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Apache Flink VS StreamSets

Compare Apache Flink VS StreamSets 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.

StreamSets logo StreamSets

StreamSets provides Continuous Ingest technology for the next generation of big data applications.
  • Apache Flink Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-03
  • StreamSets Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-13

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.

StreamSets features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    StreamSets provides an intuitive and visually appealing interface for designing and managing data pipelines, making it accessible even for users without extensive coding experience.
  • Real-Time Data Processing
    The platform excels at real-time data ingestion, transformation, and delivery, enabling timely insights and immediate actions on streaming data.
  • Comprehensive Connectors
    StreamSets supports a wide range of data sources and destinations out of the box, including cloud services, databases, and big data platforms, ensuring versatility in data integration tasks.
  • Data Drift Management
    It offers robust features for detecting and managing data drift, helping maintain data quality and consistency over time as source schemas evolve.
  • Scalability
    StreamSets is designed to scale effortlessly with increasing data volumes and can handle large-scale data pipelines efficiently.

Possible disadvantages of StreamSets

  • Cost
    The pricing model can be expensive, particularly for small to mid-sized enterprises, making it less accessible for organizations with limited budgets.
  • Learning Curve
    Although the interface is user-friendly, mastering the platform's advanced features and configurations may require a significant learning curve.
  • Resource Intensive
    Running StreamSets can be resource-intensive, requiring substantial computational and memory resources, which may lead to higher operational costs.
  • Limited Custom Scripting
    While StreamSets offers many in-built functionalities, it provides limited scope for custom scripting compared to other data pipeline tools, which may restrict flexibility for complex custom tasks.
  • Dependency on Internet Connectivity
    For cloud-based deployments, the performance and reliability of StreamSets can be heavily dependent on internet connectivity, which could be a concern for organizations with unstable connections.

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

StreamSets videos

What is StreamSets Transformer?

More videos:

  • Review - Making Apache Kafka Dead Easy With StreamSets | DZone.com Webinar
  • Review - Power Your Delta Lake with Streaming Transactional Changes - Rupal Shah (StreamSets)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Apache Flink and StreamSets)
Big Data
100 100%
0% 0
DevOps Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Stream Processing
100 100%
0% 0
Continuous Integration And Delivery

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Apache Flink seems to be a lot more popular than StreamSets. While we know about 40 links to Apache Flink, we've tracked only 2 mentions of StreamSets. 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 (40)

  • 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 / 13 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 / 17 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 / 22 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
  • Exploring the Power and Community Behind Apache Flink
    In conclusion, Apache Flink is more than a big data processing tool—it is a thriving ecosystem that exemplifies the power of open source collaboration. From its impressive technical capabilities to its innovative funding model, Apache Flink shows that sustainable software development is possible when community, corporate support, and transparency converge. As industries continue to demand efficient real-time data... - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
View more

StreamSets mentions (2)

  • Best way to automate JSON to CSV/Relational Tables at scale? Anyone have used Flexter?
    If you would like to take a look at https://streamsets.com/ the Data Collector product can handle this for you as well as dynamically generate the target tables. It has a number of functions to handle your JSON no matter the complexity. However, given the dynamic nature it may benefit to touch base so please feel free to chat or message me. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Data engineering in reality
    StreamSets offers a free tier and free option for training. You can build, run, and manage your pipelines in one place. Source: over 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Apache Flink and StreamSets, 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.

Terraform - Tool for building, changing, and versioning infrastructure safely and efficiently.

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

Packer - Packer is an open-source software for creating identical machine images from a single source configuration.

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

Puppet Enterprise - Get started with Puppet Enterprise, or upgrade or expand.