diff --git a/LICENSE.md b/LICENSE.md
index 67bfabf..48e3efd 100644
--- a/LICENSE.md
+++ b/LICENSE.md
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 Bedrock Non-Commercial License v1.0
 ===================================
 
-Copyright (c) 2011-2017 Digital Bazaar, Inc.
+Copyright (c) 2011-2024 Digital Bazaar, Inc.
 All rights reserved.
 
 Summary
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 473d800..1bbb3b8 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -58,12 +58,10 @@ bedrock.start();
 For documentation on database configuration, see [config.js](./lib/config.js).
 
 ### Connecting and Authenticating
-MongoDB's documentation offers tons of great examples on how to authenticate
-using a myriad number of connection strings.
+MongoDB's documentation provides examples on how to authenticate using a myriad
+number of connection strings.
 
-[Mongo Node 3.5 Driver connect docs](http://mongodb.github.io/node-mongodb-native/3.5/tutorials/connect/)
-
-[Mongo Node 3.5 Driver atlas docs](https://docs.mongodb.com/drivers/node#connect-to-mongodb-atlas)
+[Mongo Node Driver connect docs](https://www.mongodb.com/docs/drivers/node/current/fundamentals/connection/connect/)
 
 You can also connect to access-enabled mongo servers using some small changes to the
 `config.mongodb.connectOptions`:
@@ -94,9 +92,9 @@ config.mongodb.url = 'mongodb://myDBReader:D1fficultP%40ssw0rd@mongodb0.example.
 ## Requirements
 
 * Linux or Mac OS X (also works on Windows with some coaxing)
-* node.js >= 14.x
-* npm >= 6.x
-* mongodb ~= 4.x
+* node.js >= 18.x
+* npm >= 9.x
+* mongodb >= 5.x
 * libkrb5-dev >= 1.x.x
 
 ## Setup
@@ -105,7 +103,7 @@ config.mongodb.url = 'mongodb://myDBReader:D1fficultP%40ssw0rd@mongodb0.example.
    at [mongodb.org](http://docs.mongodb.org/manual/tutorial/add-user-administrator/)
    for your version of MongoDB. Version 4.2.x is currently supported.
 2. [optional] Tweak your project's configuration settings; see
-   [Configuration](#configuration) or [Quick Examples](#quickexamples).
+   [Configuration](#configuration) or [Quick Examples](#quick-examples).
 
 ## API
 
@@ -122,13 +120,12 @@ an error occurs, the returned promise rejects. If no error occurs, then once
 the promise resolves, the `collections` object will have keys that match the
 collection names and values that are instances of
 [mongodb-native][]
-[Collection](http://mongodb.github.io/node-mongodb-native/2.0/api/Collection.html).
+[Collection](https://mongodb.github.io/node-mongodb-native/6.3/classes/Collection.html).
 
 ### createGridFSBucket(options)
 
 Creates and returns a new `GridFSBucket` from the native driver. Options are
-the same as for `GridFSBucket`. The current client is used and the
-`writeConcern` option defaults to the `writeOptions` config value.
+the same as for `GridFSBucket`. The current client is used.
 
