---
layout: api
page_title: Cassandra - Database - Secrets Engines - HTTP API
description: >-
  The Cassandra plugin for Vault's database secrets engine generates database
  credentials to access Cassandra servers.
---

# Cassandra database plugin HTTP API

@include 'x509-sha1-deprecation.mdx'

The Cassandra database plugin is one of the supported plugins for the database
secrets engine. This plugin generates database credentials dynamically based on
configured roles for the Cassandra database.

## Configure connection

In addition to the parameters defined by the [Database
Secrets Engine](/vault/api-docs/secret/databases#configure-connection), this plugin
has a number of parameters to further configure a connection.

| Method | Path                     |
| :----- | :----------------------- |
| `POST` | `/database/config/:name` |

### Parameters

- `hosts` `(string: <required>)` – Specifies a set of comma-delineated Cassandra
  hosts to connect to.

- `port` `(int: 9042)` – Specifies the default port to use if none is provided
  as part of the host URI. Defaults to Cassandra's default transport port, 9042.

- `username` `(string: <required>)` – Specifies the username to use for
  superuser access.

- `password` `(string: <required>)` – Specifies the password corresponding to
  the given username.

- `tls` `(bool: true)` – Specifies whether to use TLS when connecting to
  Cassandra.

- `insecure_tls` `(bool: false)` – Specifies whether to skip verification of the
  server certificate when using TLS.

- `tls_server_name` `(string: "")` – Specifies the name to use as the SNI host when
  connecting to the Cassandra server via TLS.

- `pem_bundle` `(string: "")` – Specifies concatenated PEM blocks containing a
  certificate and private key; a certificate, private key, and issuing CA
  certificate; or just a CA certificate. Only one of `pem_bundle` or `pem_json` can be specified.

- `pem_json` `(string: "")` – Specifies JSON containing a certificate and
  private key; a certificate, private key, and issuing CA certificate; or just a
  CA certificate. The value in this field must be an encoded JSON object. For convenience format is the
  same as the output of the `issue` command from the `pki` secrets engine; see
  [the pki documentation](/vault/docs/secrets/pki). Only one of `pem_bundle` or `pem_json` can be specified.

<details>
<summary><b><tt>pem_json</tt> example</b></summary>

```json
{
  "certificate": "<client certificate as a PEM>",
  "private_key": "<private key as a PEM>",
  "ca_chain": ["<CA as a PEM>", "<Additional PEM for the CA chain if needed"]
}
```

If using the Vault CLI, it's probably easiest to write the JSON to a file and then reference the file:

```shell
vault write database/config/cassandra-example <...other fields> pem_json=@/path/to/file.json
```

</details>

- `skip_verification` `(bool: false)` - Skip permissions checks when a connection to Cassandra
  is first created. These checks ensure that Vault is able to create roles, but can be resource
  intensive in clusters with many roles.

- `protocol_version` `(int: 2)` – Specifies the CQL protocol version to use.

- `connect_timeout` `(string: "5s")` – Specifies the timeout to use, both for
  connections and in general.

- `local_datacenter` `(string: "")` – If set, enables host selection policy
  which will prioritize and use hosts which are in the local datacenter before
  hosts in all other datacenters (for example `dc-01`).

- `socket_keep_alive` `(string: "0s")` – the keep-alive period for an active
  network connection. If zero, keep-alives are not enabled.

- `consistency` `(string: "")` – Specifies the consistency option to use. See
  the [gocql
  definition](https://github.com/gocql/gocql/blob/master/frame.go#L188) for
  valid options.

- `username_template` `(string)` - [Template](/vault/docs/concepts/username-templating) describing how
  dynamic usernames are generated.

<details>
<summary><b>Default Username Template</b></summary>

```
{{ printf "v_%s_%s_%s_%s" (.DisplayName | truncate 15) (.RoleName | truncate 15) (random 20) (unix_time) | truncate 100 | replace "-" "_" | lowercase }}
```

<details>
<summary><b>Example Usernames:</b></summary>

| Example       |                                                      |
| ------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- |
| `DisplayName` | `token`                                              |
| `RoleName`    | `myrolename`                                         |
| Username      | `v_token_myrolename_uszt1n4cyhal4m0xtgx3_1614294836` |

| Example       |                                                                     |
| ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `DisplayName` | `amuchlonger_dispname`                                              |
| `RoleName`    | `role-name-with-dashes`                                             |
| Username      | `v_amuchlonger_dis_role_name_with__s0t9xb0jsab9nqz7yj40_1614294836` |

</details>
</details>

TLS works as follows:

- If `tls` is set to true, the connection will use TLS; this happens
  automatically if `pem_bundle`, `pem_json`, or `insecure_tls` is set

- If `insecure_tls` is set to true, the connection will not perform verification
  of the server certificate; this also sets `tls` to true

- If only `issuing_ca` is set in `pem_json`, or the only certificate in
  `pem_bundle` is a CA certificate, the given CA certificate will be used for
  server certificate verification; otherwise the system CA certificates will be
  used

- If `certificate` and `private_key` are set in `pem_bundle` or `pem_json`,
  client auth will be turned on for the connection

`pem_bundle` should be a PEM-concatenated bundle of a private key + client
certificate, an issuing CA certificate, or both. `pem_json` should contain the
same information; for convenience, the JSON format is the same as that output by
the issue command from the PKI secrets engine.

### Sample payload

```json
{
  "plugin_name": "cassandra-database-plugin",
  "allowed_roles": "readonly",
  "hosts": "cassandra1.local",
  "username": "user",
  "password": "pass"
}
```

### Sample request

```shell-session
$ curl \
    --header "X-Vault-Token: ..." \
    --request POST \
    --data @payload.json \
    http://127.0.0.1:8200/v1/cassandra/config/connection
```

## Statements

Statements are configured during role creation and are used by the plugin to
determine what is sent to the database on user creation, renewing, and
revocation. For more information on configuring roles see the [Role
API](/vault/api-docs/secret/databases#create-role) in the database secrets engine docs.

### Parameters

The following are the statements used by this plugin. If not mentioned in this
list the plugin does not support that statement type.

- `creation_statements` `(list: [])` – Specifies the database
  statements executed to create and configure a user. Must be a
  semicolon-separated string, a base64-encoded semicolon-separated string, a
  serialized JSON string array, or a base64-encoded serialized JSON string
  array. The `{{username}}` and `{{password}}` values will be substituted. If not
  provided, defaults to a generic create user statements that creates a
  non-superuser.

- `revocation_statements` `(list: [])` – Specifies the database statements to
  be executed to revoke a user. Must be a semicolon-separated string, a
  base64-encoded semicolon-separated string, a serialized JSON string array, or
  a base64-encoded serialized JSON string array. The `{{username}}` value will be
  substituted. If not provided defaults to a generic drop user statement.

- `rollback_statements` `(list: [])` – Specifies the database statements to be
  executed to rollback a create operation in the event of an error. Must be a
  semicolon-separated string, a base64-encoded semicolon-separated string, a
  serialized JSON string array, or a base64-encoded serialized JSON string
  array. The `{{username}}` value will be substituted. If not provided, defaults to
  a generic drop user statement

- `root_rotation_statements` `(list: [])` - Specifies the database statements
  to be executed when rotating the root user's password. Must be a
  semicolon-separated string, a base64-encoded semicolon-separated string, a
  serialized JSON string array, or a base64-encoded serialized JSON string
  array. The `{{username}}` value will be substituted. If not provided, defaults to
  a reasonable default alter user statement.

~> Prior to Vault 1.7.1 and 1.6.4 the default `root_rotation_statements` does not
  allow for usernames with special characters in them due to missing quotes
  around the username. To fix this issue in versions prior to Vault 1.7.1/1.6.4,
  specify the following `root_rotation_statements`:

  ```sql
  ALTER USER '{{username}}' WITH PASSWORD '{{password}}';
  ```
