Connecting to DataStax Astra databases
The DataStax drivers connect to DataStax Astra databases in addition to traditional DataStax Enterprise (DSE) or Apache Cassandra™ database clusters.
Driver configuration
All DataStax drivers have configuration file attributes, builder methods, or constructor parameters for pointing to the secure connect bundle. The database username and password are specified through the normal driver APIs for configuring a plain text authentication provider, or through using one of the convenience methods for username and password.
When using the secure connect bundle, the DataStax drivers automatically establish mutually authenticated TLS connections to the service. You do not have to unzip the secure connect bundle or supply contact points.
After establishing a connection the resulting session is optimally configured for interacting with your Astra database. It is possible (but not required) to use other advanced features, such as Speculative query execution and Execution profiles.
The DataStax driver documentation for your language contains getting started examples and API documentation. Upgrade to the latest minor version of your language’s driver to get the new Astra connection API.
Choosing which driver to use
For new applications and for testing, use the DataStax drivers for Apache Cassandra:
C/C++ (Astra API introduced in version 2.14.0) |
C# (Astra API introduced in version 3.12.0) |
Java version 4.x (Astra API introduced in version 4.3.0) and 3.x (Astra API introduced in version 3.8.0) |
Node.js (Astra API introduced in version 4.3.0) |
PHP (not supported) |
Python (Astra API introduced in version 3.20.0) |
Ruby (not supported) |
For existing applications that use the deprecated DSE Drivers:
C/C++ (Astra API introduced in version 1.10.0) |
C# (Astra API introduced in version 2.9.0) |
Java version 2.x (Astra API introduced in version 2.3.0) and 1.x (Astra API introduced in version 1.9.0) |
Node.js (Astra API introduced in version 2.3.0) |
PHP (not supported) |
Python (Astra API introduced in version 2.11.0) |
Ruby (not supported) |
|
All the driver functionality that was in the DSE drivers is now in the DataStax drivers for Apache Cassandra. See the upgrade guides for each driver for information on migrating to the DataStax drivers. |
Migrating applications between Apache Cassandra, DSE, and Astra
If you have tooling that currently works with self-managed deployments (Apache Cassandra or DataStax Enterprise clusters), connecting it to Astra is simple:
-
Upgrade to the version of the driver that supports the Astra secure connect bundle.
-
Set a configuration value to point to the secure connect bundle.
The following table shows the configuration settings required to connect to a self-managed deployment or an Astra database.
| Parameter | Self-managed | DataStax Astra |
|---|---|---|
Contact points |
required |
unset |
Secure connect bundle |
unset |
required |
SSL context |
optional, configured manually |
automatically configured |
Local datacenter |
required |
automatically configured |
Database username |
optional, configured manually |
required |
Database password |
optional, configured manually |
required |
|
Astra enforces application best practices by preventing functionality that degrades the database. For a full list of these limits see the Astra on AWS and Astra on GCP documentation. |
