Use the CQL console to interact with the databases in your datacenter

The Mission Control UI includes a CQL console, which is an embedded CQL shell (cqlsh) interface. Use the CQL console to interact with your databases using Cassandra Query Language (CQL) commands and cqlsh commands.

You can use the CQL console to execute any CQL and cqlsh commands that are supported for your database platform. For example, you can create keyspaces, insert data, and query data. For a list of available commands, see the following documentation:

Connect to the CQL console

  1. In the Mission Control UI navigation menu, select your project, and then select your database cluster.

  2. Click CQL console.

  3. Select your datacenter from the list of available datacenters.

  4. Enter your username and password.

cqlsh-pod container

When you deploy a Mission Control cluster, Mission Control automatically creates a cqlsh-pod. This pod supports the CQL console in the Mission Control UI.

The cqlsh-pod is a container that runs the cqlsh utility, allowing you to interact with your database cluster using CQL commands. The pod serves as the backend for the CQL console in the UI.

If needed, you can connect to the pod manually using kubectl exec. The pod includes the following labels:

  • app.kubernetes.io/name=cqlsh

  • app.kubernetes.io/part-of=missioncontrol

  • cassandra.datastax.com/datacenter=DATACENTER_NAME

  • missioncontrol.datastax.com/cluster-name=CLUSTER_NAME

  • missioncontrol.datastax.com/cluster-namespace=PROJECT_SLUG

  • pod-template-hash=POD_HASH

You can find the project slug in the Mission Control UI breadcrumbs next to the cluster name on the cluster details page.

The Mission Control airgap bundle includes this image. For non-airgap installations, Mission Control pulls this container through an authenticated proxy. For a list of available container images and versions, see the Mission Control release notes. DataStax doesn’t publish the cqlsh-pod image on Docker Hub because the underlying code is proprietary.

Customize the cqlsh-pod

You can fully customize the cqlsh-pod using the podTemplateSpec field in the MissionControlCluster custom resource (CR). The Mission Control operator automatically merges your podTemplateSpec configuration with its generated values.

To customize the cqlsh-pod independently from other pods in your cluster, you can override the cqlsh-pod configuration at the cluster level through the spec.cqlsh.podTemplateSpec field in the MissionControlCluster CR.

This means you can customize various aspects of the cqlsh-pod, including:

  • Container image: Point to different image coordinates separately from other pods.

  • Image coordinate separation: Specify registry, repository, and tag separately for more granular image management.

  • Resource management: Set resources.requests and resources.limits to control CPU and memory allocation.

  • Security hardening: Configure securityContext at both pod and container levels for enhanced security.

  • Scheduling control: Use nodeSelector, affinity, and tolerations to control where the cqlsh-pod is scheduled.

  • Environment configuration: Add custom environment variables through the env field.

  • Volume configuration: Mount additional volumes or configuration files as needed.

When customizing the cqlsh-pod, ensure that:

  • The custom image contains the necessary cqlsh binaries and dependencies.

  • Resource limits are appropriate for your workload requirements.

  • Security contexts follow your organization’s security policies.

  • Custom configurations don’t interfere with the cqlsh functionality.

The operator merges the podTemplateSpec configuration with the operator-generated values, so you only need to specify the fields you want to customize. The operator will handle the rest of the pod configuration automatically. Every cqlsh-pod that Mission Control creates for this cluster uses the cluster-level configuration.

Configure cqlsh-pod image coordinates separately in version 1.15.0 and later

This feature is available in Mission Control version 1.15.0 and later. This structure was introduced with k8ssandra-operator version 1.27 and cass-operator version 1.27, which modify how image coordinates are defined using a unified structure.

