$pop

The $pop operator is used to remove the first or last element of an array. This operator is useful when you need to manage arrays by removing elements from either end. The $pop operator can be used in update operations.

Syntax

{
  $pop: {
    <field>: <value>
  }
}

Parameters

Parameter	Description
`<field>`	The field that contains the array from which you want to remove an element.
`<value>`	Use `1` to remove the last element, and `-1` to remove the first element.

Examples

Consider this sample document from the stores collection.

{
    "_id": "0fcc0bf0-ed18-4ab8-b558-9848e18058f4",
    "name": "First Up Consultants | Beverage Shop - Satterfieldmouth",
    "location": {
        "lat": -89.2384,
        "lon": -46.4012
    },
    "staff": {
        "totalStaff": {
            "fullTime": 8,
            "partTime": 20
        }
    },
    "sales": {
        "totalSales": 75670,
        "salesByCategory": [
            {
                "categoryName": "Wine Accessories",
                "totalSales": 34440
            },
            {
                "categoryName": "Bitters",
                "totalSales": 39496
            },
            {
                "categoryName": "Rum",
                "totalSales": 1734
            }
        ]
    },
    "promotionEvents": [
        {
            "eventName": "Unbeatable Bargain Bash",
            "promotionalDates": {
                "startDate": {
                    "Year": 2024,
                    "Month": 6,
                    "Day": 23
                },
                "endDate": {
                    "Year": 2024,
                    "Month": 7,
                    "Day": 2
                }
            },
            "discounts": [
                {
                    "categoryName": "Whiskey",
                    "discountPercentage": 7
                },
                {
                    "categoryName": "Bitters",
                    "discountPercentage": 15
                },
                {
                    "categoryName": "Brandy",
                    "discountPercentage": 8
                },
                {
                    "categoryName": "Sports Drinks",
                    "discountPercentage": 22
                },
                {
                    "categoryName": "Vodka",
                    "discountPercentage": 19
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "eventName": "Steal of a Deal Days",
            "promotionalDates": {
                "startDate": {
                    "Year": 2024,
                    "Month": 9,
                    "Day": 21
                },
                "endDate": {
                    "Year": 2024,
                    "Month": 9,
                    "Day": 29
                }
            },
            "discounts": [
                {
                    "categoryName": "Organic Wine",
                    "discountPercentage": 19
                },
                {
                    "categoryName": "White Wine",
                    "discountPercentage": 20
                },
                {
                    "categoryName": "Sparkling Wine",
                    "discountPercentage": 19
                },
                {
                    "categoryName": "Whiskey",
                    "discountPercentage": 17
                },
                {
                    "categoryName": "Vodka",
                    "discountPercentage": 23
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}

Example 1: Remove the last element from an array

To remove the last element from the tag array, run a query using the $pop operator on the tag field with a value of 1.

db.stores.update({
    _id: "7954bd5c-9ac2-4c10-bb7a-2b79bd0963c5"
}, {
    $pop: {
        tag: 1
    }
})

This query returns the following result.

[
  {
    "acknowledged": true,
    "insertedId": null,
    "matchedCount": "1",
    "modifiedCount": "1",
    "upsertedCount": 0
  }
]

Example 2: Removing the first element from an array

To remove the first element from the promotionEvents array, run a query using the $pop operator on the promotionEvents array with a value of -1.

db.stores.update({
    _id: "7954bd5c-9ac2-4c10-bb7a-2b79bd0963c5"
}, {
    $pop: {
        promotionEvents: -1
    }
})