Tombstone
A tombstone is a deletion marker for a keyed data item that preserves its removal during replication, synchronization, or log compaction.
ScyllaDB in Action
A tombstone is a marker stored with database data to record that a value, row, or partition has been deleted without immediately removing the underlying data.
- How it is used
- Clarifies why ScyllaDB DELETE operations write durable markers instead of immediately erasing values.
- How deep it goes
- Explains replica ambiguity, on-disk write flow, compaction, grace periods, and repair rather than only defining deletion markers.
- Examples
- Uses an articles row whose title is deleted while the row remains, plus replica diagrams for missed deletes.
- What you can do after
- Operate/configure tombstone retention by relating gc_grace_seconds, compaction, and repair to deletion safety and disk usage.
Kafka for Architects
A tombstone message is a Kafka record with a non-null key and a null value that marks the keyed record for deletion during compaction.
- How it is used
- Marks deletion of a keyed record in a compacted Kafka topic and communicates that deletion to downstream consumers.
- How deep it goes
- Explains keyed records, compaction timing, retention, consumer catch-up, and database handling without detailing broker internals.
- Examples
- Uses account ACC-1447, Balances, AccountService, DashboardService, and JDBC sink deletion as concrete examples.
- What you can do after
- Apply it via Kafka to propagate keyed deletions through compacted topics and JDBC sink database integrations.
Kafka Streams in Action, Second Edition
A tombstone is a Kafka record with a null value that marks a key for deletion during log compaction.
- How it is used
- Marks keys for deletion in compacted Kafka topics and stateful Kafka Streams tables.
- How deep it goes
- Explains null-value semantics, compaction effects, KTable propagation, and eventual marker removal.
- Examples
- Uses null-valued KTable records, filtered records, and before-and-after compacted logs as examples.
- What you can do after
- Evaluate deletion behavior in compacted topics and Kafka Streams KTables.
Read how Kafka Streams in Action, Second Edition explains tombstone →
Related concepts
- ScyllaDBused by · ScyllaDB is a distributed wide-column database compatible with Cassandra’s data model and protocol, designed for high scalability and availability.
- recordkind of · A Kafka record, also called a message, is a data item published to or consumed from a Kafka topic, optionally containing a key, value, and metadata.
- log compactionused by · Log compaction is a storage technique that retains the latest record for each key while removing superseded records.
- deletion semanticsproduced by · Deletion semantics are the rules that determine how deleting a record changes logical state and affects associated physical data.
- repairaddressed by · Repair is a database maintenance process that synchronizes replicated data across nodes.
These guides are generated from the text of Manning books by Manning's knowledge graph and link to the sections they draw on. The full books are available on liveBook and at manning.com.