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Apache Cassandra overview

 

Apache Cassandra – Overview

1. Introduction

Apache Cassandra is a distributed, column-oriented NoSQL database designed to handle large volumes of data across multiple servers with high availability and scalability.

It was originally developed by Facebook and later became an Apache project.

2. Key Characteristics of Cassandra

  • Distributed database system

  • No single point of failure

  • High availability

  • Linear scalability

  • Designed for write-heavy workloads

3. Cassandra Data Model (Brief)

Cassandra uses a column-family data model.

Main Elements

  • Keyspace – Similar to a database

  • Table – Similar to a table in RDBMS

  • Row – Identified by a primary key

  • Column – Name–value pair

4. Cassandra Architecture (High Level)

  • Uses a peer-to-peer architecture

  • All nodes are equal (no master)

  • Data is distributed using consistent hashing

5. Features of Apache Cassandra

1. High Availability

  • Data replicated across multiple nodes

  • Automatic failover

2. Scalability

  • Easy horizontal scaling

  • Add or remove nodes without downtime

3. Fault Tolerance

  • No single point of failure

  • System continues working even if a node fails

4. Tunable Consistency

  • User can choose consistency level

  • Balances consistency and availability

5. High Performance

  • Optimized for fast writes

  • Suitable for real-time applications

6. Consistency in Cassandra

Cassandra supports eventual consistency by default, but consistency can be adjusted using:

  • ONE

  • QUORUM

  • ALL

7. Use Cases of Cassandra

  • Time-series data

  • Messaging systems

  • IoT applications

  • Real-time analytics

  • Recommendation engines

8. Advantages of Cassandra

  • Highly available

  • Handles big data efficiently

  • No downtime during scaling

  • Reliable and fault tolerant

9. Limitations

  • Limited support for complex queries

  • Not suitable for joins

  • Learning curve is high

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