What is the purpose of a collection in MongoDB?

In MongoDB, a collection is fundamentally designed to store documents. A collection serves as a grouping for documents that share a similar purpose or nature, functioning analogously to a table in relational databases. Each document within a collection can be of different structures, reflecting the schema-less nature of MongoDB, but they are typically associated based on a common domain or theme.

When you interact with MongoDB, you are primarily handling data through documents that reside within collections. These documents are stored in a format called BSON (Binary JSON), which allows for flexible data storage and retrieval. The convenience and efficiency in handling varied data types and structures make collections a pivotal component of MongoDB's design and functionality.

This fundamental aspect of collections emphasizes their role as the primary means of data organization within the MongoDB ecosystem, allowing developers to efficiently work with and manipulate their data.