Azure Cosmos DB: Overview
Azure Cosmos DB is a globally distributed, multi-model database service that enables you to harness the benefits of global distribution with **turnkey**.
Cosmos DB is Microsoft’s globally distributed, multi-model database service. You can leverage Cosmos DB to empower your applications with **turnkey** global distribution, massive scalability, and high availability. It supports various data models, including document, key-value, graph, and column-family databases.
Key Features
- Turnkey Global Distribution: Distribute your data across any number of Azure regions with a single API call or click.
- Elastic Scalability: Scale throughput and storage elastically and independently, handling any workload size.
- Guaranteed High Availability: Achieve 99.999% availability for multi-region databases and 99.99% availability for single-region databases.
- Multiple Data Models: Support for document, key-value, graph, and column-family data with a single, unified service.
- Multiple Consistency Models: Choose from five well-defined consistency levels to balance performance and consistency needs.
- Low Latency: Deliver single-digit millisecond latency for reads and writes at the 99th percentile.
- Comprehensive SDKs: Available for .NET, Java, Node.js, Python, and JavaScript.
Getting Started
To start using Azure Cosmos DB, you need an Azure subscription. You can create a Cosmos DB account in the Azure portal. Once your account is created, you can begin creating databases, containers, and adding data.
Quick Start: Learn how to create your first Cosmos DB database and add data in just a few minutes. Get started here.
Data Models and APIs
Cosmos DB is a proprietary, cloud-native database service designed for modern applications. It offers multiple APIs to interact with your data:
- Core (SQL) API: The default API, providing powerful query capabilities for JSON documents.
- MongoDB API: Compatible with MongoDB wire protocol, allowing you to use existing MongoDB drivers and tools.
- Cassandra API: Compatible with Cassandra wire protocol, enabling use of existing Cassandra drivers and tools.
- Gremlin API: For graph data, supporting the Apache TinkerPop Gremlin query language.
- Table API: Compatible with Azure Table Storage, for key-value data.
Each API provides access to the underlying Cosmos DB engine, sharing the same robust features like global distribution, elastic scaling, and guaranteed availability.
Pricing
Cosmos DB offers a pay-as-you-go pricing model based on provisioned throughput (Request Units per second) and consumed storage. A free tier is also available for development and testing.
For detailed information, please visit the Cosmos DB Pricing page.
Next Steps
Explore the following resources to deepen your understanding and start building with Azure Cosmos DB: