# cassandra

> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.redpanda.com/llms.txt). Component-specific: [connect-full.txt](https://docs.redpanda.com/connect-full.txt)

---
title: cassandra
latest-connect-version: 4.93.0
latest-operator-version: v26.1.4
latest-console-tag: v3.7.3
latest-redpanda-tag: v26.1.9
docname: inputs/cassandra
page-component-name: connect
page-version: master
page-component-version: master
page-component-title: Connect
page-relative-src-path: inputs/cassandra.adoc
page-edit-url: https://github.com/redpanda-data/rp-connect-docs/edit/main/modules/components/pages/inputs/cassandra.adoc
page-git-created-date: "2024-05-24"
page-git-modified-date: "2026-05-26"
---

<!-- Source: https://docs.redpanda.com/connect/components/inputs/cassandra.md -->

**Type:** Input ▼

[Input](https://docs.redpanda.com/connect/components/inputs/cassandra/)[Output](https://docs.redpanda.com/connect/components/outputs/cassandra/)

**Available in:** Self-Managed

Executes a find query and creates a message for each row received.

#### Common

```yml
inputs:
  label: ""
  cassandra:
    addresses: [] # No default (required)
    timeout: 600ms
    reconnect_interval: 60s
    query: "" # No default (required)
    auto_replay_nacks: true
```

#### Advanced

```yml
inputs:
  label: ""
  cassandra:
    addresses: [] # No default (required)
    tls:
      enabled: false
      skip_cert_verify: false
      enable_renegotiation: false
      root_cas: ""
      root_cas_file: ""
      client_certs: []
    password_authenticator:
      enabled: false
      username: ""
      password: ""
    disable_initial_host_lookup: false
    max_retries: 3
    backoff:
      initial_interval: 1s
      max_interval: 5s
    timeout: 600ms
    host_selection_policy:
      local_dc: "" # No default (optional)
      local_rack: "" # No default (optional)
    reconnect_interval: 60s
    exponential_reconnection:
      max_retries: "" # No default (required)
      initial_interval: "" # No default (required)
      max_interval: "" # No default (required)
    query: "" # No default (required)
    auto_replay_nacks: true
```

## [](#examples)Examples

### [](#minimal-select-cassandrascylla)Minimal Select (Cassandra/Scylla)

Let’s presume that we have 3 Cassandra nodes, like in this tutorial by Sebastian Sigl from freeCodeCamp:

[https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/the-apache-cassandra-beginner-tutorial/](https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/the-apache-cassandra-beginner-tutorial/)

Then if we want to select everything from the table users\_by\_country, we should use the configuration below. If we specify the stdin output, the result will look like:

```json
{"age":23,"country":"UK","first_name":"Bob","last_name":"Sandler","user_email":"bob@email.com"}
```

This configuration also works for Scylla.

```yaml
input:
  cassandra:
    addresses:
      - 172.17.0.2
    query:
      'SELECT * FROM learn_cassandra.users_by_country'
```

## [](#fields)Fields

### [](#addresses)`addresses[]`

A list of Cassandra nodes to connect to. Multiple comma separated addresses can be specified on a single line.

**Type**: `array`

```yaml
# Examples:
addresses:
  - "localhost:9042"

# ---

addresses:
  - "foo:9042"
  - "bar:9042"

# ---

addresses:
  - "foo:9042,bar:9042"
```

### [](#auto_replay_nacks)`auto_replay_nacks`

Whether messages that are rejected (nacked) at the output level should be automatically replayed indefinitely, eventually resulting in back pressure if the cause of the rejections is persistent. If set to `false` these messages will instead be deleted. Disabling auto replays can greatly improve memory efficiency of high throughput streams as the original shape of the data can be discarded immediately upon consumption and mutation.

**Type**: `bool`

**Default**: `true`

### [](#backoff)`backoff`

Control time intervals between retry attempts.

**Type**: `object`

### [](#backoff-initial_interval)`backoff.initial_interval`

The initial period to wait between retry attempts. The retry interval increases for each failed attempt, up to the `backoff.max_interval` value. This field accepts Go duration format strings such as `100ms`, `1s`, or `5s`.

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `1s`

### [](#backoff-max_interval)`backoff.max_interval`

The maximum period to wait between retry attempts.

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `5s`

### [](#disable_initial_host_lookup)`disable_initial_host_lookup`

If enabled the driver will not attempt to get host info from the system.peers table. This can speed up queries but will mean that data\_centre, rack and token information will not be available.

**Type**: `bool`

**Default**: `false`

### [](#exponential_reconnection)`exponential_reconnection`

Configure exponential backoff for reconnection attempts to DOWN nodes. When enabled, this replaces the driver’s default constant reconnection policy with an exponential backoff strategy that gradually increases the delay between reconnection attempts. This reduces connection storm scenarios during widespread outages while ensuring eventual recovery.

Requires version 4.66.0 or later.

**Type**: `object`

### [](#exponential_reconnection-initial_interval)`exponential_reconnection.initial_interval`

The initial period to wait between retry attempts.

**Type**: `string`

### [](#exponential_reconnection-max_interval)`exponential_reconnection.max_interval`

The maximum period to wait between retry attempts.

**Type**: `string`

### [](#exponential_reconnection-max_retries)`exponential_reconnection.max_retries`

The maximum number of retry attempts.

**Type**: `int`

### [](#host_selection_policy)`host_selection_policy`

Advanced host selection policy settings for Cassandra clusters. Use these options to optimize query routing in multi-datacenter (DC) and multi-rack deployments. By specifying a local DC and rack, you can ensure queries are directed to the closest nodes, reducing latency and improving fault tolerance. If not set, the default policy is round-robin across all available nodes. Host selection is always token-aware if the token can be calculated from query.

