---
name: "pycassaShell"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "python-pycassa"
version: "1.11.2.1-1"
release: "Debian 10 (Buster)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/pycassaShell"
---

# pycassaShell(1)

interactive Cassandra python shell

## NAME

**pycassaShell** - interactive Cassandra python shell

## SYNOPSIS

**pycassaShell** \[*OPTIONS*\]

## DESCRIPTION

pycassaShell is an interactive Cassandra python shell. It is useful for exploring Cassandra, especially for those who are just beginning.

It is recommended that you have **IPython**, an enhanced interactive python shell, installed. **pycassaShell** will invoke ipython underneath to provide extra functionality if it is installed. However, it will still work without it.

When **pycassaShell** starts, it creates a *ColumnFamily* object for every existing column family in your Cassandra cluster and prints the names of the objects. You can use these to insert and retrieve data easily from Cassandra.

**pycassaShell** acts similarly to the standard Python (or IPython) REPL. To use, enter Python expressions at the prompt and hit Enter to see the results.

## OPTIONS

- **-h**, **--help**

  Show a help message and exit

- **-k** KEYSPACE, **--keyspace**=*KEYSPACE*

  Name of the Cassandra keyspace to which pycassaShell should attach

- **-H** HOST, **--host**=*HOST*

  Hostname of a Cassandra node

- **-p** PORT, **--port**=*PORT*

  Thrift port number for that Cassandra node

- **-u** USER, **--user**=*USER*

  Username (for simple auth)

- **-P** PASSWD, **--passwd**=*PASSWD*

  Password (for simple auth)

- **-S**, **--streaming**

  Use streaming transport (for Cassandra 0.6.x and below)

- **-F**, **--framed**

  Use framed transport (for Cassandra 0.7.x and above). This is the default transport.

- **-f** FILE, **--file**=*FILE*

  Run a script after startup

## SEE ALSO

For more information on the interactive Python/IPython prompt, see [**python**(1)](/python/1.md) or [**ipython**(1)](/ipython/1.md).

For more information on the extra Pycassa objects made available in the **pycassaShell** environment, see `/usr/share/doc/pycassa-doc/manual/pycassa_shell.html` in the **pycassa-doc** package.

## AUTHOR

Tyler Hobbs \<pycassa.maintainer@gmail.com\>