Welcome to the world of Apache Cassandra! In this first chapter, we will briefly introduce Cassandra, along with a quick, step-by-step process to get your own single-node cluster up and running. Even if you already have experience working with Cassandra, this chapter will help to provide assurance that you are building everything properly. If this is your first foray into Cassandra, then get ready to take your first steps into a larger world.
In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:
- Introduction to Cassandra
- Installation and configuration
- Starting up and shutting down Cassandra
- Cassandra Cluster Manager (CCM)
By the end of this chapter, you will have built a single-node cluster of Apache Cassandra. This will be a good exercise to help you start to see some of the configuration and thought that goes into building a larger cluster. As this chapter progresses and the material gets more complex, you will start to connect the dots and understand exactly what is happening between installation, operation, and development.
