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Cassandra is a free and open-source, distributed, wide-column store, NoSQL database.
Chainguard Containers are regularly-updated, secure-by-default container images.
For those with access, this container image is available on cgr.dev
:
Be sure to replace the ORGANIZATION
placeholder with the name used for your organization's private repository within the Chainguard Registry.
This image is equipped with the essential components for Cassandra to operate in FIPS mode. However, it's important for users to ensure they use it in line with FIPS compliance standards.
This includes tasks such as keystore generation, configuration, and launching Cassandra with the correct configuration parameters. More guidance is provided in the sections below.
This image is compatible with external Cassandra image. Additionally, it supports running Cassandra in a FIPS 140-3 complaint mode.
This Image ships with a validated redistribution of the OpenSSL's FIPS provider module. For more on FIPS support in Chainguard Images, consult the guide on FIPS-enabled Chainguard Images on Chainguard Academy
Cassandra running in FIPS mode requires a BCFKS compatible keystore to manage its TLS certificates.
Although Cassandra supports various keystore types, only BCKFS offers the capability to operate in approved (strict) mode under FIPS standards, ensuring only approved ciphers are used.
To create keystore in BCKFS format you can use keytool from this image like so:
To view the keystore:
To export a CA certificate from an existing keystore you can use keytool:
cqlshrc
fileTo connect to Cassandra with cqlsh you need to create a cqlshrc
file with the following content:
cassandra.yaml
fileTo use Cassandra in FIPS mode, cassandra.yaml
needs to be configured to use FIPS enabled keystores and truststores.
Edit cassandra.yaml
file and set the various keystore and truststore options to use store_type: BCFKS
for the type. The following includes example server and client encryption options using the correct BCFKS keystore :
Example of launching Cassandra with TLS enabled:
Now, wait until the Startup complete
message is shown in the logs. This means that Cassandra is ready to accept connections. You can now connect to it with cqlsh:
You'll see debug logs such as the below if Cassandra is running in FIPS mode:
Additionally, you can check bcfips is enforcing minimum password lengths, by
running the container with a non-compliant admin password, such as 1234
:
Chainguard's free tier of Starter container images are built with Wolfi, our minimal Linux undistro.
All other Chainguard Containers are built with Chainguard OS, Chainguard's minimal Linux operating system designed to produce container images that meet the requirements of a more secure software supply chain.
The main features of Chainguard Containers include:
For cases where you need container images with shells and package managers to build or debug, most Chainguard Containers come paired with a development, or -dev
, variant.
In all other cases, including Chainguard Containers tagged as :latest
or with a specific version number, the container images include only an open-source application and its runtime dependencies. These minimal container images typically do not contain a shell or package manager.
Although the -dev
container image variants have similar security features as their more minimal versions, they include additional software that is typically not necessary in production environments. We recommend using multi-stage builds to copy artifacts from the -dev
variant into a more minimal production image.
To improve security, Chainguard Containers include only essential dependencies. Need more packages? Chainguard customers can use Custom Assembly to add packages, either through the Console, chainctl
, or API.
To use Custom Assembly in the Chainguard Console: navigate to the image you'd like to customize in your Organization's list of images, and click on the Customize image button at the top of the page.
Refer to our Chainguard Containers documentation on Chainguard Academy. Chainguard also offers VMs and Libraries — contact us for access.
This software listing is packaged by Chainguard. The trademarks set forth in this offering are owned by their respective companies, and use of them does not imply any affiliation, sponsorship, or endorsement by such companies.
Chainguard container images contain software packages that are direct or transitive dependencies. The following licenses were found in the "latest" tag of this image:
Apache-2.0
Artistic-1.0-Perl
BSD-2-Clause
BSD-3-Clause
Bitstream-Vera
FTL
GCC-exception-3.1
For a complete list of licenses, please refer to this Image's SBOM.
Software license agreementThis is a FIPS validated image for FedRAMP compliance.
This image is STIG hardened and scanned against the DISA General Purpose Operating System SRG with reports available.
Learn more about STIGsGet started with STIGs