diff --git a/services/document-updater/app.js b/services/document-updater/app.js
index e23fa3ca7b..7ac17d13bb 100644
--- a/services/document-updater/app.js
+++ b/services/document-updater/app.js
@@ -17,14 +17,14 @@ const DispatchManager = require('./app/js/DispatchManager')
 const DeleteQueueManager = require('./app/js/DeleteQueueManager')
 const Errors = require('./app/js/Errors')
 const HttpController = require('./app/js/HttpController')
-const mongojs = require('./app/js/mongojs')
+const mongodb = require('./app/js/mongodb')
 const async = require('async')
 
 const Path = require('path')
 const bodyParser = require('body-parser')
 
 Metrics.mongodb.monitor(
-  Path.resolve(__dirname, '/node_modules/mongojs/node_modules/mongodb'),
+  Path.resolve(__dirname, '/node_modules/mongodb'),
   logger
 )
 Metrics.event_loop.monitor(logger, 100)
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ app.get('/health_check', (req, res, next) => {
         })
       },
       (cb) => {
-        mongojs.healthCheck((error) => {
+        mongodb.healthCheck((error) => {
           if (error) {
             logger.err({ err: error }, 'failed mongo health check')
           }
@@ -219,13 +219,27 @@ const host = Settings.internal.documentupdater.host || 'localhost'
 
 if (!module.parent) {
   // Called directly
-  app.listen(port, host, () => {
-    logger.info(`Document-updater starting up, listening on ${host}:${port}`)
-    if (Settings.continuousBackgroundFlush) {
-      logger.info('Starting continuous background flush')
-      DeleteQueueManager.startBackgroundFlush()
-    }
-  })
+  mongodb
+    .waitForDb()
+    .then(() => {
+      app.listen(port, host, function (err) {
+        if (err) {
+          logger.fatal({ err }, `Cannot bind to ${host}:${port}. Exiting.`)
+          process.exit(1)
+        }
+        logger.info(
+          `Document-updater starting up, listening on ${host}:${port}`
+        )
+        if (Settings.continuousBackgroundFlush) {
+          logger.info('Starting continuous background flush')
+          DeleteQueueManager.startBackgroundFlush()
+        }
+      })
+    })
+    .catch((err) => {
+      logger.fatal({ err }, 'Cannot connect to mongo. Exiting.')
+      process.exit(1)
+    })
 }
 
 module.exports = app
diff --git a/services/document-updater/app/js/SnapshotManager.js b/services/document-updater/app/js/SnapshotManager.js
index 728ee73626..ec7b31315c 100644
--- a/services/document-updater/app/js/SnapshotManager.js
+++ b/services/document-updater/app/js/SnapshotManager.js
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
  * Full docs: https://github.com/decaffeinate/decaffeinate/blob/master/docs/suggestions.md
  */
 let SnapshotManager
-const { db, ObjectId } = require('./mongojs')
+const { db, ObjectId } = require('./mongodb')
 
 module.exports = SnapshotManager = {
   recordSnapshot(
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ module.exports = SnapshotManager = {
     } catch (error) {
       return callback(error)
     }
-    return db.docSnapshots.insert(
+    db.docSnapshots.insertOne(
       {
         project_id,
         doc_id,
diff --git a/services/document-updater/app/js/mongodb.js b/services/document-updater/app/js/mongodb.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c06865fff5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/services/document-updater/app/js/mongodb.js
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+const Settings = require('settings-sharelatex')
+const { MongoClient, ObjectId } = require('mongodb')
+
+const clientPromise = MongoClient.connect(Settings.mongo.url)
+
+async function healthCheck() {
+  const internalDb = (await clientPromise).db()
+  const res = await internalDb.command({ ping: 1 })
+  if (!res.ok) {
+    throw new Error('failed mongo ping')
+  }
+}
+
+async function waitForDb() {
+  await clientPromise
+}
+
+const db = {}
+waitForDb().then(async function () {
+  const internalDb = (await clientPromise).db()
+
+  db.docSnapshots = internalDb.collection('docSnapshots')
+})
+
+module.exports = {
+  db,
+  ObjectId,
+  healthCheck: require('util').callbackify(healthCheck),
+  waitForDb
+}
diff --git a/services/document-updater/package-lock.json b/services/document-updater/package-lock.json
index 3b32518ac4..233cf4ec0f 100644
--- a/services/document-updater/package-lock.json
+++ b/services/document-updater/package-lock.json
@@ -1480,9 +1480,9 @@
       "dev": true
     },
     "bson": {
-      "version": "1.1.3",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/bson/-/bson-1.1.3.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-TdiJxMVnodVS7r0BdL42y/pqC9cL2iKynVwA0Ho3qbsQYr428veL3l7BQyuqiw+Q5SqqoT0m4srSY/BlZ9AxXg=="
+      "version": "1.1.5",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/bson/-/bson-1.1.5.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-kDuEzldR21lHciPQAIulLs1LZlCXdLziXI6Mb/TDkwXhb//UORJNPXgcRs2CuO4H0DcMkpfT3/ySsP3unoZjBg=="
     },
     "buffer-equal-constant-time": {
       "version": "1.0.1",
@@ -4409,12 +4409,12 @@
       "optional": true
     },
     "mongodb": {
-      "version": "3.5.5",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/mongodb/-/mongodb-3.5.5.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-GCjDxR3UOltDq00Zcpzql6dQo1sVry60OXJY3TDmFc2SWFY6c8Gn1Ardidc5jDirvJrx2GC3knGOImKphbSL3A==",
+      "version": "3.6.0",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/mongodb/-/mongodb-3.6.0.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-/XWWub1mHZVoqEsUppE0GV7u9kanLvHxho6EvBxQbShXTKYF9trhZC2NzbulRGeG7xMJHD8IOWRcdKx5LPjAjQ==",
       "requires": {
         "bl": "^2.2.0",
-        "bson": "^1.1.1",
+        "bson": "^1.1.4",
         "denque": "^1.4.1",
         "require_optional": "^1.0.1",
         "safe-buffer": "^5.1.2",
@@ -5939,7 +5939,7 @@
     "require_optional": {
       "version": "1.0.1",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/require_optional/-/require_optional-1.0.1.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha1-TPNaQkf2TKPfjC7yCMxJSxyo/C4=",
+      "integrity": "sha512-qhM/y57enGWHAe3v/NcwML6a3/vfESLe/sGM2dII+gEO0BpKRUkWZow/tyloNqJyN6kXSl3RyyM8Ll5D/sJP8g==",
       "requires": {
         "resolve-from": "^2.0.0",
         "semver": "^5.1.0"
diff --git a/services/document-updater/package.json b/services/document-updater/package.json
index aebc1ef940..d174d46fcc 100644
--- a/services/document-updater/package.json
+++ b/services/document-updater/package.json
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
     "lodash": "^4.17.13",
     "logger-sharelatex": "^2.2.0",
     "metrics-sharelatex": "^2.6.2",
+    "mongodb": "^3.6.0",
     "mongojs": "^3.1.0",
     "redis-sharelatex": "^1.0.13",
     "request": "^2.88.2",