How to sort in mongoose?

Sort the Sortables

Hierarchical multi-field sort

Sorting on multiple fields is straightforward: simply set the priority by sequencing the fields in the sort object.

// From most significant to least.
YourModel.find().sort({ primaryField: 1, secondaryField: -1 }).exec();
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Case-insensitive string sorting

Sorting strings can be tricky. You will need to set a collation with your locale to sort case-insensitively:

YourModel.find().collation({ locale: 'en' }).sort({ stringField: 1 }).exec();
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Paginated sorting

You can combine .sort() with .limit() and .skip() to implement pagination:

let pageSize = 10;
let page = 2;
// Paging through: one page at a time.
YourModel.find()
  .sort({ field: 1 })
  .skip(pageSize * (page - 1))
  .limit(pageSize)
  .exec();
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Pro-level Sorting Strategies and Pitfalls

Mandatory .exec() usage

Always remember to call .exec() to execute the query and return a promise. It makes your code cleaner and ready for using then.

YourModel.find().sort({ field: 1 }).exec().then(docs => { /* handle results like a boss */ });
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Nested-field sorting

Dot notation unlocks sorting by nested fields:

YourModel.find().sort({ 'nested.field': 1 }).exec();
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Error handling and precautions

ALWAYS handle errors to catch issues related to invalid fields or sorting logic:

YourModel.find().sort({ field: 1 }).exec((err, docs) => {
  if (err) {
    // Whoopsies! Gonna have to catch that one!
  } else {
    // Moving on, nothing to see here...
  }
});
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Performance-focused sorting

In large datasets, sorting on indexed fields yields better performance. Mongoose wisely uses same index for filtering and sorting the data.

Aggregation pipeline sorting

In aggregation pipelines, the $sort command sorts in style:

YourModel.aggregate([{ $sort : { field : 1 } }]);
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