Updated February 28, 2023
Difference Between Cassandra vs Couchbase
An open-source database system used in storing and managing data in servers in distributed format is called Cassandra. It is scalable and the performance is really good. It also provides high availability and failure does not occur easily in the servers. It belongs to the NoSQL database. It is made up of a group of nodes. The open-source server dedicated to documents and in engaging the database is called Couchbase. Key-value store is provided with faster data operations and a query engine to execute SQL queries and the like. This is a NoSQL database. Application data is served with perfect uptime always.
Head to Head Comparison between Cassandra vs Couchbase (Infographics)
Below are the top 6 comparisons between Cassandra vs Couchbase:
Key differences between Cassandra vs Couchbase
Let us discuss some key differences between Cassandra vs Couchbase in the following points:
- The database model of Cassandra is a wide column store whereas that of Couchbase is a document store. There is no secondary database model in Cassandra. The secondary database model is key-value store in Couchbase.
- Cassandra is the number one in the wide column store that is preferred by many. Couchbase stands third in the document store and ranks 24 in overall. The ranking of Cassandra is 11 in overall.
- Cassandra is developed based on BigTable and DynamoDB. Cassandra was released in 2008 and Couchbase was developed in 2011. Couchbase is developed from CouchDB and with a Memcached interface to combat with the data.
- Both Cassandra and Couchbase are opensource but Cassandra does not offer any DataBase as a Service. Couchbase offers Couchbase cloud as a service to manage and deploy the database with minimal efforts.
- Cassandra is written in Java language. Couchbase is written in C, C++, Go and Erlang language. Cassandra operates in almost all the operating systems. Couchbase operates in the operating systems except for BSD. Cassandra does not have any XML support whereas Couchbase has XML support and supports the secondary indexes without restrictions.
- The query language used in Cassandra is SQL with DML and DDL statements. Couchbase uses declarative query language N1QL so that both JSON and SQL can be used. Couchbase started using SQL++ for the first time in their queries.
- The APIs used are very less like proprietary protocol and thrift in Cassandra. In Couchbase, search and analytics APIs are used that can be used in native language bindings. Also, server-side scripts such as functions and timers of JavaScript is used in Couchbase. This helps to understand the functionality and working of servers.
- The replication method used in Cassandra is the selectable replication factor. In Couchbase, master to master replication and master to slave replication is used in the servers. Transaction concepts are not used in Cassandra whereas transaction concepts such as ACID are used in Couchbase.
- Cassandra does not have any in-memory capabilities. Couchbase has in-memory capabilities. Users rights are defined as per the object in Cassandra. Password-based access is provided to user and administrator in Couchbase and the authentication is integrated with LDAP.
Comparison Table of Cassandra vs Couchbase
The table below summarizes the comparisons between Cassandra vs Couchbase:
| Cassandra | Couchbase |
| This database has good scalability and availability to the users with very less cost for ownership. | This database has flexibility with replication so that users can enjoy the elastic architecture of the database. |
| This is suited for any type of cloud environment and uses a distributed database management system. It also offers strong security for the services provided in the database. Modern businesses always prefer Cassandra for their applications. | This is globally distributed with edge-to-cloud service. The performance is always consistent with any rate of scaling. Multi-dimensional scaling is provided with workload isolation in the database. This is easier to manage when compared with Cassandra. |
| It can be used in different fields such as IoT, recommendation services, fraud detection engines, messaging applications and many others with their service of availability and scalability. | It can be used in data aggregation, product or pricing recommendations, asset tracking, operational dashboarding, managing devices or endpoints, inventory management, and IoT data management. |
| Cassandra is developed to ensure its availability always even in the case of any failures. This is the main feature of this database. | Couchbase is developed with different capabilities so that even if Cassandra fails in one field, Couchbase could be used for the same purpose to ensure proper working of the database. |
| CData, DBHawk, Instaclustr, DataStax Enterprise is used as third parties in Cassandra. | Only CData is used as a third party in the database. |
| Time series data is recorded, processed and retrieved so that data can be recorded from history to be used in the future. This helps in company growth in terms of data generated. | Time series data is not recorded so that historical data cannot be used to predict the future in the company. It provides a management dashboard to determine the clusters in the company. |
| The platform used is JVM and hence it is difficult to write intensive and complex applications in the system. Also, periodic maintenance is required in the system to work effectively. | It is easy to write intensive and complex applications in Cassandra. But servers are not allowed to change roles when applications are updated and this creates problems in between. Users should re-assign the roles to the server. |
| Community and documentation are really helpful in Cassandra. Also, there are precompiled procedures in the database so that users find it easy to go through application development. | The documentation is not really helpful in Couchbase and this creates issues while developing the applications in the server. SDK documentation is not available for the database. |
| The default configuration is present in the database and if any changes are needed, it is required to change the knobs and buttons to configure the system. The inner workings of the database should be understood properly. | The default configuration is not present in Couchbase and there are no procedures of how to run the application in the system. This makes the system more complex and harder to work for beginners. |
Conclusion
If the user is good in administration and maintenance, it is good to go with Cassandra. And it is a more commonly used database by many organizations. Couchbase is easier to use as separate maintenance is not needed. Based on these differences, it is wise to select according to the need of the user.
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