May 2020 Summaries

Eventing is a distributed function service in Couchbase that allows small scripts to overcome hard-to-solve problems. It provides an infrastructure-less platform for scaling functions as business needs grow, without concern for the JavaScript-based Eventing functions running in a robust and reliable parallel distributed fashion. The Eventing service can be used to enrich data, purge stale data, and strip sensitive data by leveraging simple JavaScript functions that react to mutations in real-time across the entire cluster. It provides a unified suite of services that can solve various problems, including data enrichment, data purification, and data anonymization, making it an attractive solution for businesses looking to integrate their FTS results with N1QL (SQL for JSON).

This article is the first in a series that demonstrates how to utilize the Couchbase Eventing Service to execute multiple scheduled tasks within the database itself, mimicking cron-like functionality without additional infrastructure. The focus of this installment is on executing fixed user routines, specifically JavaScript functions defined within an Eventing Function. The Couchbase Eventing Service provides a flexible framework for processing document changes in real-time, enabling scalable cloud-based functions that interact with Couchbase services. The article details how to create a distributed crontab system using Couchbase, with JSON control documents defining the schedules and actions. It explains the limitations of current Couchbase versions, the workaround solutions implemented, and the setup process for deploying these Eventing Functions. The series will continue to explore more advanced scheduling capabilities, including dynamic N1QL statements and JavaScript functions.

Couchbase has announced a $105 million all-equity funding round led by GPI Capital, with strong participation from existing investors, marking a significant milestone in its ambition to become a leading enterprise software company. This funding will support the expansion of its NoSQL database capabilities, which are essential for modern web, mobile, and IoT applications requiring high performance, scalability, and availability. Unlike traditional relational databases, Couchbase offers a cloud-native, distributed platform that combines NoSQL flexibility with SQL familiarity, enabling businesses to innovate without disrupting their operations. The company attributes its success to sustained differentiation, profitable growth, and world-class teams, achieving notable growth metrics and recognition by industry leaders. Couchbase plans to use the additional funds to further invest in its DBaaS, Couchbase Cloud, and its enterprise NoSQL server, meeting the increasing demand for agile and cost-effective database solutions.

The release of Couchbase Autonomous Operator 2.0 introduces a consolidated chart that simplifies the installation of key components like the Autonomous Operator, Admission Controller, Couchbase Cluster, and Sync Gateway with a single command. This new approach also integrates the installation of all CustomResourceDefinitions (CRDs), eliminating a previously separate step. The deployment process is facilitated through Helm, requiring users to add the Couchbase chart repository and install the chart using Helm commands. For monitoring, metrics from the Couchbase server can be exported to Prometheus and visualized in Grafana dashboards, with dependencies for these tools bundled into a single chart. Users can customize their monitoring dashboards further by referring to the Couchbase Exporter repository. Additional resources and tutorials are available for further customization, and the post acknowledges contributions from Daniel Ma and Matt Ingenthron.

PluralSight offers a comprehensive suite of training courses focused on the Couchbase data platform, catering to various skill levels and areas of expertise, such as Analytics, Eventing, and N1QL, a SQL-like language for querying Couchbase’s JSON database. These courses, which range from beginner to advanced levels, aim to enhance the skills of developers, administrators, and database professionals by providing in-depth knowledge of Couchbase services and functionalities. The Analytics course emphasizes the importance of real-time data insights for agile decision-making, while the Eventing course explores the infrastructure-less business logic applications within Couchbase’s scalable Eventing service. Additionally, the N1QL courses introduce developers to query techniques and performance optimization strategies for accessing and manipulating JSON documents. Collectively, these PluralSight courses are designed to empower learners with practical and advanced skills applicable to the Couchbase ecosystem.

Couchbase Lite, part of the Couchbase Mobile suite, is a NoSQL database SDK designed for easy integration into mobile applications, particularly iOS apps, as demonstrated by Matteo Sist. This guide explores how developers can perform essential CRUD operations—create, read, update, and delete—using Couchbase Lite, highlighting features such as document creation, retrieval by ID or query, and the ability to update or delete documents with conflict resolution options. Additionally, it introduces the Sync Gateway feature, which facilitates remote database synchronization through a replicator configuration, enabling one-time or continuous data replication with features like authentication and replication status listeners. The article underscores the simplicity and effectiveness of Couchbase Lite, encouraging developers to explore its full potential to enhance mobile app development.

Spring Data Couchbase 4.0, built on Couchbase Java SDK 3.0, introduces several enhancements to boost developer efficiency and manageability. This release maximizes the use of Couchbase Server 6.5 capabilities, focusing on a streamlined developer experience by reducing code redundancy through enhanced repository patterns. Key updates include the adoption of N1QL for querying, improved automatic index management with field-level indexing, and the move to a Fluent API for templates using Reactor instead of RxJava. The new version also eliminates XML-based configuration in favor of Java annotations and removes support for Views due to advancements in N1QL. The update allows developers to leverage the full range of transaction features available through the Couchbase SDK 3.0, promoting seamless integration with the Spring ecosystem.

The Couchbase Autonomous Operator 2.0 release introduces features and enhancements that simplify deploying, provisioning, monitoring, and managing Couchbase Server nodes on Kubernetes. The operator also supports deploying Sync Gateways, which provide secure data synchronization between Couchbase Lite enabled clients and the cloud. Deploying a Sync Gateway cluster involves connecting it to a Couchbase Server cluster using various network configurations, authenticating with Couchbase Server, and exposing it to Couchbase Lite clients through load balancers or TLS termination. The Autonomous Operator 2.0 introduces support for RBAC management and mTLS client authentication, allowing users to manage the creation of Sync Gateway RBAC users and authenticate using client certificates. A three-part tutorial provides step-by-step instructions for deploying a Sync Gateway cluster and exposing it to external clients, as well as managing the cluster, with sample YAML config files available for customization.

The author of the text is discussing the release of Couchbase Autonomous Operator 2.0.0, which is internally referred to as "Unicorn". The operator's primary goal is to provide a more modular and secure way of managing Couchbase clusters in Kubernetes environments. To achieve this, the author had to overcome several technical challenges, including separation of concerns, custom resource decomposition, aggregation, versioning, and platform constraints. The author explains how they used Kubernetes Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) and label selection to separate concerns and define roles within the cluster. They also discuss the limitations of CRD versioning in Kubernetes 1.13 and the need for a more seamless user experience. Ultimately, the author presents a solution that allows for a near-seamless online upgrade process from a monolithic to a modular configuration model, and invites users to explore the possibilities offered by CAO 2.0.

Exposing the Couchbase database on the public network allows clients to access it without having to establish a VPN to a Kubernetes instance. This is achieved through various use cases such as Cross-Data Center Replication (XDCR) for High Availability and Disaster Recovery, Client SDK access to Couchbase cluster, and Database-as-a-Service (DBaaS) platforms. The Kubernetes External DNS solution manages external DNS records in an autonomous way from within a Kubernetes cluster, allowing clients to discover resources via the external DNS provider. This solution enables the creation of public DNS records for the Couchbase cluster without requiring manual configuration of Kubernetes resources and DNS records. By using this approach, developers can access their Couchbase cluster through a publicly addressable domain name or subdomain, improving scalability and usability.