Pulling up information at the touch of a button from a database is something that most organizations take for granted. Now that database management systems like Apache Cassandra have enabled organizations to store data in high availability format, top-tier performance is an expectation. In this article, we’re going to look at what Apache Cassandra is and the nine best tools to monitor it.

What is Apache Cassandra? 

Apache Cassandra is an open-source database management system. Apache Cassandra has been used by companies such as Apple, Spotify, Netflix, and Uber. The system is widely used because it is a fault-tolerant, scalable and decentralized database solution. Cassandra can be downloaded for free from the Apache website here.

Even though Cassandra comes with features like fault tolerance built-in, it still needs to be managed effectively. Using a network monitoring tool to measure the performance and health of databases is necessary to deliver the best performance and avoid security events.

There is lots of detail on the tools below, but for a quick summary, here is our list of the best tools to monitor Apache Casandra:

  • SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor EDITOR’S CHOICE  Great for monitoring Linux or Unix including nodes stats, tracking, and network health. Start a 30-day free trial.
  • Datadog Apache Cassandra Monitor (FREE TRIAL) A system infrastructure monitoring package from a cloud platform that includes database monitoring, linked into an application dependency map. Start a 14-day free trial.
  • ManageEngine Applications Manager (FREE TRIAL) Also compatible with MongoDB, has a great dashboard that can monitor clusters and more.
  • Site24x7 Cassandra Monitoring (FREE TRIAL) A monitor for networks, servers, services, applications, and websites that includes database monitoring for Cassandra plus other DBMSs.
  • Sematext Apache Cassandra Monitoring (FREE TRIAL) This monitoring service is part of the Sematext Infrastructure Monitoring package that also monitors other applications plus servers and networks. Structured as a SaaS package or for hosting over Docker.
  • Dynatrace Automatically detects Apache Cassandra databases, can get into depth on the data it gathers.
  • AppDynamics Also auto-detects Apache Cassandra databases and offers good monitoring and tracking options.
  • SignalFx Similar to above options but is cloud-based. Good for setting alerts.
  • Instaclustr Network monitor with a custom Cassandra monitoring API. Provides 20-second updates and a good cluster summary view.
  • Instana This monitor is good at providing metrics right down to the node level.

The best tools for monitoring Apache Casandra

1. SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor (FREE TRIAL)

Our methodology for selecting Cassandra monitoring systems

We reviewed the market for Cassandra monitoring tools and analyzed the options based on the following criteria:

  • Full stack infrastructure monitoring
  • Application dependency mapping that shows Cassandra’s activities in context
  • The ability to monitor Cassandra on any platform
  • An integration that extracts activity data from within Cassandra instances
  • Alerts for performance problems
  • A free trial or a demo service that allows an assessment to be carried out before paying
  • Value for money from a monitoring system that is offered at a fair price

SolarWinds Server and Application Monitor is a network monitoring tool that can monitor Apache Cassandra. The tool has been designed to monitor the performance and availability of Apache Cassandra servers on Linux or Unix. Details on service health, node stats, and network tracking can all be viewed through one unified dashboard.

Key Features:

  • Application dependency mapping
  • Cassandra integration
  • Server resource monitoring
  • Activity correlation
  • Root cause analysis

You can also set customized alerts on SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor. Factors monitored include increased latency or ongoing hint activity. Alerts can be viewed through the All Active Alerts page which tells you a list of all current alerts including the cause of the alert and how long it has been active.

As an Apache Cassandra monitoring solution, SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor is an excellent product on account of its alerts system and its versatile dashboard. SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor starts at $2,995 (£2,397). You can download a 30-day free trial.

Pros:

  • Designed with large and enterprise networks in mind
  • Can track Apache specific metrics as well as supporting infrastructure resource usage
  • Proactively alerts when performance deviates from the baseline, giving administrators time to fix problems before they impact performance
  • Fully supports Unix and Linux deployments
  • Uses drag and drop widgets to customize the look and feel of the dashboard

Cons:

  • This is a feature-rich enterprise tool, administrators will need to invest time to explore all monitoring options

2. Datadog Apache Cassandra Monitoring (FREE TRIAL)

EDITOR’S CHOICE

SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor is our top pick for a Cassandra monitoring tool because it offers a special integration package that enables the monitor to extract activity data from Cassandra instances. The tool can be extended to monitor many other DBMSs and it has application dependency mapping, so you can quickly trace whether problems in your user-facing applications are really due to issues in your Cassandra instances. Server monitoring also enables you to see which resources the instances rely on and whether they are running short. The SolarWinds package includes alerts that will notify you by email if any server resource is being overused or if an application, such as Cassandra is indicating problems.

Download: Get a 30-day free trial

Official Site: https://www.solarwinds.com/server-application-monitor/registration

OS: Windows Server

Datadog APM is a SaaS platform that covers a long list of applications, including Apache Cassandra and other RDBMSs. Datadog has a library of integrations, including those with Apache products, such as Apache Cassandra.

  • Cassandra integration
  • Extracts live instance activity data
  • Links to server activity
  • Performance alerts

The screens of the dashboard are packed with information. If the standard screen seems too busy, you can create your own home page with the metrics that matter most to you. It is even possible to combine widgets from different pages, giving you a stack overview showing database, server, and network performance overviews all in one place.

It isn’t possible to watch all of the performance statuses of your database all of the time. However, this is not a problem because Datadog Infrastructure sets performance threshold levels on every metric and alerts you if one gets tripped. This service enables you to get on with other tasks rather than spending all of your time monitoring your Apache Cassandra databases.

Datadog Infrastructure Monitoring includes an integration that enables the monitor to extract performance information directly from the Cassandra DBMS to compile live reports on performance and also store statistics for historical analysis. The Infrastructure system also monitors related systems that rely on your databases and all of those resources that support them. This chain of dependency enables you to quickly identify the root cause of any problem that might arise in your database-dependent applications. See issues within, above, and beneath your Cassandra database and isolate the true cause of performance issues quickly.

  • Excellent Apache Cassandra monitoring with the option to monitor hundreds of other applications in the same platform

  • Can monitor both internally and externally giving network admins a holistic view of network performance and accessibility

  • Supports auto-discovery that builds network topology maps on the fly

  • Changes made to the network are reflected in near real-time

  • Allows businesses to scale their monitoring efforts reliably through flexible pricing options

  • Would like to see a longer trial period for testing

Datadog is charged for by subscription and the entire platform is split into modules of monitors. You can add on Datadog APM to get distributed tracing of all of the layers of services that support each application and the Network Performance has traffic flow analysis capabilities. All Datadog modules are available on 14-day free trials.

Datadog Infrastructure Monitoring Access a 14-day FREE Trial

3. ManageEngine Applications Manager (FREE TRIAL)

ManageEngine Applications Manager is an application monitoring tool that is compatible with Apache Cassandra and MongoDB. Performance metrics you can monitor with ManageEngine Applications Manager include CPU usage, operational performance, latency, pending tasks, and memory utilization. The dashboard has been designed specifically to help you monitor clusters, and breaks down the health status of individual clusters in a list format.

  • Cassandra instance monitoring
  • Server monitoring
  • Application dependency mapping

Beyond the dashboard, there are many different performance graphs that show you how Cassandra is performing. There are graphs for memory utilization, CPU usage, and storage statistics. For example, the memory utilization graph shows you how used memory, free memory, and total memory has changed over time.

There are three versions of ManageEngine Applications Manager: Free, Professional and Enterprise. The Free version supports up to five applications or servers free of charge. The Professional version starts at 25 monitors for $945 (£756) up to 250 monitors for $7,195 (£5,759).

The Enterprise version costs $9,595 (£7,680) for 250 monitors up to $83,995 (£67,238) for 5000 monitors. You can add additional monitors up to 10,000 monitors in total. You can download the 30-day free trial.

  • Offers on-premise and cloud deployment options, giving companies more choices for their Apache Cassandra monitoring

  • Can highlight interdependencies between applications to map out how performance issues can impact businesses operations

  • Offers log monitoring to track metrics like memory usage, disk IO, and cache status, providing a holistic view into your database health

  • Can automatically detect databases, server hardware, and devices in real-time

  • Can take time to fully explore all features and options available

ManageEngine Applications Manager Download 30-day FREE Trial

4. Site24x7 Cassandra Monitoring (FREE TRIAL)

Site24x7 Infrastructure is part of a cloud-based platform of monitoring tools. It monitors all of the applications, services, and resources that lie behind front-ends software or Web pages. This includes applications, such as databases. This service is able to monitor Cassandra and also other DBMSs. It can monitor SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, DB2, MongoDB, VoltDB, CouchDB, and ClickHouse databases.

  • Full stack monitoring
  • Cassandra plug-in
  • Alerts for performance problems

Cassandra database monitoring activities performed by Site24x7 Infrastructure include transaction monitoring, server resource usage monitoring, and log file collection. The Site24x7 system includes an application stack map. This identifies all of the interdependencies among applications and resources. This allows the service to trace performance issues from a Web page or software packages through the applications that support it, such as a Cassandra database instance, down to the resources of the server and network.

The Site24x7 Infrastructure service includes AI-based performance thresholds. If performance drops or if unusual activity is detected, the service raises an alert. The tool is able to forward alerts to technicians by SMS, email, voice call, or instant messaging post. This means that operations staff don’t have to sit and watch the dashboard waiting for things to go wrong.

