Apache Cassandra

The Apache Cassandra connector lets you perform insert, delete, update, and read operations on a Cassandra database.

Before you begin

Before using the Apache Cassandra connector, do the following tasks:

  • In your Google Cloud project:
    • Ensure that network connectivity is set up. For information about network patterns, see Network connectivity.
    • Grant the roles/connectors.admin IAM role to the user configuring the connector.
    • Grant the following IAM roles to the service account that you want to use for the connector:
      • roles/secretmanager.viewer
      • roles/secretmanager.secretAccessor

      A service account is a special type of Google account intended to represent a non-human user that needs to authenticate and be authorized to access data in Google APIs. If you don't have a service account, you must create a service account. For more information, see Creating a service account.

    • Enable the following services:
      • secretmanager.googleapis.com (Secret Manager API)
      • connectors.googleapis.com (Connectors API)

      To understand how to enable services, see Enabling services.

    If these services or permissions have not been enabled for your project previously, you are prompted to enable them when configuring the connector.

  • For information about configuring authentication, see Configuring authentication.

Configure the connector

Configuring the connector requires you to create a connection to your data source (backend system). A connection is specific to a data source. It means that if you have many data sources, you must create a separate connection for each data source. To create a connection, do the following steps:

  1. In the Cloud console, go to the Integration Connectors > Connections page and then select or create a Google Cloud project.

    Go to the Connections page

  2. Click + CREATE NEW to open the Create Connection page.
  3. In the Location section, choose the location for the connection.
    1. Region: Select a location from the drop-down list.

      For the list of all the supported regions, see Locations.

    2. Click NEXT.
  4. In the Connection Details section, complete the following:
    1. Connector: Select Apache Cassandra from the drop down list of available Connectors.
    2. Connector version: Select the Connector version from the drop down list of available versions.
    3. In the Connection Name field, enter a name for the Connection instance.

      Connection names must meet the following criteria:

      • Connection names can use letters, numbers, or hyphens.
      • Letters must be lower-case.
      • Connection names must begin with a letter and end with a letter or number.
      • Connection names cannot exceed 49 characters.
    4. Optionally, enter a Description for the connection instance.
    5. Optionally, enable Cloud logging, and then select a log level. By default, the log level is set to Error.
    6. Service Account: Select a service account that has the required roles.
    7. Optionally, configure the Connection node settings:

      • Minimum number of nodes: Enter the minimum number of connection nodes.
      • Maximum number of nodes: Enter the maximum number of connection nodes.

      A node is a unit (or replica) of a connection that processes transactions. More nodes are required to process more transactions for a connection and conversely, fewer nodes are required to process fewer transactions. To understand how the nodes affect your connector pricing, see Pricing for connection nodes. If you don't enter any values, by default the minimum nodes are set to 2 (for better availability) and the maximum nodes are set to 50.

    8. Keyspace: Cassandra Keyspace
    9. Optionally, click + ADD LABEL to add a label to the Connection in the form of a key/value pair.
    10. Click NEXT.
  5. In the Destinations section, enter details of the remote host (backend system) you want to connect to.
    1. Destination Type: Select a Destination Type.
      • Select Host address from the list to specify the hostname or IP address of the destination.
      • If you want to establish a private connection to your backend systems, select Endpoint attachment from the list, and then select the required endpoint attachment from the Endpoint Attachment list.

      If you want to establish a public connection to your backend systems with additional security, you can consider configuring static outbound IP addresses for your connections, and then configure your firewall rules to allowlist only the specific static IP addresses.

      To enter additional destinations, click +ADD DESTINATION.

    2. Click NEXT.
  6. In the Authentication section, enter the authentication details.
    1. Select an Authentication type and enter the relevant details.

      The following authentication types are supported by the Apache Cassandra connection:

      • Username and password

      2. To understand how to configure these authentication types, see Configure authentication.

    2. Click NEXT.
  7. Review: Review your connection and authentication details.
  8. Click Create.

Configure authentication

Enter the details based on the authentication you want to use.

  • Username and password
    • Username: The Apache Cassandra username to use for the connection.
    • Password: Secret Manager Secret containing the password associated with the Apache Cassandra username.

Connection configuration samples

Basic authentication connection type

Fieldname Details
Location us-central1
Connector apachecassandra
Connector version 1
Connection Name apache-cassandra-vm-conn
Enable Cloud Logging Yes
Service Account SERVICE_ACCOUNT_NAME@PROJECT_ID.iam.gserviceaccount.com
Database test-google-cloud
Browsable Schemas
Minimum number of nodes 2
Maximum number of nodes 50
Enable SSL (SSL Configuration) No
Destination Type Host address
Host 192.0.2.0
Port PORT
Username USERNAME
Password PASSWORD
Secret version 1

If SSL is disabled in the Cassandra instance, you cannot use basic authentication with username and password. If SSL is enabled at the Cassandra instance, you must generate SSL certificate, enable SSL in the Cassandra connection, and specify the public or private certificate.

If SSL is enabled in the PSC instance, then other authentication types won't work. Enable SSL in the Cassandra connection, and specify the public or private certificate.