 ## Test Mode
 ### Drop Collections on Initialization
@@ -152,4 +149,4 @@ bedrock.config.mongodb.dropCollections.collections = [];
 ```
 
 [bedrock]: https://github.com/digitalbazaar/bedrock
-[mongodb-native]: http://mongodb.github.io/node-mongodb-native/3.5/
+[mongodb-native]: https://www.mongodb.com/docs/drivers/node/current/
diff --git a/lib/authn.js b/lib/authn.js
index 56a18cf..334401d 100644
--- a/lib/authn.js
+++ b/lib/authn.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*!
- * Copyright (c) 2012-2022 Digital Bazaar, Inc. All rights reserved.
+ * Copyright (c) 2012-2024 Digital Bazaar, Inc. All rights reserved.
  */
 import * as bedrock from '@bedrock/core';
 import * as urls from './urls.js';
@@ -14,19 +14,19 @@ const {util: {BedrockError}} = bedrock;
 
 export async function openDatabase(options) {
   const config = bedrock.config.mongodb;
-  // copy the config stuff related to connecting
+
   const opts = {
-    database: config.name,
-    authentication: {...config.authentication},
-    // authSource should be set in connectOptions
     connectOptions: {...config.connectOptions},
     writeOptions: {...config.writeOptions},
     ...options
   };
 
-  // if a `url` was not specified, create one from the `config`
-  if(!opts.url) {
+  if(config.url) {
+    opts.url = config.url;
+  } else {
     opts.url = urls.create(config);
+    opts.database = config.name;
+    opts.authentication = {...config.authentication};
   }
 
   // do unauthenticated connection to mongo server to check
@@ -35,13 +35,6 @@ export async function openDatabase(options) {
   const serverInfo = await admin.serverInfo(null);
   _checkServerVersion({serverInfo, config});
 
-  // check if server supports roles; if not, can't authenticate
-  if(!_usesRoles(serverInfo)) {
-    const stringVersion = serverInfo.versionArray.join('.');
-    throw new BedrockError(
-      `MongoDB server version "${stringVersion}" is unsupported.`,
-      'NotSupportedError');
-  }
   // makes an unauthenticated call to the server
   // to see if auth is required
   const authRequired = await _isAuthnRequired({config, admin});
@@ -49,7 +42,7 @@ export async function openDatabase(options) {
   // if authRequired create an auth object for Mongo;
   // otherwise `auth` will be passed as `null` and success will rely on other
   // config options such as the url for the server
-  if(authRequired) {
+  if(!opts.url && authRequired) {
     _addAuthOptions({options: opts, config});
   }
 
@@ -69,8 +62,8 @@ async function _connect(options) {
   if(!options.init) {
     logger.info('connecting to database: ' + urls.sanitize(options.url));
   }
-  const {writeConcern} = options.writeOptions;
-  let connectOptions = {...options.connectOptions, writeConcern};
+
+  let connectOptions = {...options.connectOptions};
   // socket related options used to be an object
   // they are now just general options in connectOptions
   if('socketOptions' in options.connectOptions) {
@@ -80,20 +73,14 @@ async function _connect(options) {
     };
     delete connectOptions.socketOptions;
   }
+
   const client = await MongoClient.connect(options.url, connectOptions);
+
   const db = client.db();
   const ping = await db.admin().ping();
-  logger.debug(
-    'database connection succeeded: db=' + db.databaseName +
-    ' username=' + connectOptions?.auth?.user, {ping});
-  return {client, db};
-}
+  logger.debug('database connection succeeded: db=' + db.databaseName, {ping});
 
-function _usesRoles(serverInfo) {
-  // >= Mongo 2.6 uses user roles
-  return (
-    (serverInfo.versionArray[0] == 2 && serverInfo.versionArray[1] >= 6) ||
-    (serverInfo.versionArray[0] > 2));
+  return {client, db};
 }
 
 /**
@@ -128,7 +115,7 @@ async function _isAuthnRequired({config, admin}) {
 
 function _addAuthOptions({options, config}) {
   options.connectOptions.auth = {
-    user: config.username,
+    username: config.username,
     password: config.password
   };
   // authSource is the database to authenticate against
diff --git a/lib/config.js b/lib/config.js
index 80fb46b..216fd07 100644
--- a/lib/config.js
