July 2021 Summaries

The DASH Framework is a set of principles that help evaluate how Kubernetes-native any database is. It stands for Disposability, API Symmetry, Shared Nothing, and Horizontal Scaling. These principles are crucial in ensuring the seamless functioning of databases within a Kubernetes environment. Traditional relational databases often fail to meet these standards due to their architecture not being designed for cloud environments. On the other hand, NoSQL databases can handle failures but may compromise data consistency. Distributed SQL databases like CockroachDB are built from the ground up to work seamlessly with Kubernetes and other microservices, making them a better choice for cloud-native architectures.

Setting up CockroachDB Dedicated, a distributed cloud-native database, is straightforward and can be done in a short time, even on the free tier with limited runtime resources. The process involves registering for an account, verifying your email, selecting database options like cloud provider and hardware configuration, downloading and installing CockroachDB, and starting the SQL shell to create your database. Users can choose between free and paid plans, with various options affecting price and features, such as the choice of cloud provider between GCP or AWS and the number of nodes. Once set up, users can create and manage their database using SQL commands, similar to other relational databases, and access resources like schema design documentation, third-party tools, and Cockroach University courses to maximize their experience.

In this interview with Justin Caballero from LaunchDarkly, we discussed their migration from PostgreSQL to CockroachDB. The motivation for the move was to improve scalability and resilience of their database infrastructure. They used feature flags to gradually roll out CockroachDB alongside their existing PostgreSQL setup, allowing them to monitor performance and correctness before fully migrating. The migration process involved converting SQL queries to ensure they performed well on CockroachDB. Justin also mentioned that handling JSON data in CockroachDB has been straightforward. LaunchDarkly currently runs CockroachDB on EC2 instances using traditional infrastructure as code management, but may consider Kubernetes in the future. The key takeaway from this migration is to keep SQL queries simple and use feature flags for gradual rollouts when migrating databases.

CockroachDB is a distributed SQL database that can help retailers simplify their application architecture while ensuring consistency and minimizing latency. It allows for equal access to an organization's distributed data, enabling seamless management of inventory, supply chain logistics, marketing campaigns, and promotions. By using distributed SQL databases, retailers can improve customer experience, retain existing customers, and acquire new ones by offering personalized experiences based on their purchase habits and preferences. Additionally, CockroachDB helps address regional data compliance issues and enables effortless scaling to capture global revenue.

This article provides a comprehensive guide on how to identify and tune problematic queries using SQL EXPLAIN. It covers the following steps: 1. Tagging your application when connecting to the database for easy identification of problematic queries. 2. Identifying slow queries from your application using various methods such as DB console, slow query log, and plan attributes. 3. Introspecting the query plan and tuning performance with EXPLAIN. 4. Finding performance bottlenecks with EXPLAIN ANALYZE. The article also provides examples of how to use these tools in CockroachDB, a distributed SQL database.

In this tutorial, we will learn how to create a CLI Dataloader and a spatial REST API using Hibernate and CockroachDB. We will also build a dynamic Trajectories map on top of the REST service. The full source code for this blog post is available on GitHub. First, we will create a CLI Dataloader application to load the GPS trajectory dataset from the Geolife project into CockroachDB. Then, we will create a REST API Trajectory service on top of this database with full CRUD functionality. Finally, we will add a minimal web mapping application on top of that REST service so we can dynamically view the Trajectory data on a map. The tutorial covers creating a CLI Dataloader, using Hibernate and Spring Boot to create a spatial REST API with CRUD functionality, and building a dynamic Trajectories map on top of the REST service. It also discusses limitations and strategies for dealing with large datasets in spatial applications.

AllSaints, a global fashion retail business, chose CockroachDB as an alternative to MySQL for building their high availability (HA) product inventory. The company's main reasons for choosing CockroachDB were its managed offering, high availability, Kubernetes compatibility, and good performance. Additionally, the future-proof architecture and simple, efficient design of CockroachDB aligned with AllSaints' goals. The wholesale application built on CockroachDB is an internal tool used by sales teams to process orders with partners like Zappos, Bloomingdales, and Macy's. As the company grows, they plan to expand their use of CockroachDB, including adding all product data to the database for a single, holistic view of inventory.

CockroachDB on Kubernetes is now generally available, offering a cloud-native database and an open source Operator that automates deployment, management, and maintenance. This release enables teams at any skill level to run a relational database on Kubernetes. The Kubernetes Operator for CockroachDB simplifies tasks such as cluster and database security, storage configuration, scaling up and down, and performing online rolling upgrades. By running CockroachDB on Kubernetes, engineering teams can easily scale their database, survive Kubernetes pod failures, and automate deployment, management, and online rolling upgrades. The Operator is available on GitHub and in the RedHat Marketplace.

CockroachDB University has released a Node.js fundamentals course that teaches developers how to build modern applications using Node.js and CockroachDB. The two-hour course includes eight educational videos, nine hands-on labs, and one final exam. Participants will use free CockroachDB Serverless to create a full-stack ride-sharing application in TypeScript with Node.js and TypeORM. This tutorial is unique as it requires direct interaction with the database, helping developers understand how application performance is connected to the database. Prior experience with Node.js and application development is recommended, but familiarity with SQL is not necessary. Completion of this course can help developers demonstrate their distributed systems skills in interviews for companies like Roblox, Accenture, Netflix, Apple, and others.

Kubernetes is an open-source container orchestration platform that automates running and managing container workloads. It offers a wide range of tools, such as package managers, service meshes, source plugins, and monitoring tools, to deploy standardized applications across various platforms. Though Kubernetes can be complex, it has become the de facto standard for container orchestration on both cloud and on-premises systems. Developers are increasingly expected to interact with K8s due to its popularity and widespread adoption. Understanding how Kubernetes works and when to use it is essential for managing modern, containerized applications effectively.

The article discusses how distributed databases can benefit from adopting the behavior of content delivery networks (CDNs) to improve performance. CDNs distribute data globally, reducing latency and improving speed between a service and its users. However, distributed databases have struggled with managing state across multiple machines, leading businesses to shy away from multi-region deployments. The article highlights the costs of single-region deployments, including slower speeds due to distance, lower availability during natural disasters or other catastrophes, and non-compliance with data regulations like GDPR. It also explores various solutions for achieving optimal database performance with CDN behavior, such as managed databases, NoSQL databases, sharded relational databases, and CockroachDB. The author emphasizes that a truly distributed database should be able to deploy anywhere, reduce latency by performing reads and writes close to users while maintaining consistency, maintain uptime by tolerating faults, and offer granular control over geographical placement of data for GDPR compliance.

DBmarlin is a performance monitoring tool that helps CockroachDB customers optimize their database performance, resilience, and scalability. It provides real-time tracking of changes and performance across all databases, making it easier to diagnose problems and make optimizations. The combination of CockroachDB and DBmarlin offers a powerful solution for managing complex database systems with multiple cloud providers and self-hosted servers. With an intuitive visual interface and integration with popular tools, DBmarlin is designed to be easy to use and future proof.

The article discusses three common mistakes made with foreign keys in relational databases and provides advice on how to avoid them. These include mismatched data types, dangling foreign keys, and not creating foreign key indexes when adding foreign keys. Additionally, the author highlights the importance of using foreign keys instead of informal links between databases. Proper planning and consideration of potential issues can help prevent these mistakes from occurring.