# RESTHeart > Depth-first rabbithole dossier for RESTHeart; source-anchored research pack. Parent: [Atlas Data API Removal](https://llms-explorer.com/tree/atlas-data-api-removal/) · 4 facets · 33 facts · page: https://llms-explorer.com/tree/restheart/ ## Definitions - [low] RESTHeart Cloud is a hosted service that replaces the Atlas Data API over HTTPS without requiring backend code, operating on user-provided MongoDB instances or ones it provides. Sources: https://cloud.restheart.com/blog/mongodb-atlas-data-api-replacement/ — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research/.pipeline/mongodb-2026-10-14/frb/restheart-fb35893a86/rabbithole-synthesis.md#core` ## Problems, failure modes and limitations - [low] MongoDB retired the Atlas Data API and HTTPS Endpoints of App Services at the end of September 2025, causing calls to data.mongodb-api.com to fail, with MongoDB advising users to write a backend. (verified as of 2026-10-14) Sources: https://cloud.restheart.com/blog/mongodb-atlas-data-api-replacement/ — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research/.pipeline/mongodb-2026-10-14/frb/restheart-fb35893a86/rabbithole-synthesis.md#core` ## Comparisons and alternatives - [high] RESTHeart is a mature, MongoDB-native REST and GraphQL API server built by SoftInstigate with over 10 years of development history, serving as a backend for web, mobile, AI, and IoT applications by providing features like AI agents, RAG, accounts, and data APIs as configuration rather than code. (verified as of 2026-10-14) Sources: https://blog.dreamfactory.com/the-best-atlas-data-api-alternatives-in-2026-a-complete-comparison, https://github.com/SoftInstigate/restheart — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research/.pipeline/mongodb-2026-10-14/frb/restheart-fb35893a86/rabbithole-synthesis.md#core` - [low] RESTHeart Cloud is a fully managed, no-installation hosted service that includes Sophia, an MCP server and browser assistant exposing RESTHeart's docs and plugin API to AI coding assistants like Claude Code, Cursor, or VS Code. Sources: https://github.com/SoftInstigate/restheart — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research/.pipeline/mongodb-2026-10-14/frb/restheart-fb35893a86/rabbithole-synthesis.md#core` - [low] Unlike the Atlas Data API, which used one endpoint per action with POST /action/find and an api-key header, RESTHeart Cloud uses one endpoint per collection where the collection is in the URL, the action is the HTTP method, and the filter is a query parameter. Sources: https://cloud.restheart.com/blog/mongodb-atlas-data-api-replacement/ — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research/.pipeline/mongodb-2026-10-14/frb/restheart-fb35893a86/rabbithole-synthesis.md#core` - [low] RESTHeart can technically work with PostgreSQL through a FerretDB translation layer, but this is a workaround rather than native SQL support. Sources: https://blog.dreamfactory.com/the-best-atlas-data-api-alternatives-in-2026-a-complete-comparison — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research/.pipeline/mongodb-2026-10-14/frb/restheart-fb35893a86/rabbithole-synthesis.md#core` ## Facts and statements - [low] RESTHeart core is licensed under the GNU AGPL v3, while the restheart-commons Maven artifact, which plugins depend on to reach Approved Interfaces, is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. Sources: https://github.com/SoftInstigate/restheart — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research/.pipeline/mongodb-2026-10-14/frb/restheart-fb35893a86/rabbithole-synthesis.md#core` - [low] RESTHeart is distributed as a Docker image and a GraalVM native binary, built on Java 25, Undertow, and virtual threads. (verified as of 2026-10-14) Sources: https://github.com/SoftInstigate/restheart — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research/.pipeline/mongodb-2026-10-14/frb/restheart-fb35893a86/rabbithole-synthesis.md#core` - [low] RESTHeart provides an MCP server for AI agents, enabling them to use the application's APIs under the same permissions as its users. Sources: https://github.com/SoftInstigate/restheart — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research/.pipeline/mongodb-2026-10-14/frb/restheart-fb35893a86/rabbithole-synthesis.md#core` - [low] RESTHeart supports RAG and vector search by computing embeddings on write using Voyage AI, any OpenAI-compatible endpoint, or Ollama, chunking uploaded documents for retrieval, and re-ranking results. Sources: https://github.com/SoftInstigate/restheart — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research/.pipeline/mongodb-2026-10-14/frb/restheart-fb35893a86/rabbithole-synthesis.md#core` - [low] RESTHeart