Requires version 4.61.0 or later.

**Type**: `object`

```yaml
# Examples:
host_selection_policy:
  local_dc: dc-east
  local_rack: rack1
```

### [](#host_selection_policy-local_dc)`host_selection_policy.local_dc`

The name of the local datacenter to prioritize for query routing. Enables DC-aware host selection, ensuring queries are sent to nodes within this datacenter whenever possible. Recommended for clusters spanning multiple datacenters to minimize cross-DC traffic.

**Type**: `string`

### [](#host_selection_policy-local_rack)`host_selection_policy.local_rack`

The name of the local rack to prioritize for query routing. Requires `local_dc` to be set. Enables rack-aware host selection, further optimizing query placement within the specified datacenter. Useful for deployments with multiple racks per datacenter to improve resilience and reduce intra-DC latency.

**Type**: `string`

### [](#max_retries)`max_retries`

The maximum number of retries before giving up on a request.

**Type**: `int`

**Default**: `3`

### [](#password_authenticator)`password_authenticator`

Optional configuration of Cassandra authentication parameters.

**Type**: `object`

### [](#password_authenticator-enabled)`password_authenticator.enabled`

Whether to use password authentication

**Type**: `bool`

**Default**: `false`

### [](#password_authenticator-password)`password_authenticator.password`

The password to authenticate with.

> ⚠️ **CAUTION**
>
> This field contains sensitive information that usually shouldn’t be added to a configuration directly. For more information, see [Secrets](https://docs.redpanda.com/connect/configuration/secrets/).

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `""`

### [](#password_authenticator-username)`password_authenticator.username`

The username to authenticate as.

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `""`

### [](#query)`query`

A query to execute.

**Type**: `string`

### [](#reconnect_interval)`reconnect_interval`

The interval at which Redpanda Connect attempts to reconnect to Cassandra nodes that are marked as DOWN. This setting helps maintain connectivity in unstable network conditions or during node maintenance. Use Go duration format such as `30s`, `1m`, or `5m`. Setting this too low may create unnecessary connection attempts, while setting it too high may delay recovery from network issues.

Requires version 4.66.0 or later.

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `60s`

### [](#timeout)`timeout`

The client connection timeout.

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `600ms`

### [](#tls)`tls`

Custom TLS settings can be used to override system defaults.

**Type**: `object`

### [](#tls-client_certs)`tls.client_certs[]`

A list of client certificates to use. For each certificate either the fields `cert` and `key`, or `cert_file` and `key_file` should be specified, but not both.

**Type**: `object`

**Default**: `[]`

```yaml
# Examples:
client_certs:
  - cert: foo
    key: bar

# ---

client_certs:
  - cert_file: ./example.pem
    key_file: ./example.key
```

### [](#tls-client_certs-cert)`tls.client_certs[].cert`

A plain text certificate to use.

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `""`

### [](#tls-client_certs-cert_file)`tls.client_certs[].cert_file`

The path of a certificate to use.

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `""`

### [](#tls-client_certs-key)`tls.client_certs[].key`

A plain text certificate key to use.

> ⚠️ **CAUTION**
>
> This field contains sensitive information that usually shouldn’t be added to a configuration directly. For more information, see [Secrets](https://docs.redpanda.com/connect/configuration/secrets/).

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `""`

### [](#tls-client_certs-key_file)`tls.client_certs[].key_file`

The path of a certificate key to use.

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `""`

### [](#tls-client_certs-password)`tls.client_certs[].password`

A plain text password for when the private key is password encrypted in PKCS#1 or PKCS#8 format. The obsolete `pbeWithMD5AndDES-CBC` algorithm is not supported for the PKCS#8 format.

Because the obsolete pbeWithMD5AndDES-CBC algorithm does not authenticate the ciphertext, it is vulnerable to padding oracle attacks that can let an attacker recover the plaintext.

> ⚠️ **CAUTION**
>
> This field contains sensitive information that usually shouldn’t be added to a configuration directly. For more information, see [Secrets](https://docs.redpanda.com/connect/configuration/secrets/).

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `""`

```yaml
# Examples:
password: foo

# ---

password: ${KEY_PASSWORD}
```

### [](#tls-enable_renegotiation)`tls.enable_renegotiation`

Whether to allow the remote server to repeatedly request renegotiation. Enable this option if you’re seeing the error message `local error: tls: no renegotiation`.

Requires version 3.45.0 or later.

**Type**: `bool`

**Default**: `false`

### [](#tls-enabled)`tls.enabled`

Whether custom TLS settings are enabled.

**Type**: `bool`

**Default**: `false`

### [](#tls-root_cas)`tls.root_cas`

An optional root certificate authority to use. This is a string, representing a certificate chain from the parent trusted root certificate, to possible intermediate signing certificates, to the host certificate.

> ⚠️ **CAUTION**
>
> This field contains sensitive information that usually shouldn’t be added to a configuration directly. For more information, see [Secrets](https://docs.redpanda.com/connect/configuration/secrets/).

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `""`

```yaml
# Examples:
root_cas: |-
  -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
  ...
  -----END CERTIFICATE-----
```

### [](#tls-root_cas_file)`tls.root_cas_file`

An optional path of a root certificate authority file to use. This is a file, often with a .pem extension, containing a certificate chain from the parent trusted root certificate, to possible intermediate signing certificates, to the host certificate.

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `""`

```yaml
# Examples:
root_cas_file: ./root_cas.pem
```

### [](#tls-skip_cert_verify)`tls.skip_cert_verify`

Whether to skip server side certificate verification.

**Type**: `bool`

**Default**: `false`