Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Apache Airflow VS AWS AppSync

Compare Apache Airflow VS AWS AppSync and see what are their differences

Apache Airflow logo Apache Airflow

Airflow is a platform to programmaticaly author, schedule and monitor data pipelines.

AWS AppSync logo AWS AppSync

AWS AppSync automatically updates the data in web and mobile applications in real time, and updates data for offline users as soon as they reconnect.
  • Apache Airflow Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-17
  • AWS AppSync Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-29

Apache Airflow features and specs

  • Scalability
    Apache Airflow can scale horizontally, allowing it to handle large volumes of tasks and workflows by distributing the workload across multiple worker nodes.
  • Extensibility
    It supports custom plugins and operators, making it highly customizable to fit various use cases. Users can define their own tasks, sensors, and hooks.
  • Visualization
    Airflow provides an intuitive web interface for monitoring and managing workflows. The interface allows users to visualize DAGs, track task statuses, and debug failures.
  • Flexibility
    Workflows are defined using Python code, which offers a high degree of flexibility and programmatic control over the tasks and their dependencies.
  • Integrations
    Airflow has built-in integrations with a wide range of tools and services such as AWS, Google Cloud, and Apache Hadoop, making it easier to connect to external systems.

Possible disadvantages of Apache Airflow

  • Complexity
    Setting up and configuring Apache Airflow can be complex, particularly for new users. It requires careful management of infrastructure components like databases and web servers.
  • Resource Intensive
    Airflow can be resource-heavy in terms of both memory and CPU usage, especially when dealing with a large number of tasks and DAGs.
  • Learning Curve
    The learning curve can be steep for users who are not familiar with Python or the underlying concepts of workflow management.
  • Limited Real-Time Processing
    Airflow is better suited for batch processing and scheduled tasks rather than real-time event-based processing.
  • Dependency Management
    Managing task dependencies in complex DAGs can become cumbersome and may lead to configuration errors if not properly handled.

AWS AppSync features and specs

  • Managed GraphQL Service
    AWS AppSync provides a fully managed GraphQL service, which simplifies the setup and scalability of GraphQL APIs without the need to manage servers.
  • Real-time Data Synchronization
    It supports real-time updates with WebSockets, allowing applications to receive updates instantly without polling the server.
  • Integrated with AWS Services
    AppSync integrates seamlessly with other AWS services like DynamoDB, Lambda, and RDS, making it easier to develop backend solutions.
  • Offline Support
    AWS AppSync enables offline capabilities with automatic local caching and data synchronization upon reconnection, enhancing user experience in applications with intermittent connectivity.
  • Advanced Security Features
    Offers a variety of security mechanisms, including IAM, API key, OpenID Connect, and Amazon Cognito for authentication, ensuring secure access to APIs.

Possible disadvantages of AWS AppSync

  • Complex Pricing Model
    It has a complex pricing structure that involves multiple components, which might be difficult to estimate and manage for cost-effective use, especially for startups and small businesses.
  • Learning Curve
    AWS AppSync can have a steep learning curve for developers who are not familiar with GraphQL or AWS services, making the initial setup and development more time-consuming.
  • Vendor Lock-in
    Relying heavily on AWS services, including AppSync, can lead to vendor lock-in, making it challenging to switch providers or create multi-cloud strategies in the future.
  • Limitations with Complex Queries
    While AppSync is efficient for many applications, it may face limitations in supporting complex queries or advanced data transformations, which potentially require additional Lambda functions.

Analysis of Apache Airflow

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Apache Airflow is a good choice for managing complex workflows and data pipelines, particularly for organizations that require a scalable and reliable orchestration tool.

Why this product is good

  • Apache Airflow is considered good because it provides a robust and flexible platform for authoring, scheduling, and monitoring workflows. It is open-source and has a large community that contributes to its continuous improvement. Airflow's modular architecture allows for easy integration with various data sources and destinations, and its UI is user-friendly, enabling effective pipeline visualization and management. Additionally, it offers extensibility through a wide array of plugins and customization options.

Recommended for

    Apache Airflow is recommended for data engineers, data scientists, and IT professionals who need to automate and manage workflows. It is particularly suited for organizations handling large-scale data processing tasks, requiring integration with various systems, and those looking to deploy machine learning pipelines or ETL processes.

Analysis of AWS AppSync

Overall verdict

  • Yes, AWS AppSync is a good choice for developers looking to implement scalable, real-time, and secure APIs with minimal overhead. Its serverless nature and extensive feature set make it a versatile tool for a wide range of use cases.

Why this product is good

  • AWS AppSync is considered a good choice for building modern applications because it offers managed GraphQL and Pub/Sub APIs that simplify application development. It provides real-time data synchronization and offline capabilities, making it ideal for mobile and web applications. With its serverless architecture, it allows automatic scaling and reduces operational overhead. AppSync integrates seamlessly with other AWS services, enhancing security, scalability, and operational transparency.

