Index Management

Index List View

The index list displays all existing indexes on your collection in a table format with the following columns:

Index List Columns

• Name - The index name. Click the name to edit the index (except _id_ which is protected)
• Type - Index type badge (B-tree, Text, Hashed, 2D Sphere, 2D Geospatial, or Compound)
• Fields - Indexed fields with their directions (e.g., "email: 1, createdAt: -1")
• Unique - Checkmark if the index enforces unique values
• Sparse - Checkmark if the index only indexes documents with the field present
• TTL - Time-to-live value in seconds if configured
• Actions - Edit and Delete buttons (disabled for _id_ index)

Index Type Color Coding

• Blue Badge - B-tree (ascending/descending indexes)
• Purple Badge - Text indexes for full-text search
• Green Badge - Hashed indexes for equality queries
• Orange Badge - Geospatial indexes (2D or 2D Sphere)
• Pink Badge - Compound indexes with mixed types

List Actions

• Refresh - Reload the index list from the database
• Edit Index - Click index name or edit button to modify (drops and recreates the index)
• Drop Index - Delete an index (requires confirmation, cannot drop _id_)

Index Types

VisualLeaf supports all MongoDB index types with specific use cases and configuration options:

1. Ascending/Descending Indexes (1 / -1)

2. Compound Indexes (Multiple Fields)

Create indexes with multiple fields for queries that filter or sort on multiple criteria.

• Field Order Matters - Place equality-tested fields first, then sort fields, then range fields
• ESR Rule - Equality, Sort, Range for optimal compound index ordering
• Prefix Support - A compound index on (a, b, c) can also serve queries on (a) and (a, b)
• Mixed Directions - Combine ascending and descending fields (e.g., status: 1, createdAt: -1)

Example: Index on { status: 1, priority: -1, createdAt: -1 } for queries filtering by status and sorting by priority and date.

3. Text Indexes

4. Hashed Indexes

5. Geospatial Indexes (2D)

6. Geospatial Indexes (2D Sphere)

7. Wildcard Indexes

8. TTL (Time-to-Live) Indexes

Automatically delete documents after a specified time period. TTL indexes are regular single-field indexes with an expiration setting.

• Field Requirement - Must be a single field containing a BSON Date value
• Expiration Time - Set "Expire After Seconds" in the General tab (e.g., 3600 for 1 hour)
• How It Works - MongoDB deletes documents when (current_time - field_value) exceeds the TTL
• Deletion Frequency - Background process runs approximately every 60 seconds
• Use Cases - Session data, temporary tokens, cache entries, log retention

Create/Edit Index Form

The index creation form is organized into five tabs: General, Collation, Text, Geospatial, and Advanced.

General Tab

The General tab contains the core index configuration including fields, basic options, and TTL settings.

Index Fields Section

Define which fields to include in the index and their index types:

• Field Name - Enter the field name (supports dot notation for nested fields like "address.city")
• Field Autocomplete - As you type, suggestions appear based on actual fields in your collection
• Add Field Button - Click to add another field for compound indexes
• Remove Button - Click the X icon to remove a field (minimum 1 field required)

Direction Dropdown Options

Select the index type for each field:

Quick Actions

Dropdown menu with common index patterns:

Index Options

Collation Tab

Configure language-specific string comparison and sorting rules. Collation determines how text is compared and sorted based on locale, case sensitivity, accent handling, and more.

Note: To use an index for string comparisons, queries must specify the same collation as the index.

Text Tab

Configure text index options including language processing, stemming, field weights, and version.

Geospatial Tab

Configure geospatial index options for 2D and 2D Sphere indexes.

Advanced Tab

Configure advanced index options including partial filters, wildcard projections, storage engine settings, and cluster options.

JSON Preview

Click the "JSON Preview" button at the bottom of the form to see the complete index configuration as a MongoDB createIndex command. Useful for:

• Verifying your configuration before creating the index
• Copying the configuration for use in scripts or other tools
• Understanding the MongoDB command that will be executed
• Documenting index configurations for your team

Index Management Operations

Creating an Index

1. Click the "Create Index" button in the top-right corner
2. In the General tab, add at least one field with a direction
3. Configure additional options (unique, sparse, TTL, etc.) as needed
4. Switch to other tabs (Collation, Text, Geospatial, Advanced) to configure specialized options
5. Click "JSON Preview" to review the configuration (optional)
6. Click "Create Index" to build the index
7. Wait for success message and index to appear in the list

Editing an Index

Warning: Editing an index drops the existing index and creates a new one. This may take time and affect query performance during the rebuild.

