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What is the difference between Cassandra and MongoDB?

Cassandra and MongoDB are both NoSQL databases, but they have distinct differences in their architecture, data models, and use cases.

Architecture:

  • Cassandra: It is a distributed database that follows a peer-to-peer architecture. It is designed to handle large amounts of data across many commodity servers, providing high availability with no single point of failure. Data is replicated across multiple nodes to ensure reliability.
  • MongoDB: It uses a master-slave architecture where one primary node receives all write operations and replicates them to secondary nodes. This setup provides high availability and data redundancy.

Data Model:

  • Cassandra: It uses a column-oriented data model, which is optimized for write-heavy applications and time-series data. Data is organized into tables with a primary key that determines how data is distributed across the cluster.
  • MongoDB: It uses a document-oriented data model, storing data in flexible, JSON-like documents. This makes it ideal for applications requiring complex queries and dynamic schema.

Use Cases:

  • Cassandra: Best suited for applications that require high write throughput, such as real-time analytics, messaging platforms, and IoT applications.
  • MongoDB: Ideal for applications that need flexible schema design and complex queries, such as content management systems, real-time analytics, and mobile applications.

Example:

  • Cassandra: A social media platform might use Cassandra to handle the high volume of user posts and interactions, ensuring fast writes and reads across distributed nodes.
  • MongoDB: An e-commerce platform might use MongoDB to store product catalogs and user profiles, benefiting from its flexible schema and powerful querying capabilities.

For cloud-based solutions, Tencent Cloud offers services like TencentDB for Cassandra and MongoDB, providing managed database services to simplify deployment, operation, and maintenance.