "name" : "Jones", "purchases" : 4 }
>
```

### Sort by orders

If you want to organize your client list by how often they make orders and those with the most purchases, MongoDB Sort will look as follows:

```none
>db.clientlist.find().sort({purchases : -1})
{ _id : ObjectID ( "409f288c184f9132cd772c3" ), "name" : "Nguyen", "purchases" : 4 },
{ _id : ObjectID ( "409f288c184f9132cd772c1" ), "name" : "Smith", "purchases" : 2 },
{ _id : ObjectID ( "409f288c184f9132cd772c2" ), "name" : "Jones", "purchases" : 1 }
>
```


This is a markdown version of: [https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/websites/web-development/mongodb-sort/](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/websites/web-development/mongodb-sort/) for AI/LLM consumption.