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Apache Flink VS Apache Ambari

Compare Apache Flink VS Apache Ambari and see what are their differences

Apache Flink logo Apache Flink

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

Apache Ambari logo Apache Ambari

Ambari is aimed at making Hadoop management simpler by developing software for provisioning, managing, and monitoring Hadoop clusters.
  • Apache Flink Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-03
  • Apache Ambari Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-08

Apache Flink features and specs

  • Real-time Stream Processing
    Apache Flink is designed for real-time data streaming, offering low-latency processing capabilities that are essential for applications requiring immediate data insights.
  • Event Time Processing
    Flink supports event time processing, which allows it to handle out-of-order events effectively and provide accurate results based on the time events actually occurred rather than when they were processed.
  • State Management
    Flink provides robust state management features, making it easier to maintain and query state across distributed nodes, which is crucial for managing long-running applications.
  • Fault Tolerance
    The framework includes built-in mechanisms for fault tolerance, such as consistent checkpoints and savepoints, ensuring high reliability and data consistency even in the case of failures.
  • Scalability
    Apache Flink is highly scalable, capable of handling both batch and stream processing workloads across a distributed cluster, making it suitable for large-scale data processing tasks.
  • Rich Ecosystem
    Flink has a rich set of APIs and integrations with other big data tools, such as Apache Kafka, Apache Hadoop, and Apache Cassandra, enhancing its versatility and ease of integration into existing data pipelines.

Possible disadvantages of Apache Flink

  • Complexity
    Flink’s advanced features and capabilities come with a steep learning curve, making it more challenging to set up and use compared to simpler stream processing frameworks.
  • Resource Intensive
    The framework can be resource-intensive, requiring substantial memory and CPU resources for optimal performance, which might be a concern for smaller setups or cost-sensitive environments.
  • Community Support
    While growing, the community around Apache Flink is not as large or mature as some other big data frameworks like Apache Spark, potentially limiting the availability of community-contributed resources and support.
  • Ecosystem Maturity
    Despite its integrations, the Flink ecosystem is still maturing, and certain tools and plugins may not be as developed or stable as those available for more established frameworks.
  • Operational Overhead
    Running and maintaining a Flink cluster can involve significant operational overhead, including monitoring, scaling, and troubleshooting, which might require a dedicated team or additional expertise.

Apache Ambari features and specs

  • Centralized Management
    Apache Ambari provides a centralized platform to manage, monitor, and provision Hadoop clusters efficiently. This feature simplifies the administration tasks by offering a single interface for managing cluster operations.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    Ambari offers a graphical user interface (GUI) that is intuitive and easy to use, enabling administrators to manage clusters without requiring extensive command-line knowledge.
  • Automated Installation
    It supports automated installation and configuration of Hadoop components, reducing the complexity and time required to set up a cluster.
  • Real-time Monitoring
    Ambari provides real-time insights into cluster health and performance through a variety of metrics and dashboards, allowing for proactive management.
  • Extensibility
    The platform is designed to be extensible, allowing developers to write custom alerts and metrics, thus adapting the system to meet specific needs.

Possible disadvantages of Apache Ambari

  • Resource Intensive
    Ambari can consume significant system resources, especially in larger clusters, which could impact performance if resources are not adequately provisioned.
  • Limited Support for Non-Hadoop Ecosystems
    The primary focus of Apache Ambari is on Hadoop ecosystems, and it lacks extensive support for non-Hadoop big data technologies, which can limit its applicability in heterogeneous environments.
  • Complexity for Small Clusters
    For smaller Hadoop deployments, the use of Ambari might be overkill and add unnecessary complexity due to its comprehensive nature.
  • Dependency on Updates
    Users can encounter compatibility issues or bugs following updates, which can require troubleshooting and delay important operations.
  • Steep Learning Curve for Customization
    While it is extensible, customization in Ambari can have a steep learning curve, demanding deeper technical knowledge to implement specific configurations or custom components.

Apache Flink videos

GOTO 2019 • Introduction to Stateful Stream Processing with Apache Flink • Robert Metzger

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Apache Flink Tutorial | Flink vs Spark | Real Time Analytics Using Flink | Apache Flink Training
  • Tutorial - How to build a modern stream processor: The science behind Apache Flink - Stefan Richter

Apache Ambari videos

No Apache Ambari videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Apache Flink and Apache Ambari)
Big Data
89 89%
11% 11
Data Dashboard
0 0%
100% 100
Stream Processing
100 100%
0% 0
Development
0 0%
100% 100

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Apache Flink seems to be a lot more popular than Apache Ambari. While we know about 41 links to Apache Flink, we've tracked only 1 mention of Apache Ambari. 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 Flink mentions (41)

  • What is Apache Flink? Exploring Its Open Source Business Model, Funding, and Community
    Continuous Learning: Leverage online tutorials from the official Flink website and attend webinars for deeper insights. - Source: dev.to / 6 days ago
  • Is RisingWave the Next Apache Flink?
    Apache Flink, known initially as Stratosphere, is a distributed stream processing engine initiated by a group of researchers at TU Berlin. Since its initial release in May 2011, Flink has gained immense popularity in both academia and industry. And it is currently the most well-known streaming system globally (challenge me if you think I got it wrong!). - Source: dev.to / 20 days ago
  • Every Database Will Support Iceberg — Here's Why
    Apache Iceberg defines a table format that separates how data is stored from how data is queried. Any engine that implements the Iceberg integration — Spark, Flink, Trino, DuckDB, Snowflake, RisingWave — can read and/or write Iceberg data directly. - Source: dev.to / 24 days ago
  • RisingWave Turns Four: Our Journey Beyond Democratizing Stream Processing
    The last decade saw the rise of open-source frameworks like Apache Flink, Spark Streaming, and Apache Samza. These offered more flexibility but still demanded significant engineering muscle to run effectively at scale. Companies using them often needed specialized stream processing engineers just to manage internal state, tune performance, and handle the day-to-day operational challenges. The barrier to entry... - Source: dev.to / 29 days ago
  • Twitter's 600-Tweet Daily Limit Crisis: Soaring GCP Costs and the Open Source Fix Elon Musk Ignored
    Apache Flink: Flink is a unified streaming and batching platform developed under the Apache Foundation. It provides support for Java API and a SQL interface. Flink boasts a large ecosystem and can seamlessly integrate with various services, including Kafka, Pulsar, HDFS, Iceberg, Hudi, and other systems. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
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Apache Ambari mentions (1)

  • In One Minute : Hadoop
    Ambari, A web-based tool for provisioning, managing, and monitoring Apache Hadoop clusters which includes support for Hadoop HDFS, Hadoop MapReduce, Hive, HCatalog, HBase, ZooKeeper, Oozie, Pig and Sqoop. Ambari also provides a dashboard for viewing cluster health such as heatmaps and ability to view MapReduce, Pig and Hive applications visually along with features to diagnose their performance characteristics in... - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Apache Flink and Apache Ambari, you can also consider the following products

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

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

Amazon Kinesis - Amazon Kinesis services make it easy to work with real-time streaming data in the AWS cloud.

Apache HBase - Apache HBase – Apache HBase™ Home

Spring Framework - The Spring Framework provides a comprehensive programming and configuration model for modern Java-based enterprise applications - on any kind of deployment platform.

Apache Mahout - Distributed Linear Algebra