Chapter 2. Data Distribution
Cassandra's peer-to-peer architecture and scalability characteristics are directly tied to its data placement scheme. Cassandra employs a distributed hash table data structure that allows data to be stored and retrieved by a key quickly and efficiently. Consistent hashing is the core of this strategy as it enables all nodes to understand where data exists in the cluster without complicated coordination mechanisms.
In this chapter, we'll cover the following topics:
- The fundamentals of distributed hash tables
- Cassandra's consistent hashing mechanism
- Token assignment, both manual and using virtual nodes (vnodes)
- The implications of Cassandra's partitioner implementations
- Formation of hotspots in the cluster
By the time you finish ...
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