Site24x7 Infrastructure is a subscription service that costs $9 per month when paid annually. You can get it on a 30-day free trial.

  • Works seamlessly with Apache Cassandra as well as other flavors of NoSQL

  • Uses real-time data to discover devices and build charts, network maps, and inventory reports

  • Is one of the most user-friendly network monitoring tools available

  • User monitoring can help bridge the gap between technical issues, user behavior, and business metrics

  • Supports a freeware version, great for smaller deployments

  • Is a very detailed platform that will require time to fully learn all of its features and options

Site24x7 Cassandra Monitoring Start 30-day FREE Trial

5. Sematext Apache Cassandra Monitoring (FREE TRIAL)

Sematext Infrastructure Monitoring covers networks, servers, and applications. It is particularly good at monitoring databases, such as Apache Cassandra. The capabilities to access metrics for Cassandra come with the Apache Cassandra Monitoring integration, which is an add-on to the main monitoring package. The plug-in is easy to access because it is available with the click of a button in the settings screens of Sematext. This service will consolidate the monitoring of many instances, which is great if you are operating Cassandra in a distributed model or in a cluster.

  • Integration for Cassandra
  • Network and server monitoring
  • Free version

The Sematext system includes an alerting mechanism for all of the IT assets that it monitors, including Cassandra. This system will spot deteriorating performance or excessive errors and notify you of a problem by email, Slack, or Webhooks. The tool applies these performance tests to all of the metrics that it gathers from a Cassandra database instance.

Sematext Infrastructure Monitoring and the Apache Cassandra integration are free to use if you are only monitoring five hosts and accept a data retention period of 30 minutes. More hosts and longer retention periods require a paid subscription. The monitoring service is delivered as a SaaS package or you can opt to download the software and run it as a virtual appliance over Docker. Sematext is available for a 14-day free trial.

  • Live consolidated Cassandra performance monitoring

  • Metrics storage for historical analysis

  • Monitors all system resources across platforms

  • Longer data retention periods can push up the subscription price

Sematext Cassandra Monitoring Start 14-day FREE Trial

Related post: Apache Web Server Monitoring Tools

6. Dynatrace 

Dynatrace is an application performance monitoring tool that can monitor Apache Cassandra. Dynatrace automatically detects Cassandra databases in less than five minutes, so you can start monitoring their performance. Performance metrics you can monitor include CPU, connectivity, garbage collection time, suspension, and retransmissions. On the Further details tab, you can start looking at deeper statistics like disk usage, Cache, Hints, Load, Thread Pools, and Java Managed memory.

  • Cassandra database discovery
  • Predictive alerts
  • Root cause analysis

Root cause analysis is one of Dynatrace’s strongest features. Dynatrace will be able to highlight the root cause of performance issues on individual nodes. Automating root cause analysis allows you to respond to server problems much faster by having all the necessary information on hand to make an informed response.

If you require a Cassandra monitoring tool that is easy to configure and visibility that stretches right down to the node level then Dynatrace is a tool you should definitely consider. If you want to know the price of Dynatrace you’ll have to contact the company directly. There is also a 15-day free trial.

  • Highly visual and customizable dashboards, excellent for enterprise NOCs

  • Operates in the cloud, allowing it to be platform-independent

  • Can monitor application uptime as well as the supporting infrastructure and user experience

  • Designed specifically for large networks, smaller organizations may find the product overwhelming

  • Offers synthetic monitoring rather than real-user monitoring

  • Onboarding can be complex

7. AppDynamics 

AppDynamics is another leading application management tool that can monitor Cassandra databases. With AppDynamics, you can see right down into the details of business transactions. The product automatically discovers Apache Cassandra databases and adds them to your monitoring environment.

  • Application discovery
  • Application dependency mapping
  • Gathers activity data from within Cassandra instances

There are many different metrics you can monitor with AppDynamics. For example, by monitoring Cassandra back-end communications you can capture data on average response time, errors per minute, and calls per minute. This information gives you an overview of how the service is performing.

There are three versions of AppDynamics available to purchase; APM Pro, APM Advanced, and APM Peak. APM Pro includes business transaction monitoring as a basic package but you need APM Advanced to make use of server visibility and network visibility as well.

APM Peak is the premium package which includes business performance monitoring, transaction analytics, and business journeys. In order to view the price of these packages, you will need to contact the sales team. You can download the 15-day free trial.

