DataStax announced a new
JSON API for
Astra DB - the popular database-as-a-service built on the open source Apache Cassandra - delivering on one of the most highly requested user features, and
providing a seamless experience for Javascript developers building AI
applications.
Available via the open source data API gateway, Stargate, the new JSON API lets JavaScript developers easily leverage Astra DB as a vector database
for their large language model (LLM), AI assistant, and real-time
generative AI projects. It provides a naturally integrated way to work
with Astra DB as a document database and now has compatibility with
Mongoose, the most popular open source object data modeling library for
MongoDB. This makes it simple for JavaScript developers - the largest
community of developers in the world - to build generative AI
applications with vector search, using the library they know and love.
The Astra DB vector database is designed for building real-world,
production-level AI applications with real-time data. With simultaneous
search and update on distributed data and streaming workloads, Astra DB
provides ultra-low latency and highly relevant results that eliminate
redundancies. This creates more responsive, more accurate production
generative AI applications that reduce hallucinations with real-time
data updates, and increase responsiveness with concurrent queries and
updates.
With the JSON API, JavaScript developers are no longer required to have a
deep understanding of Cassandra Query Language (CQL) to work with Astra
DB and Cassandra. Instead, they can continue to write in the language
they're familiar with to quickly develop AI applications - a necessity
in the current leading-edge business environment.
"Traditionally, in order for developers to use Astra DB they had to have
familiarity with CQL, a powerful but sometimes intimidating programming
language," said Ed Anuff, chief product officer, DataStax. "With the
introduction of the JSON API, we're democratizing access to Astra DB's
capabilities, making it more intuitive and accessible for the more than
13 million global JavaScript developers. With Astra DB's new vector
search capabilities, virtually any developer can now use Astra DB to
build powerful generative AI applications using real-time data."
"There is increasing demand for databases to wear multiple hats in
serving the enterprise, involving both broader operational capability
and better analytics," said Carl Olofson, research vice president for
data management software, IDC. "Such enhancements include easy and
practical support for vector search in support of a range of generative
AI functions, and incorporate those functions in both operational and
analytical contexts. The flexibility of Cassandra lends itself to such
enhancements, and this new JSON API for Astra DB is right in line with
the emerging needs of DataStax developers."