5 best alternatives to Apache Cassandra

Apache Cassandra is popular all over the world. The database management system is used by lots of large companies and is designed for dealing with big data. But if you’re thinking about switching or want to try a different approach, these five alternatives to Cassandra are worth considering.

What is Cassandra and what alternatives are there?

Apache Cassandra is one of the most successful column-oriented NoSQL databases in the world. Released in 2008, the open-source solution is used by major companies such as Apple, Netflix, Spotify and X (formerly Twitter). It has its own query language CQL (Cassandra Query Language) and is mainly used for the storage and management of huge amounts of data.

Apache Cassandra scores particularly well with its horizontal scalability, which can expand to accommodate increasing volumes of data. The system is extremely reliable, thanks to the use of multiple nodes, which lend themselves to the overall flexibility of the database. While the speed of the solution makes it superior to many other databases, the database does have some disadvantages.

Cassandra is generally considered a versatile tool. However, to reap the benefits of this versatility, it takes a considerable amount of time to learn and become familiar with (long familiarization) with the system. This applies not only to learning its query language, which is based on SQL (Structured Query Language) and not easy to use, but also to the (complex) planning, creation and maintenance of such (complex) databases. This level of difficulty can make it challenging for newcomers to navigate.

The fact that information can be stored multiple times can also get in the way of a clear overview. Depending on your specific goals, it might make sense to opt for an alternative to Cassandra. We’ll take a look at the five great options.

MongoDB—The best option for large amounts of data

MongoDB is without question one of the best alternatives to Cassandra. The name of the document-oriented NoSQL database is derived from the word “humongous”. MongoDB is a proprietary database and has been distributed since 2009. It stores data in the binary JSON format BSON.

MongoDB’s scalability, availability and flexibility make it particularly impressive. In Mongo DB, even complicated and heterogeneous data records can be stored conveniently and clearly. Retrieving them is also simple. These data records are stored in the database as documents, which are summarized in collections. You can change the documents by simply adding or deleting individual fields.

The advantages of MongoDB at a glance

  • Horizontally scalable on a large scale
  • High availability thanks to numerous nodes
  • Flexible thanks to sophisticated architecture
  • Data replication possible
  • Easy to use
  • Very secure thanks to sharding (the partitioning of the database)
  • Ad-hoc queries possible

To help you decide which solution is most suited to your needs we’ve compared MongoDB and Apache Cassandra in detail in our Digital Guide.

Tip

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MySQL—The relational solution with strong performance

MySQL takes a completely different approach. The open-source system works relationally. Unlike Cassandra and other NoSQL alternatives, it stores data records in tables. The stored data is then queried using the SQL query language. You could almost describe MySQL as an oldie when compared to other database management systems.

MySQL was first released in 1995 and has been continuously developed ever since. Numerous web services and content management systems including Google, YouTube and WordPress rely either partially or entirely on the solution. Some proprietary versions of MySQL are distributed by the software and hardware manufacturer Oracle.

The advantages of MySQL at a glance

  • Open source
  • Stable and reliable
  • High compatibility with many systems, platforms and programming languages
  • SQL query language is simple, logical and widely used
  • Strong performance
  • High availability
  • Easy to learn
  • Large community and long development history

You can find out more about MySQL, its background and how it works in our Digital Guide.

Firebase—A smart choice for mobile applications

While Cassandra and other alternatives take a broad approach and are ideally suited to handling big data, Firebase is a more specialized solution. Although the development platform is also able to process large amounts of data, it is primarily designed for use with mobile web applications like gaming apps, chat programs and social networks. Mobile web applications like these benefit from Firebase’s real-time synchronization.

Firebase, first released in 2011 and now part of Google, is used by Duolingo, the New York Times, Twitch and Venmo, among others. Today the solution is more than just a database. Firebase is a complete ecosystem with a total of 18 free and paid services.

The advantages of Firebase at a glance

  • Real-time processing
  • Strong performance
  • Ideal solution for mobile applications
  • Extensive ecosystem and good integration of various services such as Google Analytics
  • Sophisticated cloud solutions
  • Several test services
  • Machine Learning Kit
  • Cross-platform

PostgreSQL—A flexible SQL solution

The origins of PostgreSQL date back to the 1980s, however, the object-relational database management system we know today was first published in 1996. PostgreSQL, or Postgre, works across platforms and harmonizes perfectly with other databases. Although the open-source solution works relationally, it also allows for columns with subvalues. This makes PostgreSQL significantly more flexible than many other SQL options.

Although scaling is only vertical, the database is also suitable for large amounts of data. PostgreSQL, known for its strong security architecture, has been an ideal solution for large companies like Apple, Spotify and Twitch. There is also a dedicated community committed to further developing the solution.

The advantages of PostgreSQL at a glance

  • Open source
  • Large community
  • Strong security architecture
  • Flexible and scalable despite SQL approach
  • Numerous interfaces
  • High data integrity
  • Good query processing and indexing
  • Wide range of applications

Learn more about PostgreSQL in our Digital Guide article, where we go over everything you need to know about the object-relational database management system.

Redis—The NoSQL database for particularly low latencies

Redis is an abbreviation for Remote Dictionary Server. Another NoSQL database, the open-source solution has been available since 2009 and is written in ANSI C. The main focus of the system is on speed. Response times of less than one millisecond are made possible by storing data directly in the main memory. This reduces latency but also increases memory requirements. Scaling is possible both horizontally and vertically. Redis does not have its own query language but is comparatively easy to use. Companies that rely on the database include Airbnb, Slack and Uber.

The advantages of Redis at a glance

  • Open source
  • Very high speeds
  • Horizontally and vertically scalable
  • High availability
  • Virtual memory management
  • Compatible with numerous languages, platforms and systems
  • Very user-friendly
  • Flexible data structures
  • Large and active community

Take a closer look at Redis in our Digital Guide. There you’ll find a Redis tutorial to get you started with fast data storage.

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