Cass Operator FAQs

FAQs and answers for Cass Operator.

Use the FAQs to answer common questions and get help with Cass Operator.

I heard about the open-source "K8ssandra" project - what is it?

K8ssandra provides a production-ready platform for running Apache Cassandra on Kubernetes. K8ssandra (pronounced "Kate" + "Sandra) includes the Cass Operator and related features, including automation for operational tasks such as repairs, backups, and monitoring. For details, see the K8ssandra.io site, and refer to its documentation.

Where is the installation package for Cass Operator?
There is no installation package for Cass Operator. Instead, you will set up Cass Operator via configuration YAML files on top of an existing Kubernetes cluster.
Note: Cass Operator is available on its own, or packaged with K8ssandra.
  • If you want to install only the cass-operator, independent of K8ssandra, follow the kubectl commands in Getting Started with Cass Operator. This configuration includes specifying cassandra or dse as the serverType to use with Cass Operator. For details, refer to Configure Cassandra or DSE in Kubernetes with Cass Operator and Provision Cassandra or DSE in Kubernetes with Cass Operator.
  • If you want to install only the cass-operator with K8ssandra, run the following commands: 
    helm repo add k8ssandra https://helm.k8ssandra.io/stable
helm install k8ssandra k8ssandra/k8ssandra --set cassandra.enabled=false --set reaper.enabled=false --set reaper-operator.enabled=false --set stargate.enabled=false --set kube-prometheus-stack.enabled=false
  • If you want to install all the K8ssandra components, including cass-operator, Cassandra, Medusa, Reaper, and more, see the K8ssandra install topics.
Which Kubernetes platforms are certified for use with Cass Operator?
The current release of Cass Operator works with these certified platforms:
  • Open-source Kubernetes
  • Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS)
  • DigitalOcean Kubernetes (DOKS)
  • Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE)
  • Microsoft Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
  • Pivotal Container Service (PKS)
What are the prerequisites to using Cass Operator?
  • The kubectl CLI tool.
  • A Kubernetes cluster.
    Tip: If you're new to Kubernetes, see Create a Kubernetes cluster for a walkthrough of the steps.
    As noted above, Kubernetes v1.18 or later is recommended, but v1.15 has been tested. For sample manifest YAML, refer to this GitHub folder.
  • The ability to download Docker Hub images from within the Kubernetes cluster.
  • At least one Kubernetes worker node per Cassandra or DSE instance.

If you're new to Kubernetes, see Create a Kubernetes cluster in this guide.

What tools does Cass Operator include?
Cass Operator provides sample YAML configuration files, which you can customize for your environment. Refer to the DataStax GitHub-hosted files:
Which version of open source Apache Cassandra is supported with Cass Operator?

Once your Kubernetes cluster is established, you can use Cass Operator CassandraDatacenter YAML to apply a Cassandra 3.11.7 image to the cluster. For details, refer to Configure Cassandra or DSE in Kubernetes with Cass Operator and Provision Cassandra or DSE in Kubernetes with Cass Operator.

Which versions of DSE are supported with Cass Operator?

Once your Kubernetes cluster is established, you can use Cass Operator configuration YAML to apply a DSE 6.8.0 or later image to the cluster. For details, refer to Configure Cassandra or DSE in Kubernetes with Cass Operator and Provision Cassandra or DSE in Kubernetes with Cass Operator.

How do I interact with Cass Operator?

Use kubectl commands, helm, or both to interact with your environment.

How do I specify the Cassandra or DSE server image in a YAML file?

Refer to the sample YAML files for Cassandra or DSE.

How do I verify my Cass Operator configuration?

There are several kubectl commands you can use to verify the environment. For examples, see Verify status.

Can I contribute to the Cass Operator project?
Yes! For information about contributing to the open-source Cass Operator project, see the K8ssandra Community tips.
Where can I find help?

Use this documentation to get answers about the Cass Operator features and deployment configuration options.

Ask your questions and exchange information with DataStax developers and other community developers in the DataStax Community forums.