Install DataStax Enterprise 6.8 on Debian-based systems using APT

Use these instructions for installing DataStax Enterprise (DSE) 6.8 on Debian-based systems using APT.

Some things to know about installing DataStax Enterprise:

When DSE is installed, it creates a cassandra user in the database. Do not use the cassandra user in production. Failing to do so is a security risk. See Adding a superuser login.

Prerequisites

Procedure

End User License Agreement (EULA). By downloading this DataStax product, you agree to the terms of the EULA.

In a terminal window:

  1. Verify that a required version of Java is installed:

    java -version

    DataStax recommends the latest build of a Technology Compatibility Kit (TCK) Certified OpenJDK version 8.

    If OpenJDK, the results should look like:

    openjdk version "1.8.0_242"
    OpenJDK Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_242-b09)
    OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM (build 25.242-b09, mixed mode)

    If Oracle Java, the results should look like:

    java version "1.8.0_241"
    Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_241-b13)
    Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 25.241-b13, mixed mode)

    If not OpenJDK 8 or Oracle Java 8, see Installing the JDK.

  2. Install the libaio package. For example:

    sudo apt-get install libaio1
  3. Add a DataStax repository file called /etc/apt/sources.list.d/datastax.sources.list:

    echo "deb https://debian.datastax.com/enterprise/ stable main" | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list.d/datastax.sources.list
  4. Add the DataStax repository key:

    curl -L https://debian.datastax.com/debian/repo_key | sudo apt-key add -
  5. Update the packages:

    sudo apt-get update
  6. Install the DSE packages:

    Specify all packages; otherwise, the installation fails.

    • Install the latest version (6.8.x):

    sudo apt-get install dse-full
    • Install an earlier 6.8.x version:

    To view the available 6.8.x versions, see the Release notes.

    sudo apt-get install dse=version_number-1 \
        dse-full=version_number-1 \
        dse-libcassandra=version_number-1 \
        dse-libgraph=version_number-1 \
        dse-libhadoop2-client-native=version_number-1 \
        dse-libhadoop2-client=version_number-1 \
        dse-liblog4j=version_number-1 \
        dse-libsolr=version_number-1 \
        dse-libspark=version_number-1 \
        dse-libtomcat=version_number-1

    For example:

    Specify all packages; otherwise, the installation fails.

    sudo apt-get install dse=6.8.0-1 \
        dse-full=6.8.0-1 \
        dse-libcassandra=6.8.0-1 \
        dse-libgraph=6.8.0-1 \
        dse-libhadoop2-client-native=6.8.0-1 \
        dse-libhadoop2-client=6.8.0-1 \
        dse-liblog4j=6.8.0-1 \
        dse-libsolr=6.8.0-1 \
        dse-libspark=6.8.0-1 \
        dse-libtomcat=6.8.0-1
    • Optional: Install the demos:

    Installing the DSE demos is not recommended for production. Only install the demos in development environments to run tutorials.

    sudo apt-get install dse-demos=version_number-1

    Result

    DSE is ready for additional configuration:

    • For production, be sure to change the cassandra user. Failing to do so is a security risk. See Adding a superuser login.

    • DSE provides several types of workloads (default is transactional). See startup options for service or stand-alone installations.

    • Next Steps below provides links to related tasks and information.

  1. Single-node cluster installations only:

    1. Start DSE:

      sudo service dse start
    2. Verify that DSE is running by entering the nodetool status command:

      nodetool status

      Review the output to verify that DSE is running:

      Datacenter: Cassandra
      =====================
      Status=Up/Down
      |/ State=Normal/Leaving/Joining/Moving
      --  Address    Load       Tokens  Owns    Host ID                               Rack
      UN  127.0.0.1  82.43 KB   128     ?       40725dc8-7843-43ae-9c98-7c532b1f517e  rack1

Next Steps

Was this helpful?

Give Feedback

How can we improve the documentation?

© 2025 DataStax | Privacy policy | Terms of use | Manage Privacy Choices

Apache, Apache Cassandra, Cassandra, Apache Tomcat, Tomcat, Apache Lucene, Apache Solr, Apache Hadoop, Hadoop, Apache Pulsar, Pulsar, Apache Spark, Spark, Apache TinkerPop, TinkerPop, Apache Kafka and Kafka are either registered trademarks or trademarks of the Apache Software Foundation or its subsidiaries in Canada, the United States and/or other countries. Kubernetes is the registered trademark of the Linux Foundation.

General Inquiries: +1 (650) 389-6000, info@datastax.com