# Hosting and operating ScyllaDB vs. Cassandra, ease of use, Compaction, Garbage Collection and complexity

**URL:** <https://forum.scylladb.com/t/hosting-and-operating-scylladb-vs-cassandra-ease-of-use-compaction-garbage-collection-and-complexity/2139>\
**Category:** ScyllaDB\
**Tags:** cassandra, compaction\
**Created:** [June 6, 2024, 11:28am UTC](https://forum.scylladb.com/t/hosting-and-operating-scylladb-vs-cassandra-ease-of-use-compaction-garbage-collection-and-complexity/2139 "2024-06-06T11:28:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Guy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.scylladb.com/guy/32/9_2.png) [@Guy](https://forum.scylladb.com/u/Guy)\
**Post date:** [June 6, 2024, 11:28am UTC](https://forum.scylladb.com/t/hosting-and-operating-scylladb-vs-cassandra-ease-of-use-compaction-garbage-collection-and-complexity/2139/1 "2024-06-06T11:28:47Z")

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> [**Originally from the User Slack**](https://scylladb-users.slack.com/)
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> ![sandr8](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/scylladb/original/1X/9739d507333ec6cbf9be2fa8ded33007a054639e.jpeg) **@sandr8:** Is hosting and operating open-source Scylla as stressful as it is to host and operate Cassandra? Or are many of the culprits taken care of in a better way in Scylla? Any personal experience?
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> ![dor](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/scylladb/original/1X/27b698a3e588f84cb82a722e458d31c997a48bed.jpeg) **@dor:** It’s less. Compaction is a solved problem. There is no GC, etc. The operational complexity as a whole is reduced. Still, you do need to be an expert for an always-on distributed DB
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> ![sandr8](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/scylladb/original/1X/9739d507333ec6cbf9be2fa8ded33007a054639e.jpeg) **@sandr8:** doesn’t the new compaction strategy require enterprise licensing? Also: wouldn’t there always be scary situations related to tombstones and nodes being down?
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> ![dor](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/scylladb/original/1X/27b698a3e588f84cb82a722e458d31c997a48bed.jpeg) **@dor:** ICS does require an enterprise license but you can use LCS, TWCS and STCS for free and compaction works better than cassandra there too  
> When nodes are down, it’s not easy but it still supposed to be better than C\*. Especially now that we got Raft’s consistent topology in place
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> ![sandr8](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/scylladb/original/1X/9739d507333ec6cbf9be2fa8ded33007a054639e.jpeg) **@sandr8:** :gratitude\_thank\_you: