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Apache Cassandra

What is Apache Cassandra database and what are its uses?

What is the Apache Cassandra Database? If you are looking for the exact answer to this question, you can read this article. The 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 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 lightest databases and has distinctive features for managing big data. In recent years, the need for big data management in cloud systems and access to rapid scalability has increased the popularity of NoSQL databases such as Cassandra, which has overcome the limitations of other databases in this field.

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 used in Facebook’s early stages.

At that time, a robust and reliable database was needed to exchange data at high speed and manage the increased number of users on 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 with over a billion monthly active users.

Cassandra’s popularity remained the same 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?

A NoSQL database, or Not Only SQL, is a feature that allows the database to store and retrieve data without needing a table format. Unlike relational databases, whose 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. They are easy to use, and their concurrent performance 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. However, downtime far outweighs the cost of dedicating additional storage space to data for many businesses worldwide. 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 the Apache Cassandra database work?

Understanding this will help us 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 can send read and write requests, which is one of the important features of the Apache Cassandra database that distinguishes it from others. This database has no controller node, meaning all nodes work the same way. Related nodes in data centers are grouped, and in cases where more capacity and memory are needed, this capability can be achieved by adding more nodes.

Data is stored and retrieved in the Apache Cassandra database using a partitioning system. The system determines 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 depend 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 directly correlates 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. 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.

What are the implementations of the Apache Cassandra database?

What are the implementations of the Apache Cassandra database? After learning about this database, this is one of the questions that will definitely come to mind.

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 using the 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 vital industry in which data exchange is critical. 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 many users and customers who visit the site and store within a certain period.

In this case, users will definitely suffer from the interruption of the online platform, and any problems may result in the loss of the company’s customers. Online businesses can avoid these problems by deploying reliable capabilities like Apache Cassandra. Apache Cassandra can continue working even during heavy traffic, thanks to proper fault tolerance.

If an online business platform needs to increase its capacity and improve performance, Apache Cassandra has the best advantages. Its good scalability allows you to manage the situation.

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 essential features 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 Netflix, the entertainment service, is one of the biggest developers of this database. One key goal 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, eventually forming a cluster. Creating such a system will prevent data loss in the data center,

a major problem that may arise for various reasons. The Apache Cassandra database is built on this concept for large and small companies requiring fast and reliable storage and retrieval. If you have any questions or comments about this database, you can submit them below.