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AxonOps Workbench

AxonOps Workbench is an open-source desktop application for Apache Cassandra development. It provides a graphical interface for schema management, query execution, and data exploration without requiring command-line interaction.

Overview

AxonOps Workbench simplifies Cassandra development by providing visual tools for common database tasks. Instead of writing CQL commands in a terminal, developers can browse schemas, execute queries, and export data through a modern graphical interface.

Aspect Description
Type Desktop application (GUI)
License Apache License 2.0 (open source)
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux
Source Code github.com/axonops/axonops-workbench-cassandra

Key Features

Connection Management

Manage connections to multiple Cassandra clusters from a single interface:

  • Save connection profiles with host, port, credentials, and SSL settings
  • Organize connections by environment (development, staging, production)
  • Quick-switch between clusters without re-entering credentials
  • Support for authentication (username/password)
  • SSL/TLS connection support

Schema Browser

Explore cluster schema through a visual tree structure:

  • Keyspaces — View all keyspaces with replication settings
  • Tables — Browse table structures, columns, and primary key definitions
  • Indexes — View secondary indexes and their configurations
  • User-Defined Types — Inspect UDT definitions and field types
  • Materialized Views — Examine view definitions and base table relationships
  • Functions and Aggregates — Browse user-defined functions

The schema browser provides immediate visibility into database structure without executing DESCRIBE commands.

Query Editor

Write and execute CQL queries with development-focused features:

Feature Description
Syntax Highlighting CQL keywords, strings, and numbers are color-coded
Auto-completion Context-aware suggestions for tables, columns, and keywords
Query History Access previously executed queries
Multi-query Execution Run multiple statements in sequence
Query Formatting Auto-format CQL for readability
Error Highlighting Visual indication of syntax errors

Result Visualization

View query results in a structured, interactive format:

  • Tabular Display — Results shown in sortable, filterable tables
  • Column Resizing — Adjust column widths for readability
  • Data Type Formatting — Proper display of UUIDs, timestamps, collections, and blobs
  • Large Result Handling — Pagination for queries returning many rows
  • NULL Visualization — Clear distinction between NULL values and empty strings

Data Export

Export query results and table data to various formats:

Format Use Case
CSV Spreadsheet analysis, data import to other systems
JSON Application integration, data transformation
SQL/CQL Data migration, backup scripts

DDL Generation

Generate CQL statements from existing schema:

  • Export CREATE KEYSPACE statements
  • Export CREATE TABLE statements with all options
  • Export CREATE INDEX statements
  • Export CREATE TYPE statements for UDTs
  • Useful for schema documentation and migration

Installation

Download

Download the appropriate installer from the GitHub releases page:

Platform File Type
Windows .exe installer
macOS .dmg disk image
Linux .AppImage, .deb, or .rpm

System Requirements

Component Minimum
OS Windows 10+, macOS 10.14+, Ubuntu 18.04+
Memory 4 GB RAM
Disk 500 MB available space
Display 1280x720 resolution

First Launch

  1. Install the application using the platform-appropriate method
  2. Launch AxonOps Workbench
  3. Create a new connection by providing cluster details
  4. Connect and begin exploring the schema

Use Cases

Schema Design and Prototyping

During the data modeling phase, use Workbench to:

  • Create and modify keyspaces with different replication strategies
  • Design table schemas and iterate on primary key choices
  • Add and remove columns as the model evolves
  • Create indexes and evaluate their impact
  • Test queries against the schema before committing to the design

Ad-Hoc Query Execution

Execute queries without writing application code:

  • Investigate data issues reported by users
  • Validate data after migrations or imports
  • Test query patterns before implementing in application
  • Run one-off data corrections (with appropriate care)

Data Exploration

Understand data distribution and content:

  • Browse table contents to verify data quality
  • Examine partition structures and clustering order
  • Identify data anomalies or unexpected values
  • Validate application behavior by inspecting written data

Development Workflow Integration

Complement the application development process:

  1. Design schema in Workbench
  2. Export DDL statements
  3. Implement application code using drivers
  4. Use Workbench to verify application writes
  5. Debug issues by examining actual data

Documentation and Knowledge Transfer

Generate schema documentation:

  • Export complete schema definitions
  • Share connection profiles with team members
  • Document data model decisions
  • Onboard new developers with visual schema exploration

Connecting to Cassandra

Basic Connection

Create a connection with minimal settings:

Setting Value
Name Descriptive name (e.g., "Local Dev Cluster")
Host Cassandra node address (e.g., 127.0.0.1)
Port Native transport port (default: 9042)

Authenticated Connection

For clusters with authentication enabled:

Setting Value
Username Cassandra user
Password User password
Auth Provider Password Authenticator

SSL/TLS Connection

For encrypted connections:

Setting Description
Enable SSL Toggle SSL connection
Truststore Path to truststore file (if required)
Keystore Path to keystore file (for client certificates)

Connection to Specific Keyspace

Optionally specify a default keyspace:

Setting Value
Default Keyspace Keyspace to select on connection

This avoids prefixing table names with keyspace in queries.

Query Execution

Running Queries

  1. Select the target keyspace from the schema browser or use USE keyspace_name;
  2. Write the CQL query in the editor
  3. Execute using the Run button or keyboard shortcut
  4. View results in the results panel

Query Examples

Select with filtering: 

SELECT * FROM users WHERE user_id = 550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000;

Aggregation: 

SELECT COUNT(*) FROM orders WHERE status = 'pending' ALLOW FILTERING;

Schema inspection: 

DESCRIBE TABLE users;

Handling Large Results

For queries returning many rows:

  • Results are paginated automatically
  • Use LIMIT to restrict result size
  • Export large result sets to files rather than viewing in UI

Best Practices

Connection Security

  • Store connection credentials securely
  • Use SSL/TLS for production cluster connections
  • Create read-only users for exploration to prevent accidental modifications
  • Do not share connection profiles containing passwords

Query Safety

  • Always include WHERE clauses for UPDATE and DELETE operations
  • Use LIMIT when exploring unfamiliar tables
  • Test destructive queries in development environments first
  • Review generated CQL before executing DDL changes

Performance Considerations

  • Avoid SELECT * on tables with many columns
  • Use LIMIT to prevent fetching excessive data
  • Be cautious with ALLOW FILTERING on large tables
  • Consider query impact on production clusters

Comparison with Other Tools

Feature AxonOps Workbench cqlsh DataStax Studio
Interface GUI CLI Web
Installation Desktop app Python package Server deployment
Schema Browser Visual tree Text commands Visual
Query Editor Rich editor Basic readline Rich editor
Open Source Yes (Apache 2.0) Yes No
Offline Use Yes Yes Requires server

Troubleshooting

Connection Failures

Cannot connect to cluster:

  1. Verify the host address and port are correct
  2. Check that the Cassandra node is running and accepting connections
  3. Verify firewall rules allow traffic on port 9042
  4. For remote clusters, ensure the node's rpc_address is accessible

Authentication failures:

  1. Verify username and password are correct
  2. Confirm the user exists in Cassandra (SELECT * FROM system_auth.roles)
  3. Check that authentication is enabled on the cluster

SSL/TLS errors:

  1. Verify truststore contains the cluster's CA certificate
  2. Check that SSL is enabled on the cluster
  3. Confirm certificate validity and expiration

Query Errors

Timeout errors:

  • The query may be too expensive; add restrictions or limits
  • Check cluster health and node availability
  • Consider increasing client timeout settings

Consistency errors:

  • Verify sufficient replicas are available for the requested consistency level
  • Check cluster status with nodetool status

Resources

Topic Description
CQLAI AI-powered command-line CQL shell
CQL Reference CQL syntax and commands
Drivers Application driver configuration
cqlsh Standard CQL shell