Apache Cassandra - Basics

Question 1

Define Apache Cassandra.

Answer 1

A distributed NoSQL database designed for handling large amounts of data across many servers.

Question 2

True or false: Cassandra uses a master-slave architecture.

Answer 2

FALSE

Cassandra employs a peer-to-peer architecture with no single point of failure.

Question 3

What is the primary data model of Cassandra?

Answer 3

Cassandra uses a wide-column store data model.

Question 4

Fill in the blank: CQL stands for _______.

Answer 4

Cassandra Query Language

Question 5

What is a keyspace in Cassandra?

Answer 5

A keyspace is a namespace that defines data replication settings for tables.

Question 6

Define replication factor.

Answer 6

The number of copies of data stored across the cluster nodes.

Question 7

True or false: Cassandra supports multi-data center replication.

Answer 7

TRUE

It allows data to be replicated across different geographical locations.

Question 8

What does Tunable Consistency mean?

Answer 8

It allows users to configure the level of consistency required for read and write operations.

Question 9

Fill in the blank: Partitioning in Cassandra is done using a _______.

Answer 9

Partition key

Question 10

What is a column family?

Answer 10

A collection of rows that share the same structure in Cassandra.

Question 11

Define SSTable.

Answer 11

A file format used by Cassandra to store immutable data on disk.

Question 12

True or false: Cassandra uses eventual consistency.

Answer 12

TRUE

This means that data will eventually become consistent across all replicas.

Question 13

What is the purpose of gossip protocol?

Answer 13

To allow nodes to communicate and share information about the state of the cluster.

Question 14

Fill in the blank: Tombstones are used to mark _______ in Cassandra.

Answer 14

Deleted data

Question 15

What is a materialized view?

Answer 15

A precomputed query result stored as a table for efficient access.

Question 16

Define lightweight transactions.

Answer 16

Transactions that provide conditional updates using a consensus protocol.

Question 17

True or false: Cassandra supports joins between tables.

Answer 17

FALSE

Cassandra does not support joins; data modeling must account for this.

Question 18

What is the role of a Cassandra node?

Answer 18

A single instance of Cassandra that stores data and participates in the cluster.

Question 19

Fill in the blank: Data modeling in Cassandra focuses on _______.

Answer 19

Query patterns

Question 20

What is scalability in Cassandra?

Answer 20

The ability to add more nodes to handle increased load without downtime.

Question 21

Define compaction.

Answer 21

The process of merging SSTables to optimize storage and read performance.

Question 22

True or false: Cassandra can handle unstructured data.

Answer 22

TRUE

It is designed to store various data types, including unstructured data.

Question 23

What does nodetool do?

Answer 23

A command-line utility for managing and monitoring Cassandra nodes.

Question 24

Fill in the blank: Cassandra is optimized for _______ workloads.

Answer 24

Write-heavy

Question 25

What is **data replication**?

Answer 25

The process of copying data across multiple nodes for fault tolerance.

Question 26

Define **Cassandra driver**.

Answer 26

A library that allows applications to connect and interact with a Cassandra cluster.

Question 27

True or false: Cassandra supports **ACID transactions**.

Answer 27

FALSE ## Footnote Cassandra prioritizes availability and partition tolerance over strict consistency.