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Apache Spark VS SciPy

Compare Apache Spark VS SciPy 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.

SciPy logo SciPy

SciPy is a Python-based ecosystem of open-source software for mathematics, science, and engineering.ย 
  • Apache Spark Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-12-31
  • SciPy Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-26

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.

SciPy features and specs

  • Comprehensive Library
    SciPy provides a wide range of scientific and technical computing tools, including modules for optimization, integration, interpolation, eigenvalue problems, algebraic equations, differential equations, statistics, and more.
  • Interoperability
    SciPy is built on top of NumPy, which means it naturally dovetails with other scientific computing libraries in the Python ecosystem, facilitating ease of integration and use in conjunction with libraries like Matplotlib and Pandas.
  • Active Community
    SciPy boasts a large, active community of developers and users, which provides extensive documentation, forums, and regular updates and improvements to the library.
  • Open-source
    Being an open-source library, SciPy promotes collaboration and adaptation, allowing users to contribute to its development and modify its tools to suit specific needs.

Possible disadvantages of SciPy

  • Complexity
    For beginners in scientific computing or programming, the comprehensive nature of SciPy can be overwhelming due to its broad range of functionalities and somewhat steep learning curve.
  • Performance Limitations
    Being a high-level library, SciPy may not be as performant as low-level implementations or specialized tools for very demanding computational tasks or large-scale data processing.
  • Dependency on NumPy
    While SciPy's reliance on NumPy ensures compatibility and ease of use within the Python ecosystem, it also means that its performance and limits are tied to those of NumPy.
  • Windows Limitations
    Some functions and modules of SciPy may not work as efficiently or might encounter compatibility issues when run on Windows operating systems compared to Unix-based systems.

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

SciPy videos

Numerical Computing With NumPy Tutorial | SciPy 2020 | Eric Olsen

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Land on Vector Spaces: Practical Linear Algebra with Python | SciPy 2019 Tutorial | L Barba, T Wang

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Apache Spark and SciPy)
Databases
100 100%
0% 0
Data Science And Machine Learning
Big Data
100 100%
0% 0
Technical Computing
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 Spark and SciPy

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...

SciPy Reviews

25 Python Frameworks to Master
SciPy provides a collection of algorithms and functions built on top of the NumPy. It helps to perform common scientific and engineering tasks such as optimization, signal processing, integration, linear algebra, and more.
Source: kinsta.com
Top 8 Image-Processing Python Libraries Used in Machