December 2020 Summaries

Last week, DataStax introduced its new open source API framework for data, Stargate, which is now available on the Astra cloud database and free to download. This development enables developers worldwide to create modern, data-driven applications using their preferred APIs. Stargate supports various types of APIs such as Schemaless JSON, GraphQL, and REST APIs, allowing full-stack developers to work with any shape or type of data store they desire. Notable contributors include engineers from Netflix, Burberry, Macquarie Bank, USAA, and Yelp. To assist developers in quickly adopting Stargate, a wealth of helpful content has been released, including hands-on tutorials on Datastax.com/dev for using the framework's REST, Document, and GraphQL APIs. For more information on Astra + Stargate and how to use it to build powerful applications faster with your favorite tools, visit the provided link.

Last week, DataStax introduced Stargate, an open source API framework for data that is now available on their Astra cloud database and free to download. This allows developers worldwide to create modern, data-driven applications using their preferred APIs. Stargate supports various types of APIs such as Schemaless JSON, GraphQL, and REST APIs, enabling full-stack developers to work with any shape or type of data store. Notable contributors include engineers from Netflix, Burberry, Macquarie Bank, USAA, and Yelp. To assist developers in quickly adopting Stargate, a wealth of helpful content has been released, including hands-on tutorials on Datastax.com/dev for using its REST, Document, and GraphQL APIs. For more information on Astra + Stargate and how to use it to build powerful applications faster with your favorite tools, visit the provided link.

Espen Amble Kolstad and Benjamin Weima Lager of Finn.no shared their technical backgrounds, accomplishments, and the challenges they faced while working on a cloud migration project for Apache Cassandra™ at Finn.no. The company migrated from open-source Cassandra to DataStax Astra, running on Google Cloud Platform (GCP). They discussed how Cassandra supports their recommendation engine and other systems in place at Finn, including machine learning models built with Python, PyTorch, Tensorflow, PostgreSQL database clusters, Scala, Kotlin, Java, and Go. The team is working to improve the performance of their Astra implementation and expand their monitoring approach while scaling up their systems on Astra. They also shared their vision for the project, which includes making services smarter by using data to improve user experience and help customers better.

In this Q&A series, Espen Amble Kolstad and Benjamin Weima Lager of Finn.no discuss their technical backgrounds and the challenges they faced during a recent cloud migration project involving Apache Cassandra. They share how their team uses various tools to build machine learning models and highlights the importance of recommendations traffic for their business. The conversation also touches on key learnings, future visions, and advice for younger professionals in the field.

This week marked a significant milestone for Stargate, an open-source data gateway, with its 1.0 release on GitHub. The update includes REST, GraphQL, and JSON Document APIs for Cassandra databases. Additionally, Stargate is now available on DataStax Astra's free tier database. This week also featured the React w/ Cassandra Dev Day, aimed at introducing Stargate to JavaScript developers. New developer content has been added to the website, including hands-on tutorials for each API. BattleStax, a stateful JAMStack game, was introduced as wholesome fun for everyone. As we approach 2021, DataStax looks forward to helping developers learn new skills and change the world with their creations.

This week marked a significant milestone for Stargate, an open-source data gateway, with its 1.0 release on GitHub. The update includes REST, GraphQL, and JSON Document APIs that can be used with Cassandra databases. Additionally, Stargate is now available on DataStax Astra's free tier database. This week also featured the React \w/ Cassandra Dev Day, aimed at introducing Stargate to JavaScript developers. The Battlestax demo app was highlighted during a workshop. Learning content and tutorials for each of these APIs have been added to the developer site. BattleStax is a stateful JAMStack game designed for fun. This marks the end of 2020's developer newsletters, with hopes for health and relaxation over the holiday season. Looking forward to 2021, DataStax aims to help developers learn new skills and make positive changes in the world through their creations. They invite feedback on trends to watch as we enter the new year at [email protected] or @DataStaxDevs.

The text discusses a tutorial on using React Query for data fetching in a Next.js app connected to a Cassandra database. Key points include setting up the necessary dependencies, caching data with React Query, handling authentication tokens with Axios-auth-refresh, preloading query cache without pre-fetching, exporting self-descriptive hooks, syncing everything with hooks, and using optimistic updates for changes on detail pages. The author also mentions using DataStax's new Documents API for the backend and recommends Tanner Linsley's React Query due to its polished documentation and devtools.

The text discusses the author's experience in setting up a Machine Learning (ML) app to upload comics, perform Computer Vision operations on them, and store transcripts on a personal cloud database. They initially faced challenges with AWS configurations but found relief using Amplify CLI, which simplified the process of setting up AWS services. The author also mentions that newer APIs should be used for cloud infrastructure and provides tips for dealing with issues related to Next.js and Amplify.

Stargate is now live on Astra as an official data API, making it easier for developers to integrate Apache Cassandra into their stack. The platform supports schemaless JSON and provides speed and scalability while working with native data shapes like JSON, REST, and GraphQL. Developers can use the open-source data gateway Stargate in Astra to create serverless apps and work with their data using simple APIs without needing to learn the underlying database or mess with schema. The integration of Stargate into Astra allows developers to access their data easily and efficiently, making it a valuable tool for modern app development.

Serverless infrastructure, including serverless databases, has greatly simplified deploying code and data into production by eliminating concerns about cost, scaling, capacity planning, and maintenance. Astra Serverless Data Storage, currently in beta, is a multi-cloud Database-as-a-Service (DBaaS) built on Apache Cassandra that allows users to pay only for what they use and scale up or down based on application requirements and traffic. This serverless data storage option auto-scales performance and elasticity according to business needs, automatically adjusting in a fraction of a second without requiring capacity management. Astra Serverless Data Storage is recommended for specific use cases and will be available in two deployment models. The production release is expected soon.

DataStax has integrated its Stargate data gateway into Astra, a multi-cloud Database-as-a-Service built on Apache Cassandra™. This integration brings together REST, GraphQL, and Schemaless JSON API extensions to make Cassandra developer-ready for 500 of the world's most demanding enterprises. Stargate is an open source data gateway that abstracts Cassandra-specific concepts from app developers, supporting different API options and removing barriers of entry for new software developers. With this release, Astra users will benefit from using Stargate's APIs with easy connections, rich sample apps, and a Javascript SDK. Additionally, launching today is Astra Serverless data storage in beta, delivering fully elastic data services with pay-as-you-go pricing.

Serverless infrastructure, including serverless databases, has greatly simplified deploying code and data into production by eliminating concerns about cost, scaling, capacity planning, and maintenance. Astra Serverless Data Storage, currently in beta, is a multi-cloud Database-as-a-Service (DBaaS) built on Apache Cassandra that allows users to pay only for what they use and scale up or down based on application requirements and traffic. It automatically adjusts performance and elasticity in real-time without requiring manual intervention. Astra Serverless Data Storage is recommended for specific use cases, with two deployment models available. The production release will be available soon.

Stargate, an open-source data gateway, is now available on Astra as the official data API, making it easier for developers to integrate Apache Cassandra into their applications. The integration of Stargate in Astra provides a natural data API stack that works with popular frameworks like Jamstack and services such as Netlify. Developers can use JSON via schemaless document APIs or database schema-aware GraphQL and RESTful APIs, while Stargate serves as the proxy that coordinates these requests to different flavors of Cassandra. This integration simplifies data modeling, table creation, configuration code, partition keys, and clustering columns, allowing developers to add data to Apache Cassandra in one line of code.

The text discusses the development of a Machine Learning (ML) app for uploading comics to the cloud, performing Computer Vision operations on them, and correcting transcripts. It highlights the use of Amplify CLI as an alternative to AWS console configuration, which simplifies the process by allowing local coding and committing to AWS when ready. The text also mentions that using Amplify eliminates the need for Lambda functions and Base64 conversions. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of using updated APIs and provides a solution for an error encountered while using Next.js with Amplify.

DataStax has integrated its Stargate data gateway into Astra, a multi-cloud Database-as-a-Service built on Apache Cassandra®. This integration brings together an API platform and data request coordination code into one open-source project, making Cassandra developer-ready. The new APIs include REST, GraphQL, and JSON schemaless Document API extensions, which can be used to access Cassandra databases of 3.11, 4.0 beta, and DataStax Enterprise 6.8. Additionally, Astra Serverless data storage is now available in beta, offering fully elastic data services with pay-as-you-go pricing.

