Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Apache Arrow VS Apache Hive

Compare Apache Arrow VS Apache Hive and see what are their differences

Apache Arrow logo Apache Arrow

Apache Arrow is a cross-language development platform for in-memory data.

Apache Hive logo Apache Hive

Apache Hive data warehouse software facilitates querying and managing large datasets residing in distributed storage.
  • Apache Arrow Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-03
  • Apache Hive Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-13

Apache Arrow features and specs

  • In-Memory Columnar Format
    Apache Arrow stores data in a columnar format in memory which allows for efficient data processing and analytics by enabling operations on entire columns at a time.
  • Language Agnostic
    Arrow provides libraries in multiple languages such as C++, Java, Python, R, and more, facilitating cross-language development and enabling data interchange between ecosystems.
  • Interoperability
    Arrow's ability to act as a data transfer protocol allows easy interoperability between different systems or applications without the need for serialization or deserialization.
  • Performance
    Designed for high performance, Arrow can handle large data volumes efficiently due to its zero-copy reads and SIMD (Single Instruction, Multiple Data) operations.
  • Ecosystem Integration
    Arrow integrates well with various data processing systems like Apache Spark, Pandas, and more, making it a versatile choice for data applications.

Possible disadvantages of Apache Arrow

  • Complexity
    The use of Apache Arrow can introduce additional complexity, especially for smaller projects or those which do not require high-performance data interchange.
  • Learning Curve
    Getting accustomed to Apache Arrow can take time due to its unique in-memory format and APIs, especially for developers who are new to columnar data processing.
  • Memory Usage
    While Arrow excels in speed and performance, the memory consumption can be higher compared to row-based storage formats, potentially becoming a bottleneck.
  • Maturity
    Although rapidly evolving, some Arrow components or language implementations may not be as mature or feature-complete, potentially leading to limitations in certain use cases.
  • Integration Challenges
    While Arrow aims for broad compatibility, integrating it into existing systems may require substantial effort, affecting development timelines.

Apache Hive features and specs

  • Scalability
    Apache Hive is built on top of Hadoop, allowing it to efficiently handle large datasets by distributing the load across a cluster of machines.
  • SQL-like Interface
    Hive provides a familiar SQL-like querying language, HiveQL, which makes it easier for users with SQL knowledge to perform data analysis on large datasets without needing to learn a new syntax.
  • Integration with Hadoop Ecosystem
    Hive integrates seamlessly with other components of the Hadoop ecosystem such as HDFS for storage and MapReduce for processing, making it a versatile tool for big data processing.
  • Schema on Read
    Hive uses a schema-on-read model which allows it to work with flexible data schemas and handle unstructured or semi-structured data efficiently.
  • Extensibility
    Users can extend Hive's capabilities by writing custom UDFs (User Defined Functions), UDAFs (User Defined Aggregate Functions), and SerDes (Serializers/ Deserializers).

Possible disadvantages of Apache Hive

  • Latency in Query Processing
    Queries in Hive often take longer to execute compared to traditional databases, as they are converted to MapReduce jobs which can introduce significant latency.
  • Limited Real-time Processing
    Hive is designed for batch processing and is not suitable for real-time analytics due to its reliance on MapReduce, which is not optimized for low-latency operations.
  • Complex Configuration
    Setting up Hive and configuring it to work optimally within a Hadoop cluster can be complex and require a significant amount of effort and expertise.
  • Lack of Support for Transactions
    Hive does not natively support full ACID transactions, which can be a limitation for applications that require consistent transaction management across large datasets.
  • Dependency on Hadoop
    Hive's reliance on the Hadoop ecosystem means it inherits some of Hadoop's limitations, such as a steep learning curve and the need for substantial resources to manage a cluster.

Apache Arrow videos

Wes McKinney - Apache Arrow: Leveling Up the Data Science Stack

More videos:

  • Review - "Apache Arrow and the Future of Data Frames" with Wes McKinney
  • Review - Apache Arrow Flight: Accelerating Columnar Dataset Transport (Wes McKinney, Ursa Labs)

Apache Hive videos

Hive vs Impala - Comparing Apache Hive vs Apache Impala

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Apache Arrow and Apache Hive)
Databases
45 45%
55% 55
Big Data
34 34%
66% 66
NoSQL Databases
100 100%
0% 0
Relational Databases
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Apache Arrow should be more popular than Apache Hive. It has been mentiond 40 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 Arrow mentions (40)

  • Show HN: Typed-arrow โ€“ compileโ€‘time Arrow schemas for Rust
    I had no idea what Arrow is: https://arrow.apache.org or arrow-rs: https://github.com/apache/arrow-rs. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 months ago
  • Show HN: Pontoon, an open-source data export platform
    - Open source: Pontoon is free to use by anyone Under the hood, we use Apache Arrow (https://arrow.apache.org/) to move data between sources and destinations. Arrow is very performant - we wanted to use a library that could handle the scale of moving millions of records per minute. In the shorter-term, there are several improvements we want to make, like:. - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • Unlocking DuckDB from Anywhere - A Guide to Remote Access with Apache Arrow and Flight RPC (gRPC)
    Apache Arrow : It contains a set of technologies that enable big data systems to process and move data fast. - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
  • Using Polars in Rust for high-performance data analysis
    One of the main selling points of Polars over similar solutions such as Pandas is performance. Polars is written in highly optimized Rust and uses the Apache Arrow container format. - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
  • Kotlin DataFrame โค๏ธ Arrow
    Kotlin DataFrame v0.14 comes with improvements for reading Apache Arrow format, especially loading a DataFrame from any ArrowReader. This improvement can be used to easily load results from analytical databases (such as DuckDB, ClickHouse) directly into Kotlin DataFrame. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
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Apache Hive mentions (8)

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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Apache Arrow and Apache Hive, you can also consider the following products

Redis - Redis is an open source in-memory data structure project implementing a distributed, in-memory key-value database with optional durability.

Apache Spark - Apache Spark is an engine for big data processing, with built-in modules for streaming, SQL, machine learning and graph processing.

Apache Parquet - Apache Parquet is a columnar storage format available to any project in the Hadoop ecosystem.

Apache Doris - Apache Doris is an open-source real-time data warehouse for big data analytics.

DuckDB - DuckDB is an in-process SQL OLAP database management system

ClickHouse - ClickHouse is an open-source column-oriented database management system that allows generating analytical data reports in real time.