diff --git a/exporter/cassandraexporter/config.go b/exporter/cassandraexporter/config.go
index 89961fb7b957..313496b0a58c 100644
--- a/exporter/cassandraexporter/config.go
+++ b/exporter/cassandraexporter/config.go
@@ -2,7 +2,9 @@
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
 
 package cassandraexporter // import "github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-contrib/exporter/cassandraexporter"
-import "go.opentelemetry.io/collector/config/configopaque"
+import (
+	"go.opentelemetry.io/collector/config/configopaque"
+)
 
 type Config struct {
 	DSN         string      `mapstructure:"dsn"`
diff --git a/exporter/cassandraexporter/exporter_logs.go b/exporter/cassandraexporter/exporter_logs.go
index 43b8051e0b8e..0536b5fc5819 100644
--- a/exporter/cassandraexporter/exporter_logs.go
+++ b/exporter/cassandraexporter/exporter_logs.go
@@ -24,18 +24,10 @@ type logsExporter struct {
 }
 
 func newLogsExporter(logger *zap.Logger, cfg *Config) (*logsExporter, error) {
-	cluster := gocql.NewCluster(cfg.DSN)
-	if cfg.Auth.UserName != "" && cfg.Auth.Password != "" {
-		cluster.Authenticator = gocql.PasswordAuthenticator{
-			Username: cfg.Auth.UserName,
-			Password: string(cfg.Auth.Password),
-		}
-	}
-	session, err := cluster.CreateSession()
+	cluster := newCluster(cfg)
 	cluster.Keyspace = cfg.Keyspace
-	cluster.Consistency = gocql.Quorum
-	cluster.Port = cfg.Port
 
+	session, err := cluster.CreateSession()
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -45,9 +37,7 @@ func newLogsExporter(logger *zap.Logger, cfg *Config) (*logsExporter, error) {
 
 func initializeLogKernel(cfg *Config) error {
 	ctx := context.Background()
-	cluster := gocql.NewCluster(cfg.DSN)
-	cluster.Consistency = gocql.Quorum
-	cluster.Port = cfg.Port
+	cluster := newCluster(cfg)
 
 	session, err := cluster.CreateSession()
 	if err != nil {
@@ -68,6 +58,19 @@ func initializeLogKernel(cfg *Config) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+func newCluster(cfg *Config) *gocql.ClusterConfig {
+	cluster := gocql.NewCluster(cfg.DSN)
+	if cfg.Auth.UserName != "" && cfg.Auth.Password != "" {
+		cluster.Authenticator = gocql.PasswordAuthenticator{
+			Username: cfg.Auth.UserName,
+			Password: string(cfg.Auth.Password),
+		}
+	}
+	cluster.Consistency = gocql.Quorum
+	cluster.Port = cfg.Port
+	return cluster
+}
+
 func (e *logsExporter) Start(_ context.Context, _ component.Host) error {
 	initializeErr := initializeLogKernel(e.cfg)
 	return initializeErr
diff --git a/exporter/cassandraexporter/exporter_logs_test.go b/exporter/cassandraexporter/exporter_logs_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..0b9b1e7f77fb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/exporter/cassandraexporter/exporter_logs_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+// Copyright The OpenTelemetry Authors
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+
+package cassandraexporter
+
+import (
+	"github.com/gocql/gocql"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+func TestNewCluster(t *testing.T) {
+	testCases := map[string]struct {
+		cfg                   *Config
+		expectedAuthenticator gocql.Authenticator
+	}{
+		"empty_auth": {
+			cfg:                   withDefaultConfig(),
+			expectedAuthenticator: nil,
+		},
+		"empty_username": {
+			cfg: withDefaultConfig(func(config *Config) {
+				config.Auth.Password = "pass"
+			}),
+			expectedAuthenticator: nil,
+		},
+		"empty_password": {
+			cfg: withDefaultConfig(func(config *Config) {
+				config.Auth.UserName = "user"
+			}),
+			expectedAuthenticator: nil,
+		},
+		"success_auth": {
+			cfg: withDefaultConfig(func(config *Config) {
+				config.Auth.UserName = "user"
+				config.Auth.Password = "pass"
+			}),
+			expectedAuthenticator: gocql.PasswordAuthenticator{
+				Username: "user",
+				Password: "pass",
+			},
+		},
+	}
+	for name, test := range testCases {
+		t.Run(name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			c := newCluster(test.cfg)
+			require.Equal(t, test.expectedAuthenticator, c.Authenticator)
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func withDefaultConfig(fns ...func(*Config)) *Config {
+	cfg := createDefaultConfig().(*Config)
+	for _, fn := range fns {
+		fn(cfg)
+	}
+	return cfg
+}
diff --git a/exporter/cassandraexporter/exporter_traces.go b/exporter/cassandraexporter/exporter_traces.go
index e7f34ded49b0..c9eebb91e059 100644
--- a/exporter/cassandraexporter/exporter_traces.go
+++ b/exporter/cassandraexporter/exporter_traces.go
@@ -23,18 +23,10 @@ type tracesExporter struct {
 }
 
 func newTracesExporter(logger *zap.Logger, cfg *Config) (*tracesExporter, error) {
-	cluster := gocql.NewCluster(cfg.DSN)
-	if cfg.Auth.UserName != "" && cfg.Auth.Password != "" {
-		cluster.Authenticator = gocql.PasswordAuthenticator{
-			Username: cfg.Auth.UserName,
-			Password: string(cfg.Auth.Password),
-		}
-	}
-	session, err := cluster.CreateSession()
+	cluster := newCluster(cfg)
 	cluster.Keyspace = cfg.Keyspace
-	cluster.Consistency = gocql.Quorum
-	cluster.Port = cfg.Port
 
+	session, err := cluster.CreateSession()
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -44,9 +36,7 @@ func newTracesExporter(logger *zap.Logger, cfg *Config) (*tracesExporter, error)
 
 func initializeTraceKernel(cfg *Config) error {
 	ctx := context.Background()
-	cluster := gocql.NewCluster(cfg.DSN)
-	cluster.Consistency = gocql.Quorum
-	cluster.Port = cfg.Port
+	cluster := newCluster(cfg)
 
 	session, err := cluster.CreateSession()
 	if err != nil {