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Apache Avro VS Apache Mahout

Compare Apache Avro VS Apache Mahout and see what are their differences

Apache Avro logo Apache Avro

Apache Avro is a comprehensive data serialization system and acting as a source of data exchanger service for Apache Hadoop.

Apache Mahout logo Apache Mahout

Distributed Linear Algebra
  • Apache Avro Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-21
  • Apache Mahout Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-18

Apache Avro features and specs

  • Schema Evolution
    Avro supports seamless schema evolution, allowing you to add fields and change data types without impacting existing data. This flexibility is advantageous in environments where data structures frequently change.
  • Compact Binary Format
    Avro uses a compact binary format for data serialization, leading to efficient storage and faster data transmission compared to text-based formats like JSON or XML.
  • Language Agnostic
    Avro is designed to be language agnostic, with support for multiple programming languages, including Java, Python, C++, and more. This makes it easier to integrate with various systems.
  • No Code Generation Required
    Unlike other serialization frameworks such as Protocol Buffers and Thrift, Avro does not require generating code from the schema, simplifying the development process.
  • Self Describing
    Each Avro data file contains its schema, making the data self-describing. This helps maintain consistency between data producers and consumers.

Possible disadvantages of Apache Avro

  • Lack of Human Readability
    Avro's binary format is not human-readable, making it challenging to debug or inspect data without specialized tools.
  • Schema Management Overhead
    While Avro supports schema evolution, managing and maintaining these schemas across multiple services can become complex and require additional coordination.
  • Limited Support for Complex Data Types
    Avro has limitations when it comes to the representation of certain complex data types, which might necessitate workarounds or transformations that add complexity.
  • Learning Curve
    Users who are new to Apache Avro may face a learning curve to understand schema creation, evolution, and integration within their data pipelines.
  • Dependency on Schema Registry
    Using Avro effectively often requires integrating with a schema registry, adding an extra layer of infrastructure and potential points of failure.

Apache Mahout features and specs

  • Scalability
    Apache Mahout is designed to handle large data sets, leveraging Hadoop to process data in parallel across distributed computing clusters, which allows for scaling as data size increases.
  • Library of Algorithms
    Mahout offers a substantial collection of pre-built machine learning algorithms for clustering, classification, and collaborative filtering, making it easier to implement standard ML tasks without developing them from scratch.
  • Integration with Hadoop
    Seamless integration with the Hadoop ecosystem enables Mahout to efficiently process and analyze large-scale data directly within a Hadoop cluster using MapReduce.
  • Open Source
    As an open-source project under the Apache Software Foundation, Mahout benefits from continuous improvements and community support, providing transparency and flexibility for users.
  • Focus on Math
    Mahout emphasizes mathematically sound algorithms, ensuring accuracy and robustness in machine learning models, backed by a foundation in linear algebra.

Possible disadvantages of Apache Mahout

  • Complexity
    Although powerful, Mahout can be complex and difficult to use for beginners, as it requires understanding of both Hadoop and the underlying machine learning algorithms.
  • Limited Deep Learning Capabilities
    Mahout is primarily focused on traditional machine learning techniques and lacks support for more modern deep learning frameworks, which may limit its applicability for certain advanced use cases.
  • Declining Popularity
    Although once well-regarded, Mahout has seen a decline in popularity with more users favoring newer tools such as Apache Spark's MLlib, which offer improved performance and a broader range of capabilities.
  • Setup Overhead
    Setting up and configuring a Hadoop environment to run Mahout can be a non-trivial task, requiring considerable effort and resources, particularly in smaller projects or organizations without existing Hadoop infrastructure.
  • API Inconsistency
    Over time, the API has undergone changes which can cause compatibility issues or require significant code refactoring when upgrading to newer versions of Mahout.

Apache Avro videos

CCA 175 : Apache Avro Introduction

More videos:

  • Review - End to end Data Governance with Apache Avro and Atlas

Apache Mahout videos

Apache Mahout Tutorial-1 | Apache Mahout Tutorial for Beginners-1 | Edureka

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Machine Learning with Mahout | Apache Mahout Tutorial | Edureka

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Apache Avro and Apache Mahout)
Development
64 64%
36% 36
Data Dashboard
45 45%
55% 55
Data Science And Machine Learning
Tool
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Apache Avro should be more popular than Apache Mahout. It has been mentiond 14 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 Avro mentions (14)

  • Pulumi Gestalt 0.0.1 released
    A schema.json converter for easier ingestion (likely supporting Avro and Protobuf). - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Why Data Security is Broken and How to Fix it?
    Security Aware Data Metadata Data schema formats such as Avro and Json currently lack built-in support for data sensitivity or security-aware metadata. Additionally, common formats like Parquet and Iceberg, while efficient for storing large datasets, don’t natively include security-aware metadata. At Jarrid, we are exploring various metadata formats to incorporate data sensitivity and security-aware attributes... - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • Open Table Formats Such as Apache Iceberg Are Inevitable for Analytical Data
    Apache AVRO [1] is one but it has been largely replaced by Parquet [2] which is a hybrid row/columnar format [1] https://avro.apache.org/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Generating Avro Schemas from Go types
    The most common format for describing schema in this scenario is Apache Avro. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • gRPC on the client side
    Other serialization alternatives have a schema validation option: e.g., Avro, Kryo and Protocol Buffers. Interestingly enough, gRPC uses Protobuf to offer RPC across distributed components:. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
View more

Apache Mahout mentions (3)

  • Apache Mahout: A Deep Dive into Open Source Innovation and Funding Models
    Apache Mahout stands as a prime example of how open source projects can thrive through community collaboration, transparent governance, and diversified funding strategies. Its integration of traditional corporate sponsorship and avant-garde blockchain tokenization demonstrates that sustainability in open source development is not only feasible but can also be dynamic and innovative. Whether you are a developer... - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • In One Minute : Hadoop
    Mahout, a library of machine learning algorithms compatible with M/R paradigm. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • 20+ Free Tools & Resources for Machine Learning
    Mahout Apache Mahout (TM) is a distributed linear algebra framework and mathematically expressive Scala DSL designed to let mathematicians, statisticians, and data scientists quickly implement their own algorithms. - Source: dev.to / about 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Apache Avro and Apache Mahout, you can also consider the following products

Apache Ambari - Ambari is aimed at making Hadoop management simpler by developing software for provisioning, managing, and monitoring Hadoop clusters.

Apache HBase - Apache HBase – Apache HBase™ Home

Apache Pig - Pig is a high-level platform for creating MapReduce programs used with Hadoop.

Apache Oozie - Apache Oozie Workflow Scheduler for Hadoop

GMDH Shell - Powerful forecasting software for small businesses, traders and scientists.

Sqoop - A search and alerting platform for public records, so far including the SEC, the Patent Office...