DataStax releases open-source Kubernetes Operator for Apache Cassandra

DataStax released code for an Apache Cassandra Kubernetes operator to help enterprises and users succeed with scale-out, cloud-native data. This Kubernetes Operator for Apache Cassandra, cass-operator, is now available and ready for use by the community as we work together on a common operator.

“The Apache Cassandra community spent the 2010s solving hard problems in distributed data,” said Sam Ramji, Chief Strategy Officer at DataStax. “Cassandra has become the standard for scale-out data. We see the 2020s as the decade of cloud-native data, so our priority is to bring Cassandra to Kubernetes.”

“Over the past decade, we have increasingly seen open-source become the standard for a wide variety of infrastructure software categories, and nowhere is this trend more evident than with enterprise databases,” said Stephen O’Grady, Principal Analyst with RedMonk.

“It is no surprise, therefore, to see that the accelerating pace of cloud-native development is being backed primarily by open-source database offerings such as Apache Cassandra.”

“Kubernetes has emerged as the global standard for deploying, scaling, and managing cloud-first, stateless application workloads,” said Bradley Shimmin, Analyst at Omdia.

“Yet, Kubernetes alone cannot grant this same ease of deployment and scale to the underlying, stateful data stores that power cloud-first applications. What’s missing? An extension to Kubernetes built by an open community of database, cloud, and app providers that can bring data more fully into the containerization fold. All efforts along these lines will greatly simplify and speed time to market.”

Leading with code to drive Cassandra ubiquity

Enterprises and developers are increasingly using Kubernetes to build and deploy applications and services. According to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation 2019 Survey, 78% of respondents are using Kubernetes in production, compared to 58% last year.

DataStax is open-sourcing this Kubernetes operator in partnership with the community to help make Cassandra the ideal database for Kubernetes applications. DataStax is working alongside Orange, Sky, Target, and other teams in the Cassandra community to find a path to a common operator.

“We are super excited to be partnering with DataStax on building an open-source Cassandra operator for Kubernetes. We hope together we find the operator of choice for the wider Cassandra community,” said Mansoor Fazil, Head of Global Video Platforms at Sky.

This new operator is also used in DataStax Astra, a database-as-a-service (DBaaS) built on Cassandra. Astra was designed from the ground up to run anywhere, on any cloud, in any data center, and in every hybrid or multi-cloud combination.

Cloud-native, data control plane for Kubernetes

The new wave of application development means accessing data everywhere. In order to do so, a highly available, high-performing distributed NoSQL database is needed. Cassandra is a powerful database for scale-out data. With Cassandra on Kubernetes, enterprises and users will have a consistent scale-out stack for compute and data.

The benefits of a Kubernetes operator for Cassandra are:

• Zero downtime
• Zero lock-in
• Global scale

“Wherever Kubernetes goes, Cassandra needs to follow,” continued Ramji. “We know Kubernetes is changing the world and that Cassandra is one of the most proven open-source, scale-out databases. Using them together is the way to build modern, cloud-scale applications. It’s our goal to release open-source code, early and often, that makes Cassandra easier for users.”