PSC connection type

Field name Details
Location us-central1
Connector apachecassandra
Connector version 1
Connection Name apache-cassandra-vm-conn-psc
Enable Cloud Logging Yes
Service Account SERVICE_ACCOUNT_NAME@PROJECT_ID.iam.gserviceaccount.com
Database DATABASE_NAME
Browsable Schemas
Minimum number of nodes 2
Maximum number of nodes 50
SSL Configuration No
Destination Type Host address
Host 192.0.2.0
Port PORT
Username USERNAME
Password PASSWORD
Secret version 1

SSL connection type

Field name Details
Location us-central1
Connector apachecassandra
Connector version 1
Connection Name apache-cassandra-vm-conn
Enable Cloud Logging Yes
Service Account SERVICE_ACCOUNT_NAME@PROJECT_ID.iam.gserviceaccount.com
Database testgcp
Browsable Schemas
Minimum number of nodes 2
Maximum number of nodes 50
Enable SSL (under SSL Configuration) Yes
Choose Trust Model (under Trust Store) Private
Custom Trust Store CUSTOM_TRUST_STORE
Secret version 1
Client Certificate (under Key Store) CLIENT_CERT
Secret version 1
Client Private Key (under Key Store) CLIENT_PRIVATE_KEY
Secret version 1
Destination Type Host address
Host 192.0.2.0
Port PORT
Username USERNAME
Password PASSWORD
Secret version 1

Multinode connectivity type

Field name Details
Location europe-west1
Connector apachecassandra
Connector version 1
Connection Name apache-cassandra-vm-conn-multinode1
Enable Cloud Logging Yes
Service Account SERVICE_ACCOUNT_NAME@PROJECT_ID.iam.gserviceaccount.com
Database test-google-cloud
Browsable Schemas
Minimum number of nodes 2
Maximum number of nodes 50
Enable SSL (under SSL Configuration) No
Destination Type Host address
Host 192.0.2.0
Port PORT
Host 192.0.2.0
Port PORT
Host 192.0.2.0
Port PORT
Username USERNAME
Password PASSWORD
Secret version 1

To use a multinode connection type, SSL must be disabled in the Cassandra instance and you must use the username and password to authenticate. If SSL is enabled at the Cassandra instance, you must generate SSL certificate, enable SSL in the Cassandra connection, and specify the public or private certificate.

Multinode with SSL connection type

Field name Details
Location europe-west1
Connector apachecassandra
Connector version 1
Connection Name apache-cassandra-vm-conn-multinode1
Enable Cloud Logging Yes
Service Account SERVICE_ACCOUNT_NAME@PROJECT_ID.iam.gserviceaccount.com/td>
Database test-google-cloud
Browsable Schemas
Minimum number of nodes 2
Maximum number of nodes 50
Enable SSL (under SSL Configuration) Yes
Choose Trust Model (under Trust Store) Private
Custom Trust Store CUSTOM_TRUST_STORE
Secret version 1
Client Certificate (under Key Store) CLIENT_CERT
Secret version 1
Client Private Key (under Key Store) CLIENT_PRIVATE_KEY
Secret version 1
Destination Type Host address
Host 192.0.2.1
Port PORT
Host 192.0.2.2
Port PORT
Host 3 192.0.2.3
Port PORT
Username USERNAME
Password PASSWORD
Secret version 1

For information about configuring SSL for Apache Cassandra, see Setting up a Cassandra cluster with SSL

For information about configuring Cassandra on a single node, see Installing Cassandra or Installing Apache Cassandra on CentOS 7 .

For information about configuring Cassandra on multiple nodes, see How to install Cassandra across multiple data centers or Initializing a multiple node cluster.

Entities, operations, and actions

All the Integration Connectors provide a layer of abstraction for the objects of the connected application. You can access an application's objects only through this abstraction. The abstraction is exposed to you as entities, operations, and actions.

  • Entity: An entity can be thought of as an object, or a collection of properties, in the connected application or service. The definition of an entity differs from a connector to a connector. For example, in a database connector, tables are the entities, in a file server connector, folders are the entities, and in a messaging system connector, queues are the entities.

    However, it is possible that a connector doesn't support or have any entities, in which case the Entities list will be empty.

  • Operation: An operation is the activity that you can perform on an entity. You can perform any of the following operations on an entity:

    Selecting an entity from the available list, generates a list of operations available for the entity. For a detailed description of the operations, see the Connectors task's entity operations. However, if a connector doesn't support any of the entity operations, such unsupported operations aren't listed in the Operations list.

  • Action: An action is a first class function that is made available to the integration through the connector interface. An action lets you make changes to an entity or entities, and vary from connector to connector. Normally, an action will have some input parameters, and an output parameter. However, it is possible that a connector doesn't support any action, in which case the Actions list will be empty.

System limitations

The Apache Cassandra connector can process 65 transactions per second, per node, and throttles any transactions beyond this limit. By default, Integration Connectors allocates 2 nodes (for better availability) for a connection.

Use the Apache Cassandra connection in an integration

After you create the connection, it becomes available in both Apigee Integration and Application Integration. You can use the connection in an integration through the Connectors task.

