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Apache Spark VS Azure Stream Analytics

Compare Apache Spark VS Azure Stream Analytics and see what are their differences

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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.

Azure Stream Analytics logo Azure Stream Analytics

Azure Stream Analytics offers real-time stream processing in the cloud.
  • Apache Spark Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-12-31
  • Azure Stream Analytics Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-21

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.

Azure Stream Analytics features and specs

  • Real-time Data Processing
    Azure Stream Analytics allows for real-time data processing, which enables businesses to analyze and process data as it is generated to make faster decisions.
  • Ease of Use
    The platform provides a simple and intuitive interface for setting up streaming jobs, making it accessible even for users with limited technical expertise.
  • Scalability
    It is designed to handle large volumes of data, allowing for automatic scaling to accommodate more data without compromising performance.
  • Integration with Azure Ecosystem
    Seamless integration with other Azure services like Azure Functions, Azure Event Hubs, and Azure Blob Storage allows for a unified cloud ecosystem.
  • Cost Efficiency
    Its pricing model based on the volume of data processed makes it cost-efficient, especially for projects that require variable or burst data processing.
  • Support for Multiple Input Sources
    It supports multiple input sources such as IoT Hub, Event Hub, and Azure Blob Storage, providing flexibility in designing the data flow architecture.

Possible disadvantages of Azure Stream Analytics

  • Limited Machine Learning Capabilities
    Azure Stream Analytics has limited built-in capabilities for complex machine learning models, requiring integration with other services for advanced analytics.
  • Complex Queries
    While powerful, the query language can be complex for users unfamiliar with SQL, potentially necessitating a learning curve for new users.
  • Geographic Availability
    Not all features are available in every Azure region, which may limit its usability for some global operations depending on the region's support.
  • Debugging and Monitoring
    Some users have reported that debugging and monitoring issues can be challenging due to limited tools compared to other more mature data processing platforms.
  • Dependency on Internet Connectivity
    As a cloud-based service, it requires reliable internet connectivity, which can be a constraint for operations in environments with unstable connections.

Apache Spark videos

+ Add

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

Azure Stream Analytics videos

+ Add

Azure Stream Analytics

More videos:

  • Review - Real-time Analytics with Azure Stream Analytics
  • Demo - Introduction to Azure Stream Analytics + Demo

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Apache Spark and Azure Stream Analytics)

Apache Spark

Azure Stream Analytics

Databases
100 100%
Databases
0% 0
Stream Processing
51 51%
Stream Processing
49% 49
Big Data
85 85%
Big Data
15% 15
Data Management
0 0%
Data Management
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 Spark and Azure Stream Analytics

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...
Source: searchbusinessanalytics.techtarget.com
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...
Source: www.spec-india.com
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...
Source: www.analyticsinsight.net

Azure Stream Analytics Reviews

We have no reviews of Azure Stream Analytics yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Apache Spark seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 70 times since March 2021. 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 (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 / 22 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 / 24 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 / 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 / 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
View more

Azure Stream Analytics mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Azure Stream Analytics yet. Tracking of Azure Stream Analytics recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Apache Spark and Azure Stream Analytics, 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.

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

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

Apache Kafka - Apache Kafka is an open-source message broker project developed by the Apache Software Foundation written in Scala.

PieSync - Seamless two-way sync between your CRM, marketing apps and Google in no time

Apache Storm - Apache Storm is a free and open source distributed realtime computation system.

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