includes account management features such as sign-up, login, email verification, password reset, team invitations, Google sign-in, tokens, and API keys. Sources: https://github.com/SoftInstigate/restheart — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research/.pipeline/mongodb-2026-10-14/frb/restheart-fb35893a86/rabbithole-synthesis.md#core` - [low] RESTHeart supports authentication and authorization via JWT, OAuth2, LDAP, and MongoDB-based users, with ACL rules per role defined as data that control access down to specific documents. Sources: https://github.com/SoftInstigate/restheart — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research/.pipeline/mongodb-2026-10-14/frb/restheart-fb35893a86/rabbithole-synthesis.md#core` - [low] RESTHeart provides a REST API with full CRUD, aggregations, filtering, sorting, pagination, and JSON Schema validation generated from the database schema, as well as GraphQL with schema-driven mapping to MongoDB queries. Sources: https://github.com/SoftInstigate/restheart — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research/.pipeline/mongodb-2026-10-14/frb/restheart-fb35893a86/rabbithole-synthesis.md#core` - [low] RESTHeart exposes change streams as real-time data sync via WebSocket and supports Server-Sent Events (SSE) for dashboards, IoT feeds, and event streams. Sources: https://github.com/SoftInstigate/restheart — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research/.pipeline/mongodb-2026-10-14/frb/restheart-fb35893a86/rabbithole-synthesis.md#core` - [low] RESTHeart supports transactional email messages from templates over a user's own SMTP and integrates with Stripe for plans, seats, and products. Sources: https://github.com/SoftInstigate/restheart — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research/.pipeline/mongodb-2026-10-14/frb/restheart-fb35893a86/rabbithole-synthesis.md#core` - [low] RESTHeart features a plugin framework allowing custom services, interceptors, and initializers in Java, Kotlin, JavaScript, or TypeScript, and includes metrics and monitoring via a Prometheus-compatible endpoint and a browser dashboard at /metrics-ui. Sources: https://github.com/SoftInstigate/restheart — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research/.pipeline/mongodb-2026-10-14/frb/restheart-fb35893a86/rabbithole-synthesis.md#core` - [low] RESTHeart includes an IoT/MQTT module that bridges an MQTT broker into the system, converting topic messages into Server-Sent Events, REST responses, or MongoDB documents. Sources: https://github.com/SoftInstigate/restheart — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research/.pipeline/mongodb-2026-10-14/frb/restheart-fb35893a86/rabbithole-synthesis.md#core` - [low] Plugins that depend only on restheart-commons and do not link against RESTHeart's AGPL-licensed core can be distributed under any license, including proprietary ones. Sources: https://github.com/SoftInstigate/restheart — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research/.pipeline/mongodb-2026-10-14/frb/restheart-fb35893a86/rabbithole-synthesis.md#core` - [low] RESTHeart Cloud allows users to define aggregation pipelines with parameters on the server, which clients call by name via GET /orders/_aggrs/, replacing the Data API's POST /action/aggregate method. Sources: https://cloud.restheart.com/blog/mongodb-atlas-data-api-replacement/ — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research/.pipeline/mongodb-2026-10-14/frb/restheart-fb35893a86/rabbithole-synthesis.md#core` - [low] On RESTHeart Cloud Free and Shared tiers, a service is bound to one database, while on Dedicated tiers, the database is the first segment of the path. Sources: https://cloud.restheart.com/blog/mongodb-atlas-data-api-replacement/ — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research/.pipeline/mongodb-2026-10-14/frb/restheart-fb35893a86/rabbithole-synthesis.md#core` - [low] RESTHeart Cloud returns documents in MongoDB's extended JSON format, encoding ObjectIds as {"$oid": "..."} and dates as {"$date": ...