1. Click the index name in the list or click the Edit button
2. Confirm the warning dialog about index rebuild
3. Modify the index configuration in the form
4. Click "Update Index" to drop the old index and create the new one
5. Wait for success message

Note: The _id_ index cannot be edited as it is a system index.

Deleting an Index

1. Click the Delete button (trash icon) in the Actions column
2. Confirm the deletion in the warning dialog
3. Wait for success message and index to disappear from the list

Note: The _id_ index cannot be deleted as it is required by MongoDB.

Refreshing the Index List

Click the "Refresh" button in the top-right corner to reload the index list from the database. Useful after creating/editing/deleting indexes or when working with indexes modified outside VisualLeaf.

Context Menu Access

You can access the Index Manager from multiple locations in VisualLeaf:

From Collection Context Menu

1. In the sidebar, expand a database to show its collections
2. Right-click on a collection name
3. Select "Manage Indexes" from the context menu
4. The Index Manager opens in a new tab or existing tab (singleton behavior)

From Collection Stats View

When viewing collection statistics, you can click on individual indexes to view their details or click "Manage Indexes" to open the Index Manager.

From Query Profiling

When viewing slow query recommendations in the profiling dashboard, you can click "Create Recommended Index" to open the Index Manager with the recommended index pre-filled.

Built-in Help System

Every field in the index creation form has a help icon (?) button. Click it to view detailed documentation about that specific field, including:

• Field Purpose - What the field does and why you'd use it
• Valid Values - What values are accepted and what they mean
• Use Cases - Real-world scenarios where this option is useful
• Examples - Concrete examples with sample values
• Warnings - Important caveats or limitations to be aware of
• Requirements - MongoDB version requirements or prerequisites

This context-sensitive help system makes it easy to learn about MongoDB index options without leaving the interface.

Pro Tips

• ESR Rule for Compound Indexes - Order fields by Equality (exact matches), Sort (sorting fields), Range (range queries) for optimal performance. Example: {status: 1, priority: -1, createdAt: -1} for queries like find({status: "active"}).sort({priority: -1, createdAt: -1}).
• Use Partial Indexes for Large Collections - If only a subset of documents needs indexing (e.g., active users, recent orders), use partial filter expressions to dramatically reduce index size and improve write performance.
• Field Autocomplete Saves Time - As you type field names, VisualLeaf shows suggestions based on actual fields in your collection. This prevents typos and helps you discover available fields.
• Test with Hidden Indexes - Before dropping an index, hide it first (Hidden checkbox in General tab) to see the performance impact without fully removing it. If performance degrades, simply unhide it instantly.
• Wildcard Indexes for Flexible Schemas - For collections with unpredictable fields or query patterns, use wildcard indexes ($**) with wildcard projection to index all/most fields while excluding large or sensitive ones.
• Text Index Weights for Better Search - When creating text indexes, set field weights to prioritize important fields. Example: title: 10, description: 5, tags: 2 makes title matches rank 5x higher than description matches.
• Background Builds for Production - Enable "Background" option when creating indexes on production databases to allow read/write operations to continue during index building (though less critical in MongoDB 4.2+).
• Use JSON Preview Before Creating - Always click "JSON Preview" to review your index configuration before creating. This helps catch mistakes and understand the exact MongoDB command being executed.

Common Use Cases

Troubleshooting

Index Creation Failures

Performance Issues

• Slow Index Creation: Large collections take time to index. Use "Background" option to allow other operations to continue. For very large collections, consider creating during low-traffic periods.
• Index Not Being Used: Check query shape matches index fields. For collation indexes, query must specify same collation. Use Explain Plan in Collection Activity to verify index usage.
• Too Many Indexes: Each index slows down writes and consumes storage. Review index usage regularly and drop unused indexes. Generally, aim for 5-10 indexes max per collection.

Storage Issues

• Large Index Size: Use partial indexes to index only relevant documents. Consider sparse indexes for optional fields. Review wildcard projection to exclude large fields.
• Index Size Exceeds RAM: MongoDB performs best when indexes fit in RAM. Consider partial indexes, remove unused indexes, or add more RAM.

Related Features

• Collection Statistics - View detailed index statistics including size, usage count, and cache performance in the Collection Stats activity
• Query Profiling - Analyze slow queries and get index recommendations in the Profiling Dashboard
• Explain Plan - View query execution plans in the Collection Activity to verify which indexes are being used
• VisuaSchema Designer - See relationships between collections and plan compound indexes across related fields
• MongoDB Shell - Create and manage indexes programmatically using the MongoDB shell for scripted operations