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Apache Avro VS Apache Storm

Compare Apache Avro VS Apache Storm 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 Storm logo Apache Storm

Apache Storm is a free and open source distributed realtime computation system.
  • Apache Avro Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-21
  • Apache Storm Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-03-11

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 Storm features and specs

  • Real-Time Processing
    Apache Storm is designed for processing data in real-time, which makes it ideal for applications like fraud detection, recommendation systems, and monitoring tools.
  • Scalability
    Storm is capable of scaling horizontally, allowing it to handle increasing amounts of data by adding more nodes, making it suitable for large-scale applications.
  • Fault Tolerance
    Storm provides robust fault-tolerance mechanisms by rerouting tasks from failed nodes to operational ones, ensuring continuous processing.
  • Broad Language Support
    Apache Storm supports multiple programming languages, including Java, Python, and Ruby, allowing developers to use the language they are most comfortable with.
  • Open Source Community
    Being an Apache project, Storm benefits from a strong open-source community, which contributes to its development and offers abundant resources and support.

Possible disadvantages of Apache Storm

  • Complex Setup
    Setting up and configuring Apache Storm can be complex and time-consuming, requiring detailed knowledge of its architecture and the underlying infrastructure.
  • High Learning Curve
    The architecture and components of Storm can be difficult for new users to grasp, leading to a steeper learning curve compared to some other streaming platforms.
  • Maintenance Overhead
    Managing and maintaining a Storm cluster can require significant effort, including monitoring, troubleshooting, and scaling the infrastructure.
  • Error Handling
    While Storm is fault-tolerant, its error handling at the application level can sometimes be challenging, requiring careful design to manage failures effectively.
  • Resource Intensive
    Storm can be resource-intensive, particularly in terms of memory and CPU usage, which can lead to increased costs and necessitate powerful hardware.

Apache Avro videos

CCA 175 : Apache Avro Introduction

More videos:

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

Apache Storm videos

Apache Storm Tutorial For Beginners | Apache Storm Training | Apache Storm Example | Edureka

More videos:

  • Review - Developing Java Streaming Applications with Apache Storm
  • Review - Atom Text Editor Option - Real-Time Analytics with Apache Storm

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Apache Avro and Apache Storm)
Development
100 100%
0% 0
Big Data
0 0%
100% 100
Tool
100 100%
0% 0
Stream Processing
0 0%
100% 100

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Reviews

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

Apache Avro Reviews

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Apache Storm Reviews

Top 15 Kafka Alternatives Popular In 2021
Apache Storm is a recognized, distributed, open-source real-time computational system. It is free, simple to use, and helps in easily and accurately processing multiple data streams in real-time. Because of its simplicity, it can be utilized with any programming language and that is one reason it is a developerโ€™s preferred choice. It is fast, scalable, and integrates well...
5 Best-Performing Tools that Build Real-Time Data Pipeline
Apache Storm is an open-source distributed real-time computational system for processing data streams. Similar to what Hadoop does for batch processing, Apache Storm does for unbounded streams of data in a reliable manner. Built by Twitter, Apache Storm specifically aims at the transformation of data streams. Storm has many use cases like real-time analytics, online machine...

Social recommendations and mentions

Apache Avro might be a bit more popular than Apache Storm. We know about 15 links to it since March 2021 and only 11 links to Apache Storm. 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 (15)

  • From Postgres to Iceberg
    Iceberg is able to efficiently manage large amounts of data stored in the data lake. The data layer supports storing data in open formats like Apache parquet or Avro. Apache Parquet is an open columnar data format for efficient data storage and retrieval. With this, you automatically get the benefits of column storage for your analytical workloads. Engines like Apache Spark, Apache Flink, Presto, Trino etc can be... - Source: dev.to / 9 months ago
  • Pulumi Gestalt 0.0.1 released
    A schema.json converter for easier ingestion (likely supporting Avro and Protobuf). - Source: dev.to / over 1 year 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, donโ€™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 / almost 2 years 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 2 years ago
  • Generating Avro Schemas from Go types
    The most common format for describing schema in this scenario is Apache Avro. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
View more

Apache Storm mentions (11)

  • Data Engineering and DataOps: A Beginner's Guide to Building Data Solutions and Solving Real-World Challenges
    There are several frameworks available for batch processing, such as Hadoop, Apache Storm, and DataTorrent RTS. - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago
  • Real Time Data Infra Stack
    Although this article lists a lot of targets for technical selection, there are definitely others that I haven't listed, which may be either outdated, less-used options such as Apache Storm or out of my radar from the beginning, like JAVA ecosystem. - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago
  • In One Minute : Hadoop
    Storm, a system for real-time and stream processing. - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago
  • Elon Musk reportedly wants to fire 75% of Twitterโ€™s employees
    Google has scaled well and has helped others scale, Twitter has always been behind by years. I think the only thing they did well was Twitter Storm, now taken up by Apache Foundation. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Spark for beginners - and you
    Streaming: Sparks Streamings's latency is at least 500ms, since it operates on micro-batches of records, instead of processing one record at a time. Native streaming tools like Storm, Apex or Flink might be better for low-latency applications. - Source: dev.to / over 4 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

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

Apache HBase - Apache HBase โ€“ Apache HBaseโ„ข Home

Apache Flink - Flink is a streaming dataflow engine that provides data distribution, communication, and fault tolerance for distributed computations.

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

Qubole - Qubole delivers a self-service platform for big aata analytics built on Amazon, Microsoft and Google Clouds.