+++ b/lib/config.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*!
- * Copyright (c) 2012-2012 Digital Bazaar, Inc. All rights reserved.
+ * Copyright (c) 2012-2024 Digital Bazaar, Inc. All rights reserved.
  */
 import {config} from '@bedrock/core';
 
@@ -39,12 +39,8 @@ config.mongodb.authentication = {
 };
 // this is used when making connections to the database
 config.mongodb.connectOptions = {
-  useUnifiedTopology: true,
-  serverSelectionTimeoutMS: 30000,
-  autoReconnect: false,
-  useNewUrlParser: true,
-  // promotes binary BSON values to native Node.js buffers
   promoteBuffers: true,
+  serverSelectionTimeoutMS: 30000,
   // it is recommended to set either ssl or tls to true in production
   // ssl: true
   // tls: true
@@ -55,16 +51,12 @@ config.mongodb.connectOptions = {
 
 // this is used when writing to the database
 config.mongodb.writeOptions = {
-  writeConcern: {
-    w: 'majority',
-    j: true,
-  },
   forceServerObjectId: true,
 };
 
 config.mongodb.requirements = {};
 // server version requirement with server-style string
-config.mongodb.requirements.serverVersion = '>=4.2';
+config.mongodb.requirements.serverVersion = '>=5';
 
 // this is used by _createUser to add a user as an admin to a collection
 // config.mongodb.collection = 'admin-collection';
diff --git a/lib/exceptions.js b/lib/exceptions.js
index 1907f9f..8c35b21 100644
--- a/lib/exceptions.js
+++ b/lib/exceptions.js
@@ -1,15 +1,17 @@
 /*!
- * Copyright (c) 2012-2022 Digital Bazaar, Inc. All rights reserved.
+ * Copyright (c) 2012-2024 Digital Bazaar, Inc. All rights reserved.
  */
 export const MDBE_ERROR = 'MongoError';
 export const WRITE_ERROR = 'WriteError';
 export const BULK_WRITE_ERROR = 'BulkWriteError';
 export const WRITE_CONCERN_ERROR = 'WriteConcernError';
+export const MONGO_SERVER_ERROR = 'MongoServerError';
 export const MDBE_ERRORS = [
   MDBE_ERROR,
   WRITE_ERROR,
   BULK_WRITE_ERROR,
-  WRITE_CONCERN_ERROR
+  WRITE_CONCERN_ERROR,
+  MONGO_SERVER_ERROR,
 ];
 export const MDBE_AUTHN_FAILED = 18;
 export const MDBE_AUTHZ_FAILED = 13;
diff --git a/lib/helpers.js b/lib/helpers.js
index 447065a..3165768 100644
--- a/lib/helpers.js
+++ b/lib/helpers.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*!
- * Copyright (c) 2012-2022 Digital Bazaar, Inc. All rights reserved.
+ * Copyright (c) 2012-2024 Digital Bazaar, Inc. All rights reserved.
  */
 import * as bedrock from '@bedrock/core';
 import crypto from 'node:crypto';
diff --git a/lib/index.js b/lib/index.js
index e90c17a..7ca168f 100644
--- a/lib/index.js
+++ b/lib/index.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*!
- * Copyright (c) 2012-2022 Digital Bazaar, Inc. All rights reserved.
+ * Copyright (c) 2012-2024 Digital Bazaar, Inc. All rights reserved.
  */
 import * as bedrock from '@bedrock/core';
 import * as urls from './urls.js';
@@ -81,12 +81,8 @@ export async function openCollections(names) {
   // open the collections
   logger.debug('opening collections', {collections: unopened});
   const collections = {};
-  const {writeConcern} = _db.options;
   await Promise.all(unopened.map(async name => {
-    // Note: We only pass `{writeConcern}` here to get around a bug in mongodb
-    // node driver 3.6.4 where `writeConcern` from `db` is not passed to
-    // collection
-    collections[name] = await _db.collection(name, {writeConcern});
+    collections[name] = await _db.collection(name);
   }));
 
   // merge results into collection cache
@@ -115,9 +111,6 @@ export async function createIndexes(options) {
 /**
  * Creates a streaming GridFS bucket instance.
  *
- * By default the writeOptions config value is used for the GridFSBucket
- * writeConcern option.
- *
  * @param {object} options - See GridFSBucket documentation.
  *
  * @returns {object} The new GridFSBucket instance.
diff --git a/lib/logger.js b/lib/logger.js
index d47a292..a84c199 100644
--- a/lib/logger.js
+++ b/lib/logger.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*!
- * Copyright (c) 2017-2022 Digital Bazaar, Inc. All rights reserved.
+ * Copyright (c) 2017-2024 Digital Bazaar, Inc. All rights reserved.
  */
 import {loggers} from '@bedrock/core';