Recommended for

  • Developers building modern web and mobile applications
  • Teams requiring real-time data synchronization
  • Organizations looking for serverless API management
  • Projects that need seamless integration with other AWS services
  • Developers preferring GraphQL for flexible front-end and back-end communication

Apache Airflow videos

Airflow Tutorial for Beginners - Full Course in 2 Hours 2022

AWS AppSync videos

Why I don't use AWS AppSync

More videos:

  • Demo - AWS AppSync Demo Application - Restaurants Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Apache Airflow and AWS AppSync)
Workflow Automation
92 92%
8% 8
Project Management
0 0%
100% 100
Automation
100 100%
0% 0
Web Service Automation
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Apache Airflow and AWS AppSync

Apache Airflow Reviews

5 Airflow Alternatives for Data Orchestration
While Apache Airflow continues to be a popular tool for data orchestration, the alternatives presented here offer a range of features and benefits that may better suit certain projects or team preferences. Whether you prioritize simplicity, code-centric design, or the integration of machine learning workflows, there is likely an alternative that meets your needs. By...
Top 8 Apache Airflow Alternatives in 2024
Apache Airflow is a workflow streamlining solution aiming at accelerating routine procedures. This article provides a detailed description of Apache Airflow as one of the most popular automation solutions. It also presents and compares alternatives to Airflow, their characteristic features, and recommended application areas. Based on that, each business could decide which...
Source: blog.skyvia.com
10 Best Airflow Alternatives for 2024
In a nutshell, you gained a basic understanding of Apache Airflow and its powerful features. On the other hand, you understood some of the limitations and disadvantages of Apache Airflow. Hence, this article helped you explore the best Apache Airflow Alternatives available in the market. So, you can try hands-on on these Airflow Alternatives and select the best according to...
Source: hevodata.com
A List of The 16 Best ETL Tools And Why To Choose Them
Apache Airflow is an open-source platform to programmatically author, schedule, and monitor workflows. The platform features a web-based user interface and a command-line interface for managing and triggering workflows.
15 Best ETL Tools in 2022 (A Complete Updated List)
Apache Airflow programmatically creates, schedules and monitors workflows. It can also modify the scheduler to run the jobs as and when required.

AWS AppSync Reviews

Best iPaaS Softwares
AWS AppSync automatically updates the data in web and mobile applications in real time, and updates data for offline users as soon as they reconnect. AppSync makes it easy to build collaborative mobile and web applications that deliver responsive, collaborative user experiences.
Source: iotbyhvm.ooo

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Apache Airflow should be more popular than AWS AppSync. It has been mentiond 75 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Apache Airflow mentions (75)

  • The DOJ Still Wants Google to Sell Off Chrome
    Is this really true? Something that can be supported by clear evidence? I’ve seen this trotted out many times, but it seems like there are interesting Apache projects: https://airflow.apache.org/ https://iceberg.apache.org/ https://kafka.apache.org/ https://superset.apache.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • 10 Must-Know Open Source Platform Engineering Tools for AI/ML Workflows
    Apache Airflow offers simplicity when it comes to scheduling, authoring, and monitoring ML workflows using Python. The tool's greatest advantage is its compatibility with any system or process you are running. This also eliminates manual intervention and increases team productivity, which aligns with the principles of Platform Engineering tools. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • Data Orchestration Tool Analysis: Airflow, Dagster, Flyte
    Data orchestration tools are key for managing data pipelines in modern workflows. When it comes to tools, Apache Airflow, Dagster, and Flyte are popular tools serving this need, but they serve different purposes and follow different philosophies. Choosing the right tool for your requirements is essential for scalability and efficiency. In this blog, I will compare Apache Airflow, Dagster, and Flyte, exploring... - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • AIOps, DevOps, MLOps, LLMOps – What’s the Difference?
    Data pipelines: Apache Kafka and Airflow are often used for building data pipelines that can continuously feed data to models in production. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Data Engineering with DLT and REST
    This article demonstrates how to work with near real-time and historical data using the dlt package. Whether you need to scale data access across the enterprise or provide historical data for post-event analysis, you can use the same framework to provide customer data. In a future article, I'll demonstrate how to use dlt with a workflow orchestrator such as Apache Airflow or Dagster.``. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
View more

AWS AppSync mentions (33)

  • Real-Time Pub/Sub with AWS AppSync Events: Introducing WebSocket Message Publishing
    The initial launch of AWS AppSync Events enabled developers to easily broadcast real-time event data to millions of subscribers using secure and performant Serverless WebSocket APIs. With this new update, developers can utilize a single WebSocket connection for both publishing and receiving events, which significantly reduces implementation complexity. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Automatically Generate REST and GraphQL APIs From Your Database
    StepZen and AWS AppSync excel at generating GraphQL APIs for MySQL and NoSQL databases. StepZen simplifies the process of combining multiple data sources, while AppSync provides smooth integration with AWS services and real-time data capabilities. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • Building Well-Architected AWS AppSync GraphQL APIs
    AWS AppSync is a fully managed serverless service from AWS for building scalable and resilient GraphQL APIs. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • Testing Serverless Applications on AWS
    For context; the web application is built with React and TypeScript which makes calls to an AppSync API that makes use of the Lambda and DynamoDB datasources. We use Step Functions to orchestrate the flow of events for complex processing like purchasing and renewing policies, and we use S3 and SQS to process document workloads. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Workarounds for AppSync Subscriptions triggers via Lambda functions
    AWS AppSync is a serverless GraphQL offering by AWS, previously I authored a blog about AWS AppSync 101 which gets you up to speed with the capabilities of AppSync and how you can leverage them in your serverless applications. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Apache Airflow and AWS AppSync, you can also consider the following products

Make.com - Tool for workflow automation (Former Integromat)

Nintex - Cloud-based digital workflow management automation platform

ifttt - IFTTT puts the internet to work for you. Create simple connections between the products you use every day.

Zapier - Connect the apps you use everyday to automate your work and be more productive. 1000+ apps and easy integrations - get started in minutes.

Microsoft Power Automate - Microsoft Power Automate is an automation platform that integrates DPA, RPA, and process mining. It lets you automate your organization at scale using low-code and AI.

Competitive Business - Competitive Business is one of the best online monitoring and tracking software that allows users to follow and monitor their competitors, help them a significant advantage and stay ahead of the pack.