Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Apache Mahout VS Apache Flink

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

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Apache Mahout logo Apache Mahout

Distributed Linear Algebra

Apache Flink logo Apache Flink

Flink is a streaming dataflow engine that provides data distribution, communication, and fault tolerance for distributed computations.
  • Apache Mahout Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-18
  • Apache Flink Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-03

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 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 Mahout videos

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

More videos:

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

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

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Apache Mahout and Apache Flink)
Data Science And Machine Learning
Big Data
0 0%
100% 100
Data Dashboard
100 100%
0% 0
Stream Processing
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Apache Mahout and Apache Flink. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Apache Flink seems to be a lot more popular than Apache Mahout. While we know about 41 links to Apache Flink, we've tracked only 3 mentions of Apache Mahout. 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 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 / 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

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 / 9 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 / 22 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 / 27 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 / about 1 month 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
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Apache Mahout and Apache Flink, 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 – Apache HBase™ Home

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

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

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