## 20.1 Interfaces to a MySQL Document Store

 To work with MySQL as a document store, you use dedicated components and a choice of clients that support communicating with the MySQL server to develop document based applications.

* The following MySQL products support X Protocol and enable you to use X DevAPI in your chosen language to develop applications that communicate with a MySQL Server functioning as a document store:

  * MySQL Shell (which provides implementations of X DevAPI in JavaScript and Python)

  * Connector/C++

  * Connector/J

  * Connector/Node.js

  * Connector/NET

  * Connector/Python

* MySQL Shell is an interactive interface to MySQL supporting JavaScript, Python, or SQL modes. You can use MySQL Shell to prototype applications, execute queries and update data. [Installing MySQL Shell](https://dev.mysql.com/doc/mysql-shell/8.0/en/mysql-shell-install.html) has instructions to download and install MySQL Shell.

* The quick-start guides (tutorials) in this chapter help you to get started using MySQL Shell with MySQL as a document store.

   The quick-start guide for JavaScript is here: [Section 20.3, “JavaScript Quick-Start Guide: MySQL Shell for Document Store”](mysql-shell-tutorial-javascript.html).

   The quick-start guide for Python is here: [Section 20.4, “Python Quick-Start Guide: MySQL Shell for Document Store”](mysql-shell-tutorial-python.html).

* The *MySQL Shell User Guide* at [MySQL Shell 8.0](https://dev.mysql.com/doc/mysql-shell/8.0/en/) provides detailed information about configuring and using MySQL Shell.