When using coordinate separation, ensure that:

  • The custom registry is accessible from your cluster

  • The specified repository and tag exist in your registry

  • The custom image contains the necessary cqlsh binaries and dependencies

You can configure the cqlsh-pod image coordinates using separate registry, repository, and tag fields. This approach provides granular control over image coordinates, allowing you to override individual components independently.

apiVersion: missioncontrol.datastax.com/v1beta2
kind: MissionControlCluster
metadata:
  name: CLUSTER_NAME
spec:
  cqlsh:
    image:
      registry: CUSTOM_REGISTRY_ADDRESS:CUSTOM_REGISTRY_PORT
      repository: CUSTOM_CQLSH_REPOSITORY
      tag: CUSTOM_TAG
    podTemplateSpec:
      spec:
        containers:
        - name: cqlsh
          # Additional container configuration...
  k8ssandra:
    cassandra:
      # ... rest of your cluster configuration

Replace the following:

  • CUSTOM_REGISTRY_ADDRESS: The address of your custom registry

  • CUSTOM_REGISTRY_PORT: The port of your custom registry

  • CUSTOM_CQLSH_REPOSITORY: Your custom cqlsh-pod repository

  • CUSTOM_TAG: The image tag you want to use

Custom cqlsh-pod configuration template

The following template customizes the cqlsh-pod at the cluster level in your MissionControlCluster specification. Replace the placeholders with your own values:

apiVersion: missioncontrol.datastax.com/v1beta2
kind: MissionControlCluster
metadata:
  name: CLUSTER_NAME
spec:
  cqlsh:
    podTemplateSpec:
      spec:
        containers:
        - name: cqlsh
          image: CUSTOM_IMAGE_REGISTRY/CUSTOM_CQLSH_IMAGE:TAG
          resources:
            requests:
              memory: "MEMORY_REQUEST"
              cpu: "CPU_REQUEST"
            limits:
              memory: "MEMORY_LIMIT"
              cpu: "CPU_LIMIT"
          env:
          - name: CUSTOM_ENV_VAR_NAME
            value: "CUSTOM_ENV_VAR_VALUE"
          securityContext:
            allowPrivilegeEscalation: false
            capabilities:
              drop:
              - ALL
            readOnlyRootFilesystem: true
            runAsNonRoot: true
            runAsUser: USER_ID
        securityContext:
          fsGroup: GROUP_ID
          runAsGroup: GROUP_ID
          runAsNonRoot: true
          runAsUser: USER_ID
        nodeSelector:
          NODE_LABEL_KEY: "NODE_LABEL_VALUE"
        tolerations:
        - key: "TAINT_KEY"
          operator: "Equal"
          value: "TAINT_VALUE"
          effect: "TAINT_EFFECT"
  k8ssandra:
    cassandra:
      # ... rest of your cluster configuration
cqlsh-pod configuration fields and values
Field Description Value/Placeholder

apiVersion

API version for the MissionControlCluster CR

missioncontrol.datastax.com/v1beta2

kind

Resource type

MissionControlCluster

metadata.name

The name of your MissionControlCluster CR

CLUSTER_NAME: The cluster name for your MissionControlCluster CR

spec.cqlsh.podTemplateSpec.spec.containers[0].name

Container name

cqlsh

spec.cqlsh.podTemplateSpec.spec.containers[0].image

Specify a custom cqlsh image from your private registry

CUSTOM_IMAGE_REGISTRY/CUSTOM_CQLSH_IMAGE:TAG: Your private container registry URL, custom cqlsh image name, and image tag

spec.cqlsh.podTemplateSpec.spec.containers[0].resources.requests.memory

Memory request for the container

MEMORY_REQUEST

spec.cqlsh.podTemplateSpec.spec.containers[0].resources.requests.cpu

CPU request for the container

CPU_REQUEST

spec.cqlsh.podTemplateSpec.spec.containers[0].resources.limits.memory

Memory limit for the container

MEMORY_LIMIT

spec.cqlsh.podTemplateSpec.spec.containers[0].resources.limits.cpu

CPU limit for the container

CPU_LIMIT

spec.cqlsh.podTemplateSpec.spec.containers[0].env[0].name

Name of your custom environment variable

CUSTOM_ENV_VAR_NAME

spec.cqlsh.podTemplateSpec.spec.containers[0].env[0].value

Value for your custom environment variable

CUSTOM_ENV_VAR_VALUE

spec.cqlsh.podTemplateSpec.spec.containers[0].securityContext.allowPrivilegeEscalation

