What is Apache Cassandra database and what are its uses?
What is the Apache Cassandra Database? You can read this article if you are looking for the exact answer to this question. Apache Cassandra database is a type of NoSQL database that is open source to software developers and has many features that distinguish it from other competitors. The data storage model in this database is distributed, thus ensuring high retrieval speed, reliability, and availability.
Why is the Apache Cassandra database so popular?
Apache Cassandra is one of the best options if you want to learn a NoSQL language in your various software projects. A large developer community supports this database, and famous companies use it in their projects.
Cassandra is one of the light and lightweight databases and has shown distinctive features in managing big data. In recent years, the need for big data management in cloud systems and access to rapid scalability has led to an increase in the popularity of NoSQL databases such as Cassandra, which overcome the limitations of other databases in this field.
History of the Apache Cassandra database
Cassandra was created to give web development professionals access to a reliable, distributed database that is highly capable and easily scalable. The initial idea for this database was created in 2009 and was used in the early stages of Facebook.
At that time, a powerful and reliable database was needed to exchange data at high speed and at the same time manage the increase in users of this platform. Although this database worked well for Facebook, the company decided to replace Cassandra with HBase, another type of NoSQL database. But Cassandra is still used on Instagram, a subset of Meta that has over a billion monthly active users.
Cassandra’s popularity remained the same in the years after 2009 and even increased in subsequent time periods. Apart from Meta, other large companies such as Amazon, Reddit, Twitter and Cisco also use this database in their different departments. According to statistics, by 2012 this database was used thousands of times in small and large global companies, one of the most famous of which is eBay.
What is a NoSQL database?
NoSQL database or Not Only SQL is a feature where the database can store and retrieve data without the need for a table format. Unlike relational databases, where the format is tabular, NoSQLs like Apache Cassandra allow access to unstructured data, which has the following advantages.
Simple and uncomplicated design
Horizontal scaling
Perfect control over data access
NoSQL databases have found great use in big data and real-time web applications today, as they are easy to use and the concurrent performance of such databases has proven itself in large-scale transactions.
Replication: The ability to create copies of data is provided in NoSQL databases, where copies of information are stored and maintained on different servers. This is why data retrieval is more reliable and with its use the stored data and information can be accessed at different times. Of course, this will require additional storage space and increase costs slightly. But for many businesses around the world, the cost of downtime far outweighs dedicating additional storage space to data. In practice, such businesses prefer to increase the cost of servers to avoid losses due to outages.
The most important and popular NoSQL databases used by small and large companies around the world include:
Apache Cassandra
Apache HBase
MongoDB
How does Apache Cassandra database work?
The question is that understanding this will help us a lot to be able to structure and use this database better. The Apache Cassandra database is based on a point-to-point or peer-to-peer system whose basic structure is a cluster of nodes.
Note that each of these nodes has the ability to send read and write requests, and this is one of the important features of the Apache Cassandra database that distinguishes it from others. There is no master node in this database, which means all nodes work the same way. Related nodes in data centers are grouped together, and in cases where more capacity and memory is needed, this capability can be achieved by adding more nodes.
In the Apache Cassandra database, data is stored and retrieved using a partitioning system. The system will actually determine where and with what code the data will be stored.
Need more power? Increase nodes!
You may have worked with databases such as Oracle or MySQL. The development and increase in power in such databases depends on the increase in processing power, the increase in the amount of RAM memory and the use of faster storage disks. Focusing on each of these items has a direct correlation to increased costs, which can lead to many additional costs for a large company.
Apache Cassandra database makes it possible to effortlessly increase the power of the database as needed, without interruption, using node expansion. In fact, the number of nodes in this database can be doubled to double the capacity or throughput, without interrupting access.
Besides, when you need to restore state and reduce capacity, this is easily possible and the Apache Cassandra database gives you peace of mind in this regard.
What are the implementations of the Apache Cassandra database?
What are the implementations of the Apache Cassandra database? This is one of the questions that will definitely come to your mind after getting to know this database.
Why should we learn Apache Cassandra and what features have caused its use to increase in recent years?
This feature has certain features which we will explain below but in this section it is better to know a little about the use of Apache Cassandra database.
Apache Cassandra is used by many large technology companies and reputable companies working in the following industries:
Application of Apache Cassandra database in online commerce
Online commerce is a profitable and important industry where data exchange is very important. For safe and secure shopping, data and company information must be stored appropriately so that customer information can be used when access is needed. One of the important points in online commerce for store websites is the presence of a large number of users and customers who visit the site and store within a certain period of time.
In this case, users will definitely suffer from the interruption of the online platform, and any problems in this case may result in the loss of the company’s customers. Online businesses can avoid these problems by deploying reliable capabilities like Apache Cassandra. Thanks to proper fault tolerance, Apache Cassandra can continue working even during times of heavy traffic.
If an online business platform needs to increase its capacity and improve performance, then Apache Cassandra has the best advantages and you can manage the situation with its good scalability.
Implementation of Apache Cassandra database on entertainment websites
One of the best uses for the Apache Cassandra database is entertainment websites, including movie websites, online games, and music streaming websites. Due to the important features that this database provides to the developer, it is possible to record accurate data and information about users reliably. This data will be analyzed in the next step and can be used to improve user experience and website service quality.
It is interesting to know that one of the biggest developers of this database is Netflix, known as the entertainment service. One of the key goals of developing this database has been to help improve user experience by reducing interruptions and such issues.
last word
In recent years, the design of distributed systems has been the answer to many problems and challenges in the information technology industry, resulting in high reliability and fast access to data. Distributed systems include databases that work with nodes connected to each other, eventually forming a cluster. Creating such a system will prevent data loss in the data center,
which is a major problem that may arise for various reasons. The Apache Cassandra database is built on this concept for use in large and small companies where fast and reliable storage and retrieval is required. If you have any questions or comments about this database, you can submit them below.