Get started with Hyper-Converged Database (HCD)
This topic provides basic information and a roadmap to documentation for users new to Hyper-Converged Database (HCD).
Which product?
To help you choose which DataStax product best fits your requirements, see Products on the DataStax website. HCD 1.0 provides all the capabilities of Apache Cassandra®. In addition, you may optionally choose to set up and use HCD with Vector. Evaluate HCD with Vector free of charge for 180 days. Note that non-production issues raised with DataStax support will incur a charge.
Keep in mind that if you wish to have DataStax manage your database, you can use DataStax Astra DB, a cloud-native database-as-a-service built on Cassandra.
Plan
Self-managed clusters require planning to ensure that you have the right hardware and software to support your workload. Explore the following topics to help you plan your cluster:
Install
Before starting development, you need to deploy an HCD cluster. DataStax offers a variety of ways to set up a cluster. Select the method below that best suits your environment.
Method | Description |
---|---|
Mission Control (preferred method) |
Install HCD 1.0 with Mission Control. Mission Control is a new cloud-based service that provides a unified management console for HCD, DataStax Enterprise (DSE), and Cassandra. |
Docker |
Install HCD 1.0 with Docker containers.. |
Choose API and connect
HCD 1.0 provides a variety of APIs for developing applications:
API | Description |
---|---|
Data API with clients |
The Data API is DataStax’s newest API for writing applications that store and query unstructured document data. The main development tool for writing applications that use the Data API are the clients that are currently available in three languages: Python, TypeScript, and Java. |
CQL API with drivers |
The Cassandra Query Language (CQL) is a SQL-like language for querying and managing databases. It stores structured data in tables and uses primary keys to index data. The main development tool for writing applications that use CQL are the community-supported and DataStax-supported drivers that are available in various languages. For example, see Python, NodeJS, or Java quickstarts. For details, see DataStax drivers. |
CQL API with |
The Cassandra Query Language Shell ( |
For details, see Connection methods comparison.
Load data
DataStax provides tools for getting data into and out of the database:
Secure
Use Cassandra’s built-in security features to protect your data from unauthorized access:
HCD includes the default role |
Operations
Operations involves all those tasks that are necessary to keep the database running smoothly. Mission Control automates and simplifies these tasks. The most common operations include: