Challenge

High 5 Games had deployed Apache Cassandra® to support its growing mobile gaming platform, running version 3.11 and later upgrading to 4.x. The infrastructure included multiple clusters, each managed through the K8ssandra Kubernetes operator. Their primary production environment consisted of seven nodes, managing approximately 2 TB of data. Additional lower environments operated with three nodes each. While the system functioned reliably most of the time, the lack of multi-region replication and internal Cassandra expertise made operations increasingly difficult as demands grew.

High 5 Games was managing its Cassandra clusters using K8ssandra. As the operational complexity grew, maintaining and scaling the Kubernetes-managed Cassandra infrastructure became challenging, particularly during software upgrades, troubleshooting, and performance optimization tasks. They no longer had a dedicated Cassandra DBA, and the lack of dedicated Cassandra expertise internally further compounded these issues.

"We encountered numerous issues when upgrading our K8ssandra setup," explained Philip Boyarchenko, DevOps Manager at High 5 Games. "Without deep internal Cassandra expertise, maintaining, troubleshooting, and scaling clusters became increasingly difficult and risky."

High 5 Games found themselves caught between two operational extremes. On most days, their Cassandra clusters ran smoothly with minimal oversight, insufficient to warrant a full-time dedicated Cassandra DBA. However, when problems did arise, the absence of specialized expertise forced them to rely on internal staff with limited experience in Cassandra operations, leading to increased risk and slower issue resolution.

Solution

High 5 Games explored other managed services but soon realized that DataStax Astra DB offered exceptional support and expertise in Cassandra. They decided to migrate their entire data infrastructure from self-managed Kubernetes clusters to Astra DB. This move enabled them to leverage DataStax's cloud-native platform, which offers operational simplicity and scalability.

To facilitate a smooth migration process, High 5 Games utilized DataStax’s Cassandra Data Migrator (CDM) and Zero-Downtime Migration (ZDM) tools. CDM enabled efficient bulk data migration, while ZDM ensured a seamless, no-downtime transition of live data, avoiding disruption to their gaming services. As a 24-hour operation, minimizing risk and avoiding downtime were critical requirements. The ability to maintain a continuous service as possible during the migration was essential to upholding the seamless experience expected by their global user base.

How They Use Astra DB

High 5 Games leverages Astra DB to manage critical gaming data, including user profiles, game states, and transaction records. Astra DB's scalability and high availability ensure that the platform can handle peak loads without performance degradation. The ability to support real-time data processing is crucial for providing a smooth and responsive gaming experience. Additionally, Astra DB's managed service model allows High 5 Games to focus on developing and improving their gaming applications rather than dealing with database maintenance and operations.

Infrastructure and Implementation

High 5 Games' original infrastructure consisted of multiple clusters running Apache Cassandra, managed via K8ssandra. To prepare for the migration, the team set up the Astra DB environment and developed a comprehensive migration strategy. This strategy included defining timelines, selecting suitable tools, and establishing a testing framework. They used the Cassandra Data Migrator (CDM) to transfer data from their OSS Cassandra clusters to Astra DB, first validating the process in a non-production environment to ensure data integrity and performance. During this phase, they encountered challenges such as rate limits and overload exceptions on the Astra side, which were resolved through tuning CDM and enabling self-service PCU scaling with the assistance of DataStax support. As early adopters, they played a crucial role in refining the service as it is today.

Extensive testing was followed to confirm consistency and performance, including the resolution of issues related to serial consistency levels that required iterative fixes. Once testing was complete, High 5 Games performed a production cutover using Zero Downtime Migration (ZDM) tools to ensure a seamless transition with little user impact. Post-migration, they closely monitored the new environment and collaborated with DataStax to stabilize and optimize system performance, ensuring their 24/7 gaming platform continued to deliver a reliable and responsive experience.

Key lessons learned from the migration:

• Effective use of CDM for bulk historical data migration.
• Seamless real-time data migration using ZDM, maintaining service continuity.
• Addressing performance and capacity challenges early with Astra tuning.
• Reducing operational complexity by transitioning to a fully managed service.

One important consideration during the migration was ensuring that all application drivers were updated to be compatible with Astra DB—this required coordination with development teams to update client libraries and connection configurations. For organizations planning a similar migration, it is essential to factor in the effort needed to update application dependencies as part of a comprehensive migration strategy.

Impact

The successful migration to Astra DB provided High 5 Games with immediate and substantial operational benefits. Infrastructure management became significantly simpler, reducing overhead and risk associated with operating Kubernetes-managed Cassandra clusters.

"Migrating to Astra transformed our infrastructure operations," noted Philip. "We achieved a seamless, low-risk migration, and our operational focus shifted entirely from database management to delivering new game features and enhancing the player experience."

Now they get the peace of mind where Cassandra just works, but don’t need to consider a DBA hire for those few moments when it’s really needed.

Additional benefits realized include:

• Dramatically reduced operational complexity and maintenance overhead.
• Enhanced scalability, enabling effortless adjustments based on player demand.
• Improved system reliability, significantly reducing the risk of downtime or performance issues.
• High-quality DataStax support, ensuring smooth operations post-migration.

"CDM and ZDM tools provided exactly what we needed," concluded Philip. "Our migration strategy significantly reduced risk and downtime, and Astra has positioned us perfectly for continued growth and innovation."

High 5 Games’ adoption of Astra, facilitated by CDM and ZDM, effectively addressed their scalability and operational challenges, setting them up for sustained success in the competitive online gaming market.