MONGOC_CLIENT...R_DESCRIPTIONS(3)

💅 MONGOC_CLIENT...R_DESCRIPTIONS(3) 💅

okay bestie, welcome to libmongoc — this is the page for mongoc_client_get_server_descriptions and it's honestly such a main character function. it's giving "let me introduce you to everyone in the group chat" energy, except the group chat is your MongoDB topology. 🦋

---

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

     mongoc_server_description_t **
     mongoc_client_get_server_descriptions (const mongoc_client_t *client,
                                            size_t *n);

Fetches an array of mongoc_server_description_t structs for all known servers in the topology — like, every single one, no gatekeeping. 🙈

Some receipts you need to know, no cap:

• it returns no servers until the client connects — so don't come for her before she's even linked up 💀
• it returns a single server if the client is directly connected
• it returns all members of a replica set</> if the client's MongoDB URI includes a "replicaSet" option
• it returns all known mongos servers if the MongoDB URI includes a list of them

and here's the cutest little example, show_servers, serving full tutorial realness 🎀:

     void
     show_servers (const mongoc_client_t *client)
     {
        bson_t *b = BCON_NEW ("ping", BCON_INT32 (1));
        bson_error_t error;
        bool r;
        mongoc_server_description_t **sds;
        size_t i, n;

        /* ensure client has connected */
        r = mongoc_client_command_simple (client, "db", b, NULL, NULL, &error);
        if (!r) {
           MONGOC_ERROR ("could not connect: %s\n", error.message);
           return;
        }

        sds = mongoc_client_get_server_descriptions (client, &n);

        for (i = 0; i < n; ++i) {
           printf ("%s\n", mongoc_server_description_host (sds[i])->host_and_port);
        }

        mongoc_server_descriptions_destroy_all (sds, n);
        bson_destroy (&b);
     }

---

🌸 PARAMETERS 🌸

• client — a mongoc_client_t. the client itself. the moment. the whole vibe. 👑
• n — receives the length of the descriptions array. so she writes the count back out to you, bestie, you don't gotta count by hand 💖

---

🦋 RETURNS 🦋

A newly allocated array — and yes, newly allocated means you own it now, it's your responsibility, no ghosting allowed 😭. You must free it with mongoc_server_descriptions_destroy_all().

fr fr do not skip the free. that's a memory leak and it's not iconic, it's just sad. 💀

---

⭐ AUTHOR ⭐

MongoDB, Inc — the ones who made all this happen, periodt. 🫶

---

🎀 COPYRIGHT 🎀

2009-present, MongoDB, Inc.

---

okay that's the whole page, you ate that reading it tbh 💅✨

~ cute little sign-off ~ this iconic dispatch came to you from libmongoc, version 2.5.6, dated Oct 09, 2026. go forth and fetch those server descriptions, bestie — slay responsibly 🌈 🍓