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Apache Kylin VS Apache Spark

Compare Apache Kylin VS Apache Spark and see what are their differences

Apache Kylin logo Apache Kylin

OLAP Engine for Big Data

Apache Spark logo Apache Spark

Apache Spark is an engine for big data processing, with built-in modules for streaming, SQL, machine learning and graph processing.
  • Apache Kylin Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-29
  • Apache Spark Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-12-31

Apache Kylin features and specs

  • High Query Performance
    Apache Kylin is designed for high-performance, low-latency analytics on large datasets. Its OLAP engine pre-computes and stores aggregated queries, which speeds up query responses significantly.
  • Scalability
    Kylin can handle massive volumes of data, making it suitable for large scale data warehousing needs. It is designed to scale out by distributing the workload across a cluster of servers.
  • Integration with Hadoop Ecosystem
    Kylin integrates seamlessly with the Hadoop ecosystem, leveraging tools like Hive, HBase, and Spark to facilitate data processing and storage, thereby enhancing its functionality and compatibility.
  • Support for Multi-dimensional Analysis
    It provides strong multidimensional analysis capabilities, allowing for complex queries using well-known BI tools like Tableau and Power BI.

Possible disadvantages of Apache Kylin

  • Complex Setup
    Setting up and configuring Apache Kylin can be complex and time-consuming, requiring a deep understanding of the Hadoop ecosystem and its components.
  • Resource Intensity
    The pre-computation of data cubes and their storage can be resource-intensive, consuming significant memory and storage capacity.
  • Limited Flexibility in Querying
    Pre-aggregated cube-based analysis may not cover all ad-hoc queries. Kylin's strength lies in pre-aggregated queries but may fall short in handling highly dynamic, on-the-fly queries.
  • Maintenance Overhead
    Maintaining Kylin’s precomputed cubes can become cumbersome, particularly as data evolves or changes frequently, requiring updates or recalculations of cubes.

Apache Spark features and specs

  • Speed
    Apache Spark processes data in-memory, significantly increasing the processing speed of data tasks compared to traditional disk-based engines.
  • Ease of Use
    Spark offers high-level APIs in Java, Scala, Python, and R, making it accessible to a broad range of developers and data scientists.
  • Advanced Analytics
    Spark supports advanced analytics, including machine learning, graph processing, and real-time streaming, which can be executed in the same application.
  • Scalability
    Spark can handle both small- and large-scale data processing tasks, scaling seamlessly from a single machine to thousands of servers.
  • Support for Various Data Sources
    Spark can integrate with a wide variety of data sources, including HDFS, Apache HBase, Apache Hive, Cassandra, and many others.
  • Active Community
    Spark has a vibrant and active community, providing a wealth of extensions, tools, and support options.

Possible disadvantages of Apache Spark

  • Memory Consumption
    Spark's in-memory processing can be resource-intensive, requiring substantial amounts of RAM, which can drive up costs for large-scale deployments.
  • Complexity in Configuration
    To optimize performance, Spark requires careful configuration and tuning, which can be complex and time-consuming.
  • Learning Curve
    Despite its ease of use, mastering the full range of Spark's features and best practices can take considerable time and effort.
  • Latency for Small Data
    For smaller datasets or low-latency requirements, Spark might not be the most efficient choice, as other technologies could offer better performance.
  • Integration Overhead
    Though Spark integrates with many systems, incorporating it into an existing data infrastructure can introduce additional overhead and complexity.
  • Community Support Variability
    While the community is active, the support and quality of third-party libraries and tools can be inconsistent, leading to potential challenges in implementation.

