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Apache Spark VS Apache ORC

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

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 ORC logo Apache ORC

Apache ORC is a columnar storage for Hadoop workloads.
  • Apache Spark Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-12-31
  • Apache ORC Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-09-18

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 ORC features and specs

  • Efficient Compression
    ORC provides highly efficient compression, which reduces the storage footprint of data and enhances performance by decreasing I/O operations.
  • Columnar Storage
    The columnar storage format significantly improves read performance by allowing for selective access to necessary columns while ignoring others.
  • Predicate Pushdown
    ORC supports predicate pushdown, enabling the query engine to skip over non-relevant data, thus enhancing query performance.
  • Type Richness
    ORC supports complex types (like structs and maps), making it suitable for diverse data storage and query needs.
  • Schema Evolution
    It facilitates seamless schema evolution, allowing easier adjustments to the dataset over time without breaking existing queries.
  • Built-in Indexes
    Indexes such as bloom filters and min/max values are built-in, accelerating query processing by enabling quicker data lookup.

Possible disadvantages of Apache ORC

  • Complexity
    The intricacies of its features may introduce additional complexity in implementation and maintenance, potentially increasing the learning curve.
  • Write Performance
    While ORC is optimized for read-heavy workloads, its write performance can be less efficient compared to other formats like Parquet.
  • Compatibility
    ORC may not be as widely supported as other formats, limiting the choice of tools and environments that can leverage its full capabilities.
  • Compression Overhead
    The process of compressing and decompressing data can introduce a computational overhead, affecting performance in some scenarios.

Analysis of Apache Spark

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Apache Spark is generally considered good, especially for organizations and individuals that require efficient and fast data processing capabilities. It is well-supported, frequently updated, and widely adopted in the industry, making it a reliable choice for big data solutions.

Why this product is good

  • Apache Spark is highly valued because it provides a fast and general-purpose cluster-computing framework for big data processing. It offers extensive libraries for SQL, streaming, machine learning, and graph processing, making it versatile for various data processing needs. Its in-memory computing capability boosts the processing speed significantly compared to traditional disk-based processing. Additionally, Spark integrates well with Hadoop and other big data tools, providing a seamless ecosystem for large-scale data analysis.

Recommended for

  • Data scientists and engineers working with large datasets.
  • Organizations leveraging machine learning and analytics for decision-making.
  • Businesses needing real-time data processing capabilities.
  • Developers looking to integrate with Hadoop ecosystems.
  • Teams requiring robust support for multiple data sources and formats.

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

Apache ORC videos

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

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Apache Spark and Apache ORC)
Databases
95 95%
5% 5
Big Data
92 92%
8% 8
Data Dashboard
0 0%
100% 100
Stream Processing
100 100%
0% 0

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 Spark and Apache ORC

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 โ€“ 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...

Apache ORC Reviews

We have no reviews of Apache ORC yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Apache Spark seems to be a lot more popular than Apache ORC. While we know about 72 links to Apache Spark, we've tracked only 3 mentions of Apache ORC. 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 Spark mentions (72)

  • Gravitino - the unified metadata lake
    In the meantime, other query engine support is on the roadmap, including Apache Spark, Apache Flink, and others. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Introducing RisingWave's Hosted Iceberg Catalog-No External Setup Needed
    Because the hosted catalog is a standard JDBC catalog, tools like Spark, Trino, and Flink can still access your tables. For example:. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Every Database Will Support Iceberg โ€” 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 โ€” Spark, Flink, Trino, DuckDB, Snowflake, RisingWave โ€” can read and/or write Iceberg data directly. - Source: dev.to / 5 months 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 30โ€“50% resource waste due to idle Executors and suboptimal instance selection. - Source: dev.to / 6 months 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 / 7 months ago
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Apache ORC mentions (3)

  • Java Serialization with Protocol Buffers
    The information can be stored in a database or as files, serialized in a standard format and with a schema agreed with your Data Engineering team. Depending on your information and requirements, it can be as simple as CSV, XML or JSON, or Big Data formats such as Parquet, Avro, ORC, Arrow, or message serialization formats like Protocol Buffers, FlatBuffers, MessagePack, Thrift, or Cap'n Proto. - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
  • AWS EMR Cost Optimization Guide
    Data formatting is another place to make gains. When dealing with huge amounts of data, finding the data you need can take up a significant amount of your compute time. Apache Parquet and Apache ORC are columnar data formats optimized for analytics that pre-aggregate metadata about columns. If your EMR queries column intensive data like sum, max, or count, you can see significant speed improvements by reformatting... - Source: dev.to / almost 4 years ago
  • Apache Hudi - The Streaming Data Lake Platform
    The following stack captures layers of software components that make up Hudi, with each layer depending on and drawing strength from the layer below. Typically, data lake users write data out once using an open file format like Apache Parquet/ORC stored on top of extremely scalable cloud storage or distributed file systems. Hudi provides a self-managing data plane to ingest, transform and manage this data, in a... - Source: dev.to / about 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

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

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

Apache Parquet - Apache Parquet is a columnar storage format available to any project in the Hadoop ecosystem.

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

Google BigQuery - A fully managed data warehouse for large-scale data analytics.

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

BlueData - BlueData's software platform makes it easier, faster and more cost-effective for organizations to deploy Big Data infrastructure on-premises.