Astra DB Serverless Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How do I get started with Astra DB Serverless?

The Astra DB Serverless quickstart guides you through creating a Serverless (Vector) database and using the Data API clients to load and search data.

How is Astra DB different from DSE?

While you can run DataStax Enterprise (DSE) on premises and in the cloud, Astra DB allows you to create databases in minutes, with reduced complexity, fewer operational concerns, and an approachable entry point for developing your applications. Astra DB is a true database-as-a-service (DBaaS) offering that provides simplified database management with flexible pricing.

DSE includes Advanced Workloads (DSE Search, Analytics, and Graph), which are not available in Astra DB. Read Astra DB: Designing A Serverless Cloud-Native DBaaS for an in-depth understanding of the cloud-native architecture of Astra DB Serverless.

Can I use `cfstats` or `nodetool`?

No, Astra DB Serverless is a zero-operations database-as-a-service (DBaaS) offering. Some operational Apache Cassandra® tools are not relevant. For more information, see Database limits.

Astra DB Serverless offers access to a limited set of database metrics that you can view in the Astra Portal. For more information, see View and export metrics.

Databases

What are considered Recent Resources?

When you sign in to the Astra Portal, the Recent Resources include the five most recent databases and streaming tenants accessed by someone in your Astra DB organization.

Where can I find my organization ID?

To learn how to get your Astra DB organization ID, see Get your organization ID.

Where can I find my database ID?

To learn how to get database IDs, see Get your database ID.

Where can I find a database’s region ID (datacenter ID)?

To learn how to get datacenter IDs, see Get a database region ID.

Which cloud vendors does Astra DB Serverless support?

Astra DB Serverless supports creating databases on Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure.

Can I restore my data if my database is suspended?

Yes, your data is restored when your database becomes active again. If your database is suspended, you must add a credit card or wait for your monthly credits to renew before your database will be active again.

What is the practical limit for the amount of data stored in an Astra DB Serverless database?

There is no practical limit to the number of bytes an Astra DB Serverless database can store.

Can I change the name of a keyspace?

No, you can’t change the name of a keyspace. Instead, you can create a new keyspace with a different name, and then reload your data.

CQL

I created a table in the Astra Portal, but when I run a `SELECT` statement, I get an error.

This is the common error:

Invalid Request: Error from server: code=2200
[Invalid query] message="table TABLE_NAME does not exist"`

When you create a table in the Astra Portal, the table name, keyspace name, and column names are case-sensitive. In CQL, you use double quotes (") to access case-sensitive characters. For example:

token@cqlsh:test> desc tables;
token@cqlsh:test> select * from "Name_With_Capital_Letters";

Why do I get an error when I try to create a keyspace in the CQL shell?

You must create keyspaces in the Astra Portal.

Can I delete a keyspace using CQL?

To prevent accidental deletion of your data, you cannot delete the last keyspace in your database.

The following error appears if you try to delete the last keyspace in the CQL shell:

token@cqlsh> drop keyspace *KEYSPACE_NAME*;
Unauthorized: Error from server: code=2100
[Unauthorized] message="Missing correct permission on *DATABASE_NAME*."

To avoid any storage costs associated with the keyspace, you can drop tables from the keyspace by running:

drop table *TABLE_NAME*

What is Storage Attached Indexing (SAI)?

Storage Attached Indexing (SAI) is a highly-scalable, globally-distributed index for Cassandra.

Which DataStax drivers work with Astra DB Serverless?

The following DataStax drivers are compatible with Astra DB Serverless:

How can I fix a "Missing Correct Permission Error"?

A permission error occurs for two reasons:

Astra DB Serverless places certain limitations on the user with Database limits.
Inadequate user permissions on your account.

token@cqlsh> select * from test_db.data
Unauthorized: Error from server: code=2100
[Unauthorized] message="No SELECT permission on <table test_db.data>"

Billing

What happens when my monthly credit runs out?

For organizations on the Free plan, Astra DB Serverless prompts you to add a credit card when your credit limit runs low. DataStax also notifies you by email and in the Astra Portal.

If your application uses all of your monthly credit, your database pauses until you add a payment method, which restarts the database. Alternatively, you can wait until the next billing cycle for your monthly credits to refresh.

Unused credits do not roll over. Free monthly credits refresh on the first of every month for each organization on the Free plan.

For more information, see Subscriptions and billing.

Security

What measures are taken to protect data in Astra DB Serverless?

DataStax is committed to data privacy and security. This commitment includes robust security measures and compliance standards, such as HIPAA, SOC2 Type 2, and ISO 27001.

For more information, see the DataStax Trust Center.

Which ports does Astra DB Serverless use?

If you need to make firewall exceptions, Astra DB Serverless uses the following ports:

Ports
Port	Description
`443`	APIs and Astra DB metrics
`29042`	CQL
`29080`	Metadata service

Use this product documentation to learn about the capabilities of your Astra DB Serverless database and how to use your databases.
Visit the DataStax Developers Discord.

How do I contact DataStax Support?

You can contact DataStax Support or search the knowledge base for assistance.

Your subscription or support plan can offer additional access to DataStax Support resources in the Astra Portal:

Use Intercom chat.
Submit a ticket:
1. In the Astra Portal header, click your profile picture, and then click Help Center.
  
  In the Help Center pane, you can browse documentation for common help topics.
2. To create a support ticket, click Contact Support.
Schedule a support session:
1. In the Astra Portal header, click your profile picture, and then click Help Center.
2. In the Help Center pane, click Schedule Session, and then select your preferred date and time.
  
  DataStax recommends support sessions for critical or sensitive situations that require direct attention, such as production system crashes, production system indefinite suspensions, and complete loss of service or inability to continue with regular operations for an unknown reason.