Article

Red Hat Data Grid 8.0 brings new server architecture, improved REST API, and more

April 13, 2020
AI/ML Kubernetes Operators
Syed M Shaaf

Red Hat Data Grid helps applications access, process, and analyze data at in-memory speed. Red Hat Data Grid 8.0 is included in the latest update to Red Hat Runtimes, providing a distributed in-memory, NoSQL datastore. This release includes a new Operator for handling complex applications, a new server architecture that reduces memory consumption and increases security, a faster API with new features, a new CLI, and compatibility with a variety of observability tools.

Let's take a closer look at Data Grid 8.0 to see how this tool helps you move legacy applications and the new breed of microservices and functions toward the open hybrid cloud.

Operational intelligence Operator

Red Hat Data Grid 8.0 introduces a fully supported Operator that provides operational intelligence, using Kubernetes APIs to handle operations and manage application lifecycles. As a result, it’s easier than ever before to deploy and manage complex applications—like distributed datastores—that you consume as services. They get upgraded automatically, with no need for human intervention.

Try the following documentation to create a Data Grid Operator subscription and get Data Grid 8.0 running in Red Hat OpenShift: Getting Started with Data Grid Operator and Running Data Grid for OpenShift.

New server architecture

Data Grid Server 8.0 is built using cloud-native development best practices that deliver cloud-ready capabilities with a significantly reduced footprint. Compared with previous versions, Data Grid Server 8.0 reduces both disk usage and initial heap size up to 50%, leaving more memory for your data. As of this release, Data Grid Server is decoupled from Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (EAP), which simplifies configuration and reduces the attack surface for vulnerabilities.

Speaking of security, Data Grid Server 8.0 integrates with Red Hat SSO and offers much more robust support for other security mechanisms than it did before. You can find more details on setup and how-tos in the server configuration guide.

See Getting Started with Data Grid Server to create a running Data Grid cluster in under five minutes.

Faster and richer REST API

Red Hat Data Grid 8.0 introduces REST API v2, which provides 50% faster response rates than v1, along with new capabilities like:

  • Accessing data and manipulating objects, such as counters.
  • Performing operations such as gracefully shutting down Data Grid clusters or transferring cache state to backup locations when using cross-site replication.
  • Monitoring cluster and server health and retrieving statistics.

Data Grid 8.0 REST API also automatically converts between storage formats such as JSON, XML, Protobuf, and plain text for increased interoperability. The Red Hat Data Grid engineering team develops and maintains comprehensive REST API Documentation.

Powerful CLI

In version 8.0, Data Grid provides a new CLI with intuitive commands for remotely accessing data and managing clusters. This CLI uses familiar Bash commands for navigating, like cd and ls. It also provides command history and auto-completion for ease of use. Additionally, the CLI provides help text and man pages for commands with clear examples.

Try the docs: Getting Started with the Data Grid CLI.

Enhanced observability

Red Hat Data Grid is now compatible with the MicroProfile Metrics API and provides a /metrics endpoint for integration with Prometheus. For more details, and to learn about Data Grid metrics and histograms, check the documentation here.

Along with metrics, Data Grid 8.0 offers improved statistics and management operations via JMX, as well as updated logging categories and support for JSON formatted logs.

Get started

Ready to dive in and try out Data Grid 8.0? Here are more useful links to get you started:

To find out more about Red Hat Data Grid, visit the product page.

Last updated: June 29, 2020