}, matching the encoding used by the Atlas Data API. Sources: https://cloud.restheart.com/blog/mongodb-atlas-data-api-replacement/ — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research/.pipeline/mongodb-2026-10-14/frb/restheart-fb35893a86/rabbithole-synthesis.md#core` - [low] RESTHeart Cloud authenticates users with roles and permissions that determine read/write access down to the document level, replacing the single api-key model of the Atlas Data API. Sources: https://cloud.restheart.com/blog/mongodb-atlas-data-api-replacement/ — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research/.pipeline/mongodb-2026-10-14/frb/restheart-fb35893a86/rabbithole-synthesis.md#core` - [low] RESTHeart Cloud supports JWT authentication for browsers and mobile apps, Basic Auth for servers and scripts, and revocable API keys for agents and integrations. Sources: https://cloud.restheart.com/blog/mongodb-atlas-data-api-replacement/ — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research/.pipeline/mongodb-2026-10-14/frb/restheart-fb35893a86/rabbithole-synthesis.md#core` - [low] RESTHeart Cloud's sign-up management covers registration, email verification, password reset, and Google login, replacing Atlas App Services email/password authentication. Sources: https://cloud.restheart.com/blog/mongodb-atlas-data-api-replacement/ — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research/.pipeline/mongodb-2026-10-14/frb/restheart-fb35893a86/rabbithole-synthesis.md#core` - [low] On RESTHeart Cloud Free and Shared tiers, MongoDB is included and data must be imported, while on Dedicated tiers, users provide the connection string of their Atlas cluster to work on data in place. Sources: https://cloud.restheart.com/blog/mongodb-atlas-data-api-replacement/ — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research/.pipeline/mongodb-2026-10-14/frb/restheart-fb35893a86/rabbithole-synthesis.md#core` - [low] RESTHeart Cloud provides GraphQL over the same collections without resolvers, change streams over WebSocket for UI updates, webhooks, JSON Schema validation, transactional email, and Stripe subscriptions, all configurable from the console. Sources: https://cloud.restheart.com/blog/mongodb-atlas-data-api-replacement/ — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research/.pipeline/mongodb-2026-10-14/frb/restheart-fb35893a86/rabbithole-synthesis.md#core` - [low] RESTHeart Cloud includes an MCP server that publishes collections and aggregations to AI agents under the same permissions, and runs on open-source RESTHeart, allowing users to self-host if they choose to leave. Sources: https://cloud.restheart.com/blog/mongodb-atlas-data-api-replacement/ — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research/.pipeline/mongodb-2026-10-14/frb/restheart-fb35893a86/rabbithole-synthesis.md#core` - [low] RESTHeart Cloud pricing starts at €19.90 per month for the Shared tier, which includes backups and email support, and from €49.90 per month for the Dedicated tier, which runs on the user's own MongoDB in a chosen AWS region. (verified as of 2026-10-14) Sources: https://cloud.restheart.com/blog/mongodb-atlas-data-api-replacement/ — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research/.pipeline/mongodb-2026-10-14/frb/restheart-fb35893a86/rabbithole-synthesis.md#core` - [low] RESTHeart provides REST and GraphQL APIs for MongoDB out of the box, supporting MongoDB Atlas, Percona Server for MongoDB, AWS DocumentDB, and Azure Cosmos DB. Sources: https://blog.dreamfactory.com/the-best-atlas-data-api-alternatives-in-2026-a-complete-comparison — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research/.pipeline/mongodb-2026-10-14/frb/restheart-fb35893a86/rabbithole-synthesis.md#core` - [low] The AGPL-3.0 license requires that if RESTHeart is distributed as a network service, the source code must be made available under the same license, which is a significant consideration for enterprise buyers. Sources: https://blog.dreamfactory.com/the-best-atlas-data-api-alternatives-in-2026-a-complete-comparison — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research/.pipeline/mongodb-2026-10-14/frb/restheart-fb35893a86/rabbithole-synthesis.md#core` - [low] The Mongo Atlas Data API was removed on September 30, 2025. (verified as of 2026-10-14) Sources: https://restheart.com/mongo-data-api-replacement — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research/.pipeline/mongodb-2026-10-14/frb/restheart-fb35893a86/rabbithole-synthesis.md#core` - [low] RESTHeart can be deployed using a docker-compose file retrieved from the SoftInstigate GitHub repository, and its health can be checked by curling the /ping endpoint on localhost:8080. Sources: https://github.com/SoftInstigate/restheart — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research/.pipeline/mongodb-2026-10-14/frb/restheart-fb35893a86/rabbithole-synthesis.md#tools` - [low] In RESTHeart, MongoDB collections are exposed as REST endpoints without written routes, where query parameters like filter and pagesize map directly to MongoDB's query language. Sources: https://github.com/SoftInstigate/restheart — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research/.pipeline/mongodb-2026-10-14/frb/restheart-fb35893a86/rabbithole-synthesis.md#patterns`