Your first query

Before you start

You need a Palryn desktop build, a reachable MongoDB deployment, and a connection string or connection details. Public downloads are not linked on the website yet; use a build supplied to you for testing. The application currently has Linux AppImage and Windows installer packaging workflows.

Basic browsing, queries, document editing and JSON/CSV transfers do not require MongoDB command-line tools. Install mongosh only for Shell, and MongoDB Database Tools for backup/restore. See tool configuration.

Launch your desktop build

Windows: open the supplied Palryn setup executable and follow the installer. It installs for the current user and can install the WebView2 runtime if needed. Start Palryn from its installed shortcut.

Linux: make the supplied AppImage executable, then launch it. Substitute your actual filename in this example:

chmod +x ./Palryn.AppImage
./Palryn.AppImage

On NixOS, launch the image using appimage-run ./Palryn.AppImage. Saved connections on Linux also need an available, unlocked desktop keychain service.

1. Add a connection

1. Open Manage connections. If you are already in a workspace, find it in the application menu at the top right.
2. Choose Add, enter a recognizable profile name and paste your connection string into MongoDB URI.
3. Choose Test details to check the unsaved details. A successful test does not save the profile.
4. Choose Add connection, then connect or select the profile in the workspace selector.

For a MongoDB server running locally with no authentication, a connection string may look like:

mongodb://localhost:27017

For a hosted deployment, use the connection string supplied by your provider. See Connections for credentials, TLS, SRV and keychain details.

2. Open a collection

1. In Explorer, expand a database to see its collections and views.
2. Double-click a collection to open it. You can also focus it and press Enter, or right-click and choose Open.
3. A query tab opens in the active editor group. Opening a tab does not execute a query.

If you cannot see a database, check your connection's permissions and the workspace visibility filters. Use the Explorer refresh icon to reload its list.

3. Run a query

Select Source in the filter editor and enter an empty filter to match every document:

{}

Choose a Page size, then choose Run query. You can also use Ctrl + Enter in the editor. Results appear in a table; expand a row to inspect its fields and nested values.

To narrow an example orders collection to pending orders:

{ status: "pending" }

Choose Run query again after changing the filter. The field must exist in your data for this example to match. If the collection is empty, a successful query can legitimately return no documents.

4. Explore the results

• Expand a document row, then expand objects or arrays to see nested values.
• Right-click a property to copy it, add a filter condition or define a relation where available.
• Use the column menus and drag column headers to arrange useful columns.
• Use the pager for another page, or Open to side from Explorer to compare another query.

Continue with Querying documents for dates, IDs, sort and projection, or Viewing & editing documents to change data.

5. Keep your setup

Settings → Workspace → Remember workspace state restores query drafts and layouts. Selecting a saved connection or workspace connects automatically; queries still require an explicit run. Database results and unsaved document changes are not restored after an application restart.