{"id":17576,"date":"2025-09-30T06:00:19","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T13:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.couchbase.com\/blog\/?p=17576"},"modified":"2025-12-08T10:07:24","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T18:07:24","slug":"realm-mongodb-eol-day-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.couchbase.com\/blog\/realm-mongodb-eol-day-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"MongoDB Ends Mobile Support Today: Migrate to Couchbase"},"content":{"rendered":"

MongoDB no longer supports Atlas Device Sync and Atlas Device SDKs. Here\u2019s what to know about migrating to Couchbase Mobile.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The mobile database platform<\/span><\/a> landscape has dramatically changed. As of today, Sept. 30, 2025, MongoDB has officially <\/span>ended its mobile support<\/span><\/a>, specifically Atlas Device Sync and Atlas Device SDKs (formerly known as Realm).<\/span><\/p>\n

Developers who have relied on these MongoDB products for data synchronization in their mobile and IoT apps must now transition to a different mobile solution. Many organizations facing this situation might assume it will require building custom sync logic or integrating a third-party service to handle data synchronization, neither of which is a trivial task.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thankfully, the Couchbase Mobile alternative not only <\/span>matches<\/span><\/i> the requirements of your Realm-based apps, but also delivers new capabilities that make your apps even better.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why mobile support matters<\/span><\/h2>\n

Before we give some next steps for how to migrate off Realm, it is important to understand how critical mobile development has become.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Today’s consumers demand mobile application experiences that are always fast, available, personalized, and engaging. Meeting these expectations are critical for driving adoption and sustaining growth. Falling behind comes with the risk of users abandoning the app altogether.<\/span><\/p>\n

But guaranteeing a fast, always available, experience becomes a challenge if the database that powers the app runs <\/span>only<\/span><\/i> in the cloud. Because mobile users are constantly moving in and out of network coverage, if they lose the connection, the mobile app slows or fails outright.<\/span><\/p>\n

To maintain a great user experience in disconnected environments, and areas with unreliable internet access, mobile developers often turn to mobile database platforms. These solutions combine a <\/span>cloud database<\/b> with an embedded, on-device, database that operates directly within the application.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The cloud database and embedded database remain consistent through data synchronization when network connectivity exists, and when the network slows or is interrupted, the <\/span>local database<\/b> ensures that the app remains fast and available. By processing data locally, these platforms eliminate the need for an internet connection to a distant cloud database; it instead uses the local data to power the app.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s important to note that the cloud is still crucial as a central data aggregation point for mobile apps. This is why a fully integrated enterprise-class cloud database with built-in data synchronization are such critical components for a mobile database platform, as nearly every app needs a scalable backend and the ability to share data between devices and the cloud for consistency.<\/span><\/p>\n

As you can imagine, because of these requirements, many mobile application developers rely on mobile database platforms to ensure their apps are fast and available without requiring an internet connection.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Comparing Couchbase Mobile to MongoDB Atlas Device Sync\/Atlas Device SDKs<\/span><\/h2>\n

Now that developers need to make a move, let’s examine how MongoDB\u2019s deprecated mobile support compares to our mature and innovative mobile database platform, <\/span>Couchbase Mobile<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Both platforms provide a cloud NoSQL database backend, embedded data persistence for mobile apps, and data synchronization capabilities, but that\u2019s where the overlap ends. At a feature level, there are many differences between the two platforms. Here are a few of the major distinctions:<\/span><\/p>\n

Schema flexibility<\/span><\/h3>\n

Atlas Device SDK was object oriented, which had its advantages, but it also required a schema for modeling relationships, creating rigidity that increased application complexity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Couchbase Mobile is schemaless. It\u2019s a classic JSON document database, which makes it more flexible. Developers don\u2019t have to worry about rigid schemas when doing things like adding new fields and indexes. This can make application upgrades faster, easier and more efficient.<\/span><\/p>\n

SQL support\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Atlas Device SDKs used a proprietary query language and syntax that lacked built-in support for joins and aggregations. This forced developers to work around these limitations in code.<\/span><\/p>\n

Couchbase Mobile supports SQL from the cloud database to the on-device database. This means developers use the same queries across application ecosystems. The familiarity of SQL also allows them to use their existing skills, making Couchbase easy to adopt.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vector search<\/span><\/h3>\n

MongoDB only supports vector search in Atlas, making it dependent on internet access to work. This means if there’s no internet, there’s no vector search.<\/span><\/p>\n

Couchbase Mobile supports vector search both in its cloud database platform Capella and in <\/span>Couchbase Lite<\/span><\/a> running on the device. This enables offline-first edge AI capabilities, helping to future-proof applications and add AI features.<\/span><\/p>\n

Data sync\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

MongoDB\u2019s sync solution did not support peer-to-peer sync. This meant it couldn’t sync without an internet connection to Atlas, and it did not support custom conflict resolvers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Couchbase Mobile offers peer-to-peer sync. This enables data sync to happen via peer-to-peer access between local devices without requiring an internet connection or central cloud control point. Additionally, developers can rely on Couchbase Mobile to create customized conflict resolution policies.<\/span><\/p>\n

Device Platform Support<\/span><\/h3>\n

Atlas Device Sync primarily supported mobile device platforms such as Android, iOS, React Native and .NET.<\/span><\/p>\n

Couchbase Mobile supports all of the above platforms, and offers the C API, allowing developers to embed data processing to resource-constrained IoT devices on single-board computers like Arduino and Raspberry Pi.<\/span><\/p>\n

To learn more, <\/span>this matrix<\/span><\/a> provides a detailed comparison of Couchbase Mobile and MongoDB Atlas Device Sync\/Atlas Device SDKs features. <\/span>This<\/span><\/a> GitHub guide also compares Atlas Device SDK and Couchbase Lite functionalities, including Android, .NET, Objective-C and Swift.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Resources for moving to Couchbase Mobile from MongoDB Atlas\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Database migrations often come with hurdles. Unexpected issues can arise even with the most carefully thought out plans. If you are moving from MongoDB Atlas Device Sync\/Atlas Device SDK to Couchbase Mobile, there are a host of resources to help streamline the process and make it as smooth as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read our <\/span>in-depth migration guide<\/span><\/a> that digs into the technical considerations and approaches for migration, including data modeling, data and application migration. It’s an essential read for developers migrating from MongoDB Atlas Device SDK to Couchbase Mobile.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Director of Software Engineering and Compliance from cloud-based point-of-sale (POS) technology provider Quantic explains why the company chose Couchbase Mobile over Realm in this <\/span>webcast<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This<\/span><\/a> video with Couchbase partner MOLO17 details how its real-time hybrid data integration platform <\/span>GlueSync<\/span><\/a> helps developers easily move data from MongoDB Atlas to <\/span>Couchbase Capella<\/span><\/a> for Couchbase Mobile migrations.<\/span><\/p>\n