  • To understand how to create and use the Connectors task in Apigee Integration, see Connectors task.
  • To understand how to create and use the Connectors task in Application Integration, see Connectors task.

For information on the limits applicable to Integration Connectors, see Limits.

Actions

This connector supports execution of the following actions:

  • User-defined stored procedures and functions. If you have any stored procedures and functions in your backend, those are listed in the Actions column of the Configure connector task dialog.
  • Custom SQL queries. To execute custom SQL queries, the connector provides the Execute custom query action.

    To create a custom query, follow these steps:

    1. Follow the detailed instructions to add a connectors task.
    2. When you configure the connector task, in the type of action you want to perform, select Actions.
    3. In the Action list, select Execute custom query, and then click Done.

      image showing execute-custom-query-action image showing execute-custom-query-action

    4. Expand the Task input section, and then do the following:
      1. In the Timeout after field, enter the number of seconds to wait till the query executes.

        Default value: 180 seconds.

      2. In the Maximum number of rows field, enter the maximum number of rows to be returned from the database.

        Default value: 25.

      3. To update the custom query, click Edit Custom Script. The Script editor dialog opens.

        image showing custom-sql-query image showing custom-sql-query

      4. In the Script editor dialog, enter the SQL query and click Save.

        You can use a question mark (?) in a SQL statement to represent a single parameter that must be specified in the query parameters list. For example, the following SQL query selects all rows from the Employees table that matches the values specified for the LastName column: 

        SELECT * FROM Employees where LastName=?

      5. If you've used question marks in your SQL query, you must add the parameter by clicking + Add Parameter Name for each question mark. While executing the integration, these parameters replace the question marks (?) in the SQL query sequentially. For example, if you have added three question marks (?), then you must add three parameters in order of sequence.

        image showing add-query-param image showing add-query-param

        To add query parameters, do the following:

        1. From the Type list, select the data type of the parameter.
        2. In the Value field, enter the value of the parameter.
        3. To add multiple parameters, click + Add Query Parameter.

Entity operation examples

Example - List records of an entity

This example lists the records of the Users entity.

  1. In the Configure connector task dialog, click Entities.
  2. Select Users from the Entity list.
  3. Select the List operation, and then click Done.
  4. In the Task Input section of the Connectors task, you can set the filterClause as per your requirement.

    For example, setting the filter clause to employeeCode='5100' and startDate='2010-01-01 00:00:00', lists only those records whose employeeCode is 5100 and startDate is 2010-01-01 00:00:00.

Example - Get a single record from an entity

This example fetches a record from the Users entity.

  1. In the Configure connector task dialog, click Entities.
  2. Select User from the Entity list.
  3. Select the Get operation, and then click Done.
  4. In the Task Input section of the Connectors task, click entityId and then enter 103032 in the Default Value field.

    Here, 103032 is the primary key value of the Users entity.

Example - Delete a record from an entity

This example deletes a record from the Users entity.

  1. In the Configure connector task dialog, click Entities.
  2. Select Users from the Entity list.
  3. Select the Delete operation, and then click Done.
  4. In the Task Input section of the Connectors task, click entityId and then enter 113132 in the Default Value field.

    Alternately, if the entity has composite primary keys instead of specifying the entityId, you can set the filterClause. For example, employeeCode='5100' and startDate='2010-01-01 00:00:00'.

Example - Create a record in an entity

This example creates a record in the Users entity.

  1. In the Configure connector task dialog, click Entities.
  2. Select Users from the Entity list.
  3. Select the Create operation, and then click Done.
  4. In the Task Input section of the Connectors task, click connectorInputPayload and then enter a value similar to the following in the Default Value field: 
    {
"employeeCode": "5100",
"startDate": "2010-01-01 00:00:00.0",
"country": "US"
}

    5. If the integration is successful, the connector task's connectorOutputPayload field will have the response of the create operation.

Example - Update a record in an entity

This example updates a record in the Users entity.

  1. In the Configure connector task dialog, click Entities.
  2. Select Users from the Entity list.
  3. Select the Update operation, and then click Done.
  4. In the Task Input section of the Connectors task, click connectorInputPayload and then enter a value similar to the following in the Default Value field: 
    {
"country": "IN"
}
  5. In the Task Input section of the Connectors task, click entityId and then enter 113132 in the Default Value field.

    Alternately, if the entity has composite primary keys instead of specifying the entityId, you can set the filterClause. For example, employeeCode='5100' and startDate='2010-01-01 00:00:00'.

    6. If the integration is successful, the connector task's connectorOutputPayload field will have the response of the update operation.

Use terraform to create connections

You can use the Terraform resource to create a new connection.

To learn how to apply or remove a Terraform configuration, see Basic Terraform commands.

To view a sample terraform template for connection creation, see sample template.

When creating this connection by using Terraform, you must set the following variables in your Terraform configuration file:

Parameter name Data type Required Description
keyspace STRING True Cassandra Keyspace

Get help from the Google Cloud community

You can post your questions and discuss this connector in the Google Cloud community at Cloud Forums.

What's next