Prevent privilege escalation

false

spec.cqlsh.podTemplateSpec.spec.containers[0].securityContext.capabilities.drop

Drop all capabilities

["ALL"]

spec.cqlsh.podTemplateSpec.spec.containers[0].securityContext.readOnlyRootFilesystem

Make root filesystem read-only

true

spec.cqlsh.podTemplateSpec.spec.containers[0].securityContext.runAsNonRoot

Run as non-root user

true

spec.cqlsh.podTemplateSpec.spec.containers[0].securityContext.runAsUser

User ID for the container security context

USER_ID

spec.cqlsh.podTemplateSpec.spec.securityContext.fsGroup

Group ID for the pod filesystem

GROUP_ID

spec.cqlsh.podTemplateSpec.spec.securityContext.runAsGroup

Group ID for the pod security context

GROUP_ID

spec.cqlsh.podTemplateSpec.spec.securityContext.runAsNonRoot

Run as non-root user

true

spec.cqlsh.podTemplateSpec.spec.securityContext.runAsUser

User ID for the pod security context

USER_ID

spec.cqlsh.podTemplateSpec.spec.nodeSelector

Control which nodes the cqlsh-pod is scheduled on

NODE_LABEL_KEY: "NODE_LABEL_VALUE"

spec.cqlsh.podTemplateSpec.spec.tolerations[0].key

Key for the taint

TAINT_KEY

spec.cqlsh.podTemplateSpec.spec.tolerations[0].operator

Taint operator

"Equal"

spec.cqlsh.podTemplateSpec.spec.tolerations[0].value

Value for the taint

TAINT_VALUE

spec.cqlsh.podTemplateSpec.spec.tolerations[0].effect

Effect for the taint

TAINT_EFFECT

Download the CQL shell

You can install a standalone CQL shell (cqlsh) tool on your local machine to interact with your database cluster using CQL commands outside of the Mission Control UI.

To install the standalone CQL shell tool, you need a cqlsh binary tarball file. These files are available on IBM Fix Central in the DSE fix packs for each DSE version. Regardless of your actual database platform, you must find a DSE fix pack, and then download the cqlsh binary tarball from that fix pack.

  1. Find DSE fix packs on IBM Fix Central:

    1. Go to Fix Central.

    2. In the Product selector field, begin typing IBM DataStax Enterprise, and then select that option from the menu.

    3. In the Release field, select the version that you want to install.

    4. Click Continue.

    5. On the Identify fixes page, click Continue to use the default Browse for fixes option.

    6. On the Select fixes page, select the fix pack (DSE version) you want to install, and then click Continue.

      Depending on the product and version, more fix packs might be available if you set the Platform filter to All, and then click Submit.

    7. If prompted, sign in with your IBMid.

      An IBMid account with MFA enabled is required. If you don’t have one, create an IBMid account. If your organization uses Enterprise Federation (EF) for authentication with corporate credentials, see the IBMid EF documentation.

    8. On the Download options page, select Download using your browser (HTTPS), and then click Continue.

    9. Review the terms and conditions, and then click I agree to activate the download links.

  2. Click the cqlsh binary tarball link to download the file, for example, cqlsh-6.9.15-bin.tar.gz.

  3. Once the file is downloaded, change to the directory where you want to install cqlsh, and then extract the distribution:

    tar -xzvf cqlsh-**VERSION**-bin.tar.gz

    Replace VERSION with the package version that you downloaded, such as 6.9.15.

  4. Start the cqlsh tool. For more information, see the following documentation for starting the cqlsh tool:

See also

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