  • Tailored for large-scale enterprise use

  • Excellent dependency mapping and visualizations to help troubleshoot complex application systems

  • Includes a free version

  • Priced higher than similar tools on the market

  • Can have a steep learning curve, could use more tutorials

  • Deployment/onboarding can be complex

  • Mobile app could use improvement

7. SignalFx 

SignalFx is a cloud monitoring product designed for monitoring infrastructure like Cassandra. SignalFX uses collectd and JMX to collect performance data from Cassandra. Metrics you can monitor with this tool include latency, throughput requests, errors, compaction activity, and hint activity. All of this data can be viewed through monitoring dashboards.

  • Infrastructure monitoring
  • Graded alerts
  • Performance analysis

You can also configure alert rules to determine what activity will trigger an alert. Alerts are categorized as Critical, Major, Minor, Warning, and Info. Alert rules can be managed in the Alerts view where you configure the Rule Name and Source, DetectName, and Duration. There is also the option to use real-time analytics to detect important usage trends (that could indicate other performance issues).

SignalFx is available in two versions; SignalFx Infrastructure Monitoring and SignalFx Microservices APM. SignalFx Infrastructure monitoring costs between $15 (£12) to $25 (£20) per host per month. SignalFx Microservices APM ranges from $45 (£36) to $65 (£52) per host per month. A free trial is available.

  • Can monitor Apache/NoSQL environments and track performance between containers, hosts, and services

  • Automatically identifies data trends and sends your top-level data insights

  • Supports microservice monitoring

  • Scalable cloud-based monitoring

  • Could benefit from a longer trial time

  • Would like to see more self-help resources for new users

8. Instaclustr 

Instaclustr is a network monitoring platform that has a Cassandra Monitoring API. The Cassandra Monitoring API monitors the disk utilization, CPU utilization, reads and writes, latency tasks, pending compactions, task statistics, live cells and tombstones per reading. Each metric is updated every 20 seconds so all the information you see is up to date. For an overhead perspective, the Cluster Summary view gives you enough information to ascertain the health of a cluster.

  • Cassandra API
  • Multi-cluster monitoring
  • Rapid statistics polling

The visualization included with Instaclustr helps you to monitor the changes in metrics over time. For example, you can view a graph that shows you the fluctuations in ‘Read Latency’ over time. These graphs make it easy to identify trends that you might miss if you’re using the dashboard.

There are four versions of Instaclustr available to purchase: Developer – Starter, Developer – Professional, Production, and Enterprise. Developer – Starter costs $20 (£16) per node per month with a 5GB storage capacity and 2000 MB memory. The Professional version costs $79 (£63) per node per month for 30GB storage and 3750-4000 MB memory.

The Production version starts at $250 (£200) for 250-3200 GB of storage and 8000-122000 MB of memory. The Enterprise version starts at $2,500 (£2,000) and is aimed at companies looking to monitor over 30 nodes. You can download the free trial.

  • Built-in support for Apache Cassandra API monitoring

  • Can track and report on host resource consumption

  • Can manage multi-cluster environments quite well

  • Could like to see more integration support for other cloud services

  • Visualizations could be improved and made more customizable

9. Instana 

Instana is an application performance monitoring tool with a range of support for Cassandra. Once Instana is deployed it will automatically detect Cassandra. The autodiscovery features help you to get set up quickly without having to manage lots of manual configurations. Visibility-wise, the software shows right down to node-level metrics like Requests, Client Read/Write Latencies and Pending Requests. There is also cluster-level metrics which show you keyspace details, replication factors, and disk sizes.

  • Cassandra database detection
  • Cluster monitoring
  • Great graphics

You can also monitor the health of Cassandra via the Dynamic Graph. The Dynamic Graph displays infrastructure events alongside a timeline so you can see how performance is changing over time. Having this information in front of you gives you a clear perspective of the performance trends impacting the service.

There are two versions of Instana available to purchase: Infrastructure Monitoring and Application Performance Management. Infrastructure Monitoring costs $11 (£8) per host per month with unlimited users and over 100 sensors. The Application Performance Management package costs $75 (£60) per host, per month and includes infrastructure monitoring, end-user monitoring, and analytics. You can download the free trial.

  • Automatically detects applications/services, including Cassandra

  • Unique dynamic graphing relates infrastructure events with application outages

  • Can visualize assets and clusters through a 3D diagram

  • Would like to see more reporting options

  • Have more team collaboration features would be useful

What Tool Should I Use to Monitor Apache Cassandra? 

If you’re currently using Apache Cassandra to manage your databases then a monitoring solution is essential. A good infrastructure monitoring tool will help to make sure that your database performs. Tools like SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor, Datadog, and ManageEngine Applications Manager are well known for providing deep visibility into the physical and virtual infrastructure.

In terms of configuration and depth, Dynatrace is one of the best on this list (particularly because of its ability to detect Cassandra automatically!). However, if you want more of the dashboard-based approach to monitoring, SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor and Datadog are the way to go.