 export const logger = loggers.get('app').child('bedrock-mongodb');
diff --git a/lib/test.config.js b/lib/test.config.js
index a7fc560..a85bd2f 100644
--- a/lib/test.config.js
+++ b/lib/test.config.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*!
- * Copyright (c) 2012-2022 Digital Bazaar, Inc. All rights reserved.
+ * Copyright (c) 2012-2024 Digital Bazaar, Inc. All rights reserved.
  */
 import {config} from '@bedrock/core';
 
diff --git a/lib/urls.js b/lib/urls.js
index c6d0224..e420d0d 100644
--- a/lib/urls.js
+++ b/lib/urls.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*!
- * Copyright (c) 2012-2022 Digital Bazaar, Inc. All rights reserved.
+ * Copyright (c) 2012-2024 Digital Bazaar, Inc. All rights reserved.
  */
 export function create(config) {
   let url = `${config.protocol}://`;
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index ad4c71f..85e61de 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
   "homepage": "https://github.com/digitalbazaar/bedrock-mongodb",
   "dependencies": {
     "klona": "^2.0.5",
-    "mongodb": "^3.7.3",
+    "mongodb": "^6.3.0",
     "semver": "^7.3.7"
   },
   "peerDependencies": {
diff --git a/test/mocha/10-api.js b/test/mocha/10-api.js
index a48fdde..88698da 100644
--- a/test/mocha/10-api.js
+++ b/test/mocha/10-api.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*!
- * Copyright (c) 2017-2022 Digital Bazaar, Inc. All rights reserved.
+ * Copyright (c) 2017-2024 Digital Bazaar, Inc. All rights reserved.
  */
 import * as database from '@bedrock/mongodb';
 
@@ -406,6 +406,26 @@ describe('api', function() {
       }
       should.exist(result);
       should.not.exist(error);
+      result.should.have.keys(['acknowledged', 'insertedId']);
+    });
+    it('should properly promote binary values to buffers', async function() {
+      let error;
+      let result = null;
+      const recordId = '06f336c0-7177-401b-a8ce-9a2e36331b8e';
+      try {
+        const record = {
+          id: recordId,
+          aBinaryField: Buffer.from(recordId)
+        };
+        await database.collections.test.insertOne(record);
+        result = await database.collections.test.findOne({id: recordId});
+      } catch(e) {
+        error = e;
+      }
+      should.not.exist(error);
+      should.exist(result);
+      result.aBinaryField.should.be.instanceof(Buffer);
+      result.aBinaryField.toString().should.equal(recordId);
     });
     it('should insertMany into a collection', async function() {
       let error;
@@ -455,4 +475,27 @@ describe('api', function() {
       result.length.should.equal(2);
     });
   });
+  describe('isDuplicateError helper', () => {
+    it('should properly detect a duplicate error', async function() {
+      await database.openCollections(['test']);
+      await database.createIndexes([{
+        collection: 'test',
+        fields: {id: 1},
+        options: {unique: true}
+      }]);
+      const record = {
+        id: 'f466586f-7006-474d-ae44-d16c96a7b5c3'
+      };
+      await database.collections.test.insertOne(record);
+
+      let error = null;
+      try {
+        await database.collections.test.insertOne(record);
+      } catch(e) {
+        error = e;
+      }
+      should.exist(error);
+      database.isDuplicateError(error).should.be.true;
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/test/test.config.js b/test/test.config.js
index 7c4be75..c4dddf2 100644
--- a/test/test.config.js
+++ b/test/test.config.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*!
- * Copyright (c) 2019-2022 Digital Bazaar, Inc. All rights reserved.
+ * Copyright (c) 2019-2024 Digital Bazaar, Inc. All rights reserved.
  */
 import {config} from '@bedrock/core';
 import {fileURLToPath} from 'node:url';
diff --git a/test/test.js b/test/test.js
index cff4004..6761355 100644
--- a/test/test.js
+++ b/test/test.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*!
- * Copyright (c) 2019-2022 Digital Bazaar, Inc. All rights reserved.
+ * Copyright (c) 2019-2024 Digital Bazaar, Inc. All rights reserved.
  */
 import * as bedrock from '@bedrock/core';
 import '@bedrock/mongodb';