To fully understand Apache Cassandra and what it can offer, it is helpful to first be familiar with NoSQL databases. Then, explore more in depth the Cassandra’s capabilities and architecture. It’s a great overview of the software to help you assess if it’s suitable for your company.
Apache Cassandra is a distributed database management system designed to handle huge amounts of data in multiple data centers as well as the cloud. Its key features include:
Highly adaptable
High availability
Doesn’t have a single reason for failure
Written in Java and Java, it’s an NoSQL database that can do a lot that other NoSQL and relational databases can’t.
Cassandra was initially developed by Facebook for their search inbox feature. Facebook opened-sourced the feature in 2008 and Cassandra was added to the Apache Incubator in 2009. Since the beginning of 2010, it’s an top-level Apache project. It’s currently an integral part of the Apache Software Foundation and can be used by anyone who wishes to profit from it.
Cassandra is unique among databases and has some advantages over other databases. Its capacity to handle huge volumes is particularly advantageous for large companies. It’s currently used by numerous big companies, including Apple, Facebook, Instagram, Uber, Spotify, Twitter, Cisco, Rackspace, eBay, and Netflix.
What is what is NoSQL Database?
A NoSQL database, also known in the context of “not just SQL” database can store and retrieve information without requiring that data be kept in tabular formats. In contrast to relational databases, which require tabular formats, NoSQL databases allow for unstructured data. The NoSQL database type offers:
A simple design
Horizontal scaling
Extensive control over availability
NoSQL databases don’t require a an established schema, which allows for an easy replication. With its easy API, I am a fan of Cassandra GUI for its general consistency and ability to handle massive volumes of data.
There exist pros as well as cons to making use of this kind of database. Although NoSQL databases provide many benefits but they also come with disadvantages. The general rule is that NoSQL databases:
Only support simple the query language (SQL)
Are you just “eventually constant
Do not support transactions
They are nevertheless effective with massive quantities of data. They also provide simple, horizontal scaling, which makes this kind of system an ideal choice for large-scale businesses. The most well-known and efficient NoSQL databases are:
Apache Cassandra
Apache HBase
MongoDB
What is it that makes Apache Cassandra unique?
Cassandra is among the most reliable and extensively used NoSQL databases. One of the major advantages of this database is the fact that it provides a highly-available service, and has there is no single source of failure. This is essential for companies that are able to afford having their system fail or lose information. With one source of failure it provides truly continuous access and accessibility.
Another advantage that comes with Cassandra is the huge amount of data it is able to manage. It is able to efficiently and effectively manage massive quantities of data on multiple servers. Additionally, it’s capable of writing massive quantities of data, without affecting the efficiency of reading. Cassandra provides users with “blazingly quick writes” and the speed and accuracy is not affected by massive amounts of data. It’s as quick and accurate for large amounts in data, as is it for less amounts.
Another reason why so many businesses use Cassandra is its ability to scale horizontally. The structure of the system lets users meet rapid increases in demand and it also allows users to simply upgrade their equipment to accommodate more clients and data. It is easy to scale without any shutdowns or significant adjustments required. In addition its linear scalability is among the factors which helps ensure the system’s fast response time.
Other advantages of Cassandra are:
Flexible data storage. Cassandra can handle semi-structured, structured, and unstructured information, giving users the flexibility to store data.
Flexible data distribution. Cassandra has multiple data centers, which allow the easy distribution of data anytime and anywhere.
Supports ACID. ACID’s properties ACID (atomicity and consistency isolation, and endurance) are provided by Cassandra.
It is clear that Apache Cassandra offers some discrete advantages that other NoSQL or relational databases can’t. With its continuous availability, operation-friendly simplicity and easy distribution of data over multiple centers and the ability to handle large volumes of data it is the preferred database for many companies.
What exactly is Cassandra function?
Apache Cassandra is a peer-to-peer system. The design of its distribution is based by Amazon’s DynamoDB as well as its model for data is built off the Google Big Table.
The basic structure is an array of nodes, any of which will take a write or read request. This is an important aspect of its design, because there is no master node. Instead, all nodes interact in a similar way.
While nodes are the only area where data lives in the cluster, it comprises the entire collection of data centers in which the data is all stored to be processed. The related nodes are located within data centers. This kind of structure is designed for scalability, and should space be required the nodes are able to be added. This means it is simple to expand, designed to handle the volume of use, and designed to support simultaneous users across the entire system.
Its structure is also a way to provide data security. To ensure the integrity of data, Cassandra has a commit log. It is a backup technique and all data is written into the commit log to ensure that the integrity of data. It is later indexed before being written into memtable. Memtables are essentially an information structure within the memory that Cassandra writes. There is only one active memtable in each table.
Once memtables have reached their limit, they are flushed to disks and are made immutable SSTables. In simple terms, this means that once the commit log is filled and the flush is initiated, in which memtables’ contents are transferred to tables. Commit logs are a crucial component of the Cassandra architecture since it is a reliable method to secure data and ensure data integrity.
Who is the best person to use Cassandra?
If you have to manage and store large quantities of data on multiple servers Cassandra might be a suitable solution for your company. Cassandra is ideal for companies that:
Don’t want to risk data loss
Databases cannot be down because of the outage of just one server
Additionally, it’s easy to use and simple to expand, making it ideal for companies that are always expanding.
At its heart the structure of Apache Cassandra has been “built-for-scale” and is able to handle huge amounts of data and simultaneous users across a system. It allows large corporations to store huge quantities of data in an uncentralized system. Even with the decentralization, it permits users to control over and access to information.
Data is also always available. With no single failure point this system provides constant availability, which means there is no the possibility of data loss and downtime. In addition, since it is able to be scaled simply by adding more nodes, there is always availability and there is no need to shut down the system to handle more clients or increase the amount of information. With these advantages it’s no surprise that many big firms use Apache Cassandra.
Menu