Apache Kylin videos

Extreme OLAP Analytics with Apache Kylin - Big Data Application Meetup

More videos:

  • Review - Apache Kylin: OLAP Cubes for NoSQL Data stores
  • Review - Installing Apache Kylin in Cloudera Quickstart VM Sandbox

Apache Spark videos

Weekly Apache Spark live Code Review -- look at StringIndexer multi-col (Scala) & Python testing

More videos:

  • Review - What's New in Apache Spark 3.0.0
  • Review - Apache Spark for Data Engineering and Analysis - Overview

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Apache Kylin and Apache Spark)
Databases
15 15%
85% 85
Big Data
15 15%
85% 85
Relational Databases
100 100%
0% 0
Stream Processing
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

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

Apache Kylin Reviews

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Apache Spark Reviews

15 data science tools to consider using in 2021
Apache Spark is an open source data processing and analytics engine that can handle large amounts of data -- upward of several petabytes, according to proponents. Spark's ability to rapidly process data has fueled significant growth in the use of the platform since it was created in 2009, helping to make the Spark project one of the largest open source communities among big...
Top 15 Kafka Alternatives Popular In 2021
Apache Spark is a well-known, general-purpose, open-source analytics engine for large-scale, core data processing. It is known for its high-performance quality for data processing – batch and streaming with the help of its DAG scheduler, query optimizer, and engine. Data streams are processed in real-time and hence it is quite fast and efficient. Its machine learning...
5 Best-Performing Tools that Build Real-Time Data Pipeline
Apache Spark is an open-source and flexible in-memory framework which serves as an alternative to map-reduce for handling batch, real-time analytics and data processing workloads. It provides native bindings for the Java, Scala, Python, and R programming languages, and supports SQL, streaming data, machine learning and graph processing. From its beginning in the AMPLab at...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Apache Spark seems to be a lot more popular than Apache Kylin. While we know about 70 links to Apache Spark, we've tracked only 1 mention of Apache Kylin. 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 Kylin mentions (1)

  • Apache Kafka Use Cases: When To Use It & When Not To
    A Kafka-based data integration platform will be a good fit here. The services can add events to different topics in a broker whenever there is a data update. Kafka consumers corresponding to each of the services can monitor these topics and make updates to the data in real-time. It is also possible to create a unified data store through the same integration platform. Developers can implement a unified store either... - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago

Apache Spark mentions (70)

  • 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 / 13 days ago
  • How to Reduce Big Data Analytics Costs by 90% with Karpenter and Spark
    Apache Spark powers large-scale data analytics and machine learning, but as workloads grow exponentially, traditional static resource allocation leads to 30–50% resource waste due to idle Executors and suboptimal instance selection. - Source: dev.to / 15 days ago
  • Unveiling the Apache License 2.0: A Deep Dive into Open Source Freedom
    One of the key attributes of Apache License 2.0 is its flexible nature. Permitting use in both proprietary and open source environments, it has become the go-to choice for innovative projects ranging from the Apache HTTP Server to large-scale initiatives like Apache Spark and Hadoop. This flexibility is not solely legal; it is also philosophical. The license is designed to encourage transparency and maintain a... - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • The Application of Java Programming In Data Analysis and Artificial Intelligence
    [1] S. Russell and P. Norvig, Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach. Pearson, 2020. [2] F. Chollet, Deep Learning with Python. Manning Publications, 2018. [3] C. C. Aggarwal, Data Mining: The Textbook. Springer, 2015. [4] J. Dean and S. Ghemawat, "MapReduce: Simplified Data Processing on Large Clusters," Communications of the ACM, vol. 51, no. 1, pp. 107-113, 2008. [5] Apache Software Foundation, "Apache... - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Automating Enhanced Due Diligence in Regulated Applications
    If you're designing an event-based pipeline, you can use a data streaming tool like Kafka to process data as it's collected by the pipeline. For a setup that already has data stored, you can use tools like Apache Spark to batch process and clean it before moving ahead with the pipeline. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Apache Kylin and Apache Spark, you can also consider the following products

Spring Batch - Level up your Java code and explore what Spring can do for you.

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

Amazon Redshift - Learn about Amazon Redshift cloud data warehouse.

Hadoop - Open-source software for reliable, scalable, distributed computing

Apache Druid - Fast column-oriented distributed data store

Apache Hive - Apache Hive data warehouse software facilitates querying and managing large datasets residing in distributed storage.