Getting started with DataStax Distribution of Apache Cassandra for developers

Information about developing applications for the DataStax Distribution of Apache Cassandra.

Table 1. DataStax DSE drivers
DSE Drivers	Graph Extension	Graph Extension API
C++
C#
Java	Included in driver	Included in API
Node.js
Python

Note: The DataStax Enterprise PHP and Ruby and the open source PHP and Ruby drivers are maintenance only. Only critical bug fixes will be included in new versions.

Table 2. DataStax Open source Apache Cassandra (OSS) drivers
OSS Drivers	Driver API	Quickstart	Version compatibility
C++
C#
Java
Node.js
Python

Note: The DataStax Enterprise PHP and Ruby and the open source PHP and Ruby drivers are maintenance only. Only critical bug fixes will be included in new versions.

This topic provides basic information and a roadmap to documentation for developers new to DDAC.

Which product?

DataStax Offerings provides basic information to help you choose which product best fits your requirements.

Note: DataStax offers subscription-based support (Luna) for open-source Cassandra. Learn more.

Learn

Before diving into queries and coding, it is important to learn the basics of DataStax first.

DDAC is compatible with Apache Cassandra™ 3.11 and adds production-certified changes to Cassandra.

Experimenting with DDAC: DataStax Desktop is an experimental DataStax Labs feature that allows you to explore DDAC and Cassandra Query Language (CQL).
Querying data: Like any database, you need to be able to get information into and out of the database. The basic way of doing this is the Cassandra Query Language (CQL). The CQL data model is based on the queries you want to perform, unlike modeling entities and relationships used in relational databases.
Loading data: Described below.
Architecture: DataStax highly recommends taking 7 minutes to read Architecture in brief. This document provides basic information about key concepts and terminology for understanding the database.

Note: Save yourself some time and frustration by spending a few moments looking at DataStax Doc and Search tips. These short topics talk about navigation and bookmarking aids that will make your journey through the docs more efficient and productive.

Launch

Before starting development, you need to deploy a DataStax cluster. DataStax offers a variety of ways to start using DDAC:

Binary tarball for any Linux-based platform

Load

DataStax provides tools for getting data into and out of the database:

Query

Getting data into and out of the database.

CQL Guide

The CQL guide provides information for querying data, command syntax, inserting and updating data, using the Cassandra Query Language (CQL), plus using and customizing the cqlsh command line utility.

References for CQL, CQL shell (cqlsh), and a quick reference.
Data modeling and examples.
The best way to start learning CQL is to take the Data Modeling course on DataStax Academy.

Data model

A data model is a process that involves identifying the entities (items to be stored) and the relationships between entities. Data modeling in DataStax Enterprise uses a query-driven approach, in which specific queries are the key to organizing the data. In contrast, relational databases normalize data based on the tables and relationships design, and then writes the queries that will be made.

Connect (drivers)

How to connect client applications to the database.

DataStax provides drivers for DataStax Enterprise, the DataStax Distribution of Apache Cassandra™ (DDAC), and open source Apache Cassandra (usually referred to as OSS drivers).

Developing applications with DataStax drivers: The Developing applications with DataStax drivers guide contains information about best practices, connecting to Cassandra clusters, submitting queries with drivers, and handling client and server errors.
Driver page: The Driver page contains links to each driver doc and tables that show the compatibility between driver versions and database versions (DSE, DDAC, OSS).
Driver Quickstarts: Simple CRUD application demos to quickly help you quickly get up and running with the DataStax OSS drivers.
OSS drivers: DDAC and open-source Apache Cassandra drivers (OSS drivers) are feature-rich and highly tunable client libraries for Apache Cassandra utilizing Cassandra’s binary protocol and Cassandra Query Language v3.

Help

DataStax provides a wide variety of resources: