Connect to Astra Managed Clusters databases
When you develop applications that interact with your Astra Managed Clusters databases, you must connect to your databases programmatically.
There are several ways to connect to your databases, including APIs, CLI tools, and Apache Cassandra® drivers. Depending on your use case, you might use one or more of these methods.
| Use case | Recommended methods |
|---|---|
Application development with an Astra Managed Clusters database |
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Maintain a legacy application that relies on a driver or CQL |
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Administration |
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Streaming |
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Migration and bulk loading |
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Third-party integrations |
Varies by provider and use case; see Integrations overview |
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Programmatic authentication is handled through an application token and the Secure Connect Bundle (SCB). |
DevOps API
Use the DevOps API for administration and high-level database management tasks, such as database creation, user management, and security configurations.
For more information, see Get started with the Astra DevOps API.
Legacy Stargate APIs (deprecated)
Legacy Stargate APIs include the Document API, REST API, GraphQL API, and gRPC API.
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The legacy APIs are deprecated for Astra Managed Clusters as of September 2024, and end-of-life (EOL) is scheduled for March 2026. For Astra Managed Clusters databases that used these APIs, you can use the Cassandra drivers, or you can migrate to Astra DB Serverless to use the Astra DB Serverless Data API. If you have questions or concerns, contact your account representative or IBM Support. |
Drivers
You can use Cassandra drivers to interact with your Astra Managed Clusters databases through the Cassandra Query Language (CQL).
Supported drivers
The following drivers are compatible with Astra Managed Clusters databases:
| Language | Driver | Version | Documentation |
|---|---|---|---|
C++ |
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C# |
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Go |
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Java |
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Node.js |
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Python |
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Scala |
Connect to Astra Managed Clusters with the Apache Cassandra Spark Connector |
CQL proxy for unsupported drivers
If you want to use a Cassandra driver that isn’t compatible with Astra Managed Clusters databases, consider using cql-proxy.
This utility provides connectivity for incompatible drivers by securely forwarding your application’s CQL traffic to an appropriate database service.
cql-proxy isn’t required for supported driver versions, which are already compatible with Astra Managed Clusters databases.
Legacy drivers (deprecated)
The following legacy drivers were developed for Apache Cassandra®. They are not actively maintained. DataStax recommends using supported drivers. Only use the following legacy drivers to migrate an existing Cassandra application developed with a legacy driver to Astra Managed Clusters databases:
CQL shell (cqlsh)
Because Astra DB is powered by Apache Cassandra®, you can use Cassandra Query Language (CQL) to programmatically interact with your databases through cqlsh or a driver.
For more information, see CQL for Astra DB.
DataStax Bulk Loader (DSBulk)
DSBulk supports large data uploads and migrations. For more information, see About DataStax Bulk Loader (DSBulk).
Astra CLI
The Astra CLI is a command-line interface that lets you create and manage Astra resources from your terminal, including Astra DB databases and Astra Streaming tenants.
For example:
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Create and manage Astra DB databases, Astra Streaming tenants, and their associated artifacts
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Query and insert data
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Manage organizations and users
For more information and commands, see the Astra CLI documentation
You can use Astra CLI in addition to other connection methods.
Astra Portal
The Astra Portal provides a web-based interface to manage your Astra organizations and Astra DB databases. It is best for administrative tasks and high-level database management, including inspecting database health metrics.
For application development, fine-grained data manipulation, and nuanced searches, you must use a programmatic approach.
For information about accessing the Astra Portal, see Manage your Astra account and Firewall rules for the Astra Portal.
