How to Install Apache Cassandra on Debian 11

Introduction

Before we begin talking about how to install Apache Cassandra on Debian 11, let's briefly understand – What is Apache Cassandra?

An open-source database management system called Apache Cassandra controls the information in NoSQL databases using a cluster approach. Cassandra is a project that was started by Google in July 2008, joined the Apache Incubator project in March 2009, and later became a top-level project in February 2010.

The cluster approach used by Apache Cassandra allows it to handle large amounts of data. In the cluster mode, the data is split up across a number of nodes; each node has a unique set of data, but because they are connected, they may all access each other's nodes' data as well.

In this tutorial, you will install Apache Cassandra on Debian 11. We will also address a few FAQs on how to install Apache Cassandra on Debian 11

Advantages of Apache Cassandra

1. Scalability: Apache Cassandra allows seamless scaling across multiple nodes, accommodating high data volumes and traffic fluctuations.
2. High Availability: With its distributed architecture, data is replicated across nodes, ensuring fault tolerance and continuous availability.
3. Performance: Cassandra's peer-to-peer design and efficient write operations enable low-latency data access for both read and write workloads.
4. Flexibility: Its schema-free data model supports dynamic and evolving data structures, offering flexibility for varied use cases.
5. Durability: Apache Cassandra ensures data durability by writing data to multiple nodes, protecting against hardware or node failures.

Steps to Install Apache Cassandra on Debian 11

In order to install Apache Cassandra on Debian 11, we must carry out the instructions below.

Step 1: Installation of Java

The prerequisite for Apache Cassandra on Debian 11 is Java, which needs to be installed first. Using the following command, we can install Apache Cassandra on Debian 11:

sudo apt install default-jdk -y

Java has been successfully installed.

Step 2: importation of the Cassandra key

We will use the wget command to import the Cassandra key from the official Apache website after the prerequisite has been installed:

curl https://downloads.apache.org/cassandra/KEYS | sudo apt-key add -

"OK" should appear in the output, indicating that the key was successfully imported into the Debian 11 repository.

Step 3: Addition of Cassandra repository

The following step is to add the Cassandra repository to our Debian 11 sources.list file. To do this, use the following command:

echo "deb https://debian.cassandra.apache.org 41x main" | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list.d/cassandra.sources.list

There was no error after running the command, indicating that Cassandra's repository has been added to the sources.a list of Debian 11 files.

Step 4: Updating Debian 11 repository

We will update the Debian 11 repository after the key has been imported and the Cassandra Repository has been added.

sudo apt update

The repository has been updated, and as we can see from the output, the repository has also had its apache key updated.

Step 5: Installation of Apache Cassandra

We will use the following command in the terminal to install Cassandra:

sudo apt install cassandra 

It has been set up successfully.

Step 6: Verification of installation

Using the systemctl command, we will check the installation's status in order to confirm it:

sudo systemctl status cassandra

The output indicates that Cassandra has been installed and is currently operational. Cassandra launches instantly after installation by default.

Step 7: Configuration of Apache Cassandra

Cassandra's data is kept at /var/lib/cassandra, while Apache Cassandra configuration files are available in the Cassandra directory located in /etc/cassandra.

We can connect to any database operating on the same machine without utilizing the binding interface because Cassandra by default only supports the local host. The cqlsh command can be used to access Cassandra from the terminal:

cqlsh 

We can see "Test Cluster" in the output, which is the name of the cluster cloud and can be changed.

Renaming of Cluster Cloud

We will use the Cassandra command to change the name of the cluster from "Test Cluster" to "VegaStack Cluster", as seen below:

UPDATE system.local SET cluster_name = 'VegaStack Cluster' WHERE KEY = 'local';

Entering "exit" will close the Cassandra.

exit

Now, open cassandra.yaml in nano editor and change the name to "VegaStack" in the Cassandra configuration file.

 sudo nano /etc/cassandra/cassandra.yaml

The "VegaStack Cluster" should be used as a substitute of "Test Cluster".

Use the systemctl command to restart Cassandra:

sudo systemctl restart cassandra

Run the command to enter Apache Cassandra once more to confirm any modifications.

cqlsh

The "VegaStack Cluster" name of the cluster cloud is displayed in the output.

How to Uninstall of Apache Cassandra

The Apache Cassandra can be removed with the command below:

sudo apt purge cassandra -y

The Apache Cassandra has been successfully eliminated.

FAQs to Install Apache Cassandra on Debian 11

Conclusion

Apache Cassandra's popularity grew as a result of its scalability, cluster cloud, and reliability features. In this tutorial, we've covered how to install Apache Cassandra through the command line. We first imported the Cassandra key and added its most recent repository to the Debian 11 repository after installing its prerequisite, Java. Following setup, we checked the installation and talked about removing Apache Cassandra from Debian 11.

If you have any queries, please leave a comment below, and we’ll be happy to respond to them.