The text discusses a tutorial on using React Query for managing data fetching and caching in a Next.js application connected to a Cassandra database. It covers setting up the environment, installing necessary dependencies, and implementing various strategies such as revalidation, default headers with Axios, token refreshment with Axios-Auth-Refresh, preloading query cache, exporting self-descriptive hooks, syncing data with React Query hooks, and using optimistic updates. The author also mentions the benefits of using React Query's devtools for better visibility into the application's cache state.

In this episode of the Inspired Execution podcast, Kim Stevenson, NetApp SVP and General Manager of Foundational Data Services, discusses the importance of bringing a diverse perspective to work every day, how COVID-19 has impacted the work world, and why it's important to make sure you communicate what you intend to communicate. She shares her experiences over 35 years in the tech industry and emphasizes the significance of building a broad perspective that allows seeing problems through different lenses. Kim also talks about the importance of ensuring people understand the intended message during communication, adjustments made due to COVID-19, and advice for getting ahead in one's career.

In this episode of the Inspired Execution podcast, Kim Stevenson, NetApp SVP and General Manager of Foundational Data Services, discusses the importance of bringing a diverse perspective to work every day, how COVID-19 has impacted the work world, and why it's important to make sure you communicate what you intend to communicate. She shares her experiences from over 35 years in the tech industry and emphasizes the need for building grit and owning one's career. Kim also talks about the challenges of communication during remote work and how COVID-19 has affected relationships within teams. The podcast concludes with advice on ensuring a diverse team, involving women in meetings, and tips for getting ahead in your career.

In this Q&A series, Matthew Hirst and Nate Mitchell of Hornet discuss their experiences with Apache Cassandra™ and open-source technologies in building cloud-native, data-driven applications. They share their technical backgrounds, current priorities for the team, systems in place at Hornet, key learnings and challenges faced while working on this project, vision for the future, and advice for their younger selves. The discussion highlights the importance of stability, availability, Infrastructure as Code, and keeping up with upgrades to ensure a seamless user experience.

The text discusses the effectiveness of Enterprise IT in responding to challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic, highlighting seven data-driven steps that can help organizations improve their data strategy. These steps include seizing opportunities for increased productivity and innovation, focusing on value discovery through data, engaging with board members, improving data management, adopting modern data stacks, and investing in employee skill development. The author emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and adaptation to stay competitive in a rapidly changing business environment.

In this Q&A series, Matthew Hirst and Nate Mitchell of Hornet discuss their experiences with Apache Cassandra® and open-source technologies in building cloud-native, data-driven applications. They share their technical backgrounds, current priorities for the team, systems in place at Hornet, key learnings and challenges faced while working on projects, vision for the project as a business, and advice for their younger selves. The discussion highlights the importance of stability, availability, Infrastructure as Code, and keeping up with upgrades to ensure the best possible experience for users.

The text discusses the effectiveness of Enterprise IT in responding to challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic. It highlights seven data-driven steps that organizations can take to improve their data strategy and become more data-driven. These steps include seizing the day, focusing on value discovery, engaging with board members, getting a grip on data, addressing the "data Wild West," and skilling up. The text emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and adaptation in the face of rapid change and uncertainty.

In this episode of the Inspired Execution podcast, DataStax CEO Chet Kapoor interviews Burberry Global CIO Mark McClennon about his career path and insights into the luxury digital experiences industry. McClennon emphasizes the importance of passion in one's career and how it led him to become the Global CIO of Burberry after nearly three decades at Unilever. He also discusses the significance of having an eclectic perspective, being customer-obsessed, and valuing people in business. As technology evolves, luxury brands are adapting by blending virtual and physical experiences together, such as creating virtual showrooms. The podcast is available on InspiredExecution.com, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify.

In this episode of the Inspired Execution podcast, DataStax CEO Chet Kapoor interviews Burberry Global CIO Mark McClennon about his career path, passion for people, and how data and technology are transforming luxury brands. McClennon emphasizes the importance of being customer-obsessed and having an eclectic perspective to succeed in today's landscape. He shares insights into Burberry's approach to blending virtual and physical experiences together, creating virtual showrooms, and maintaining strong relationships with partners. The podcast is available on InspiredExecution.com, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify.