Design Patterns in MongoDB

// Embedding pattern (denormalization)
{
  _id: ObjectId("..."),
  name: "John Doe",
  addresses: [
    { type: "home", street: "123 Main St", city: "NYC" },
    { type: "work", street: "456 Corp Ave", city: "NYC" }
  ]
}

// Reference pattern (normalization)
// Users collection
{ _id: userId, name: "John", orderIds: [order1, order2] }
// Orders collection  
{ _id: order1, customerId: userId, total: 99.99 }

// Hybrid pattern
{
  _id: postId,
  title: "MongoDB Tips",
  author: {  // Embed frequently needed data
    _id: authorId,
    name: "Jane Doe",
    avatar: "jane.jpg"
  },
  // Reference for full author details
  authorId: authorId
}