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ScyllaDB SSTable - 3.x¶
Sorted Strings Table (SSTable) is the persistent file format used by ScyllaDB and Apache Cassandra. SSTable is saved as a persistent, ordered, immutable set of files on disk.
Immutable means SSTables are never modified; they are created by a MemTable flush and are deleted by a compaction.
The location of ScyllaDB SSTables is specified in scylla.yaml data_file_directories parameter (default location: /var/lib/scylla/data).
SSTable 3.x is more efficient and requires less disk space than the SSTable 2.x.
SSTable Version Support¶
SSTable Version |
ScyllaDB Version |
|---|---|
3.x (‘ms’) |
2025.4 and above |
3.x (‘me’) |
2022.2 and above |
3.x (‘md’) |
2021.1 |
The supported formats are
meandms.The
mdformat is used only when upgrading from an existing cluster usingmd. Thesstable_formatparameter is ignored if it is set tomd.Note: The
sstable_formatparameter specifies the SSTable format used for writes. The legacy SSTable formats (ka,la,mc) remain supported for reads, which is essential for restoring clusters from existing backups.
Additional Information¶
For more information on ScyllaDB 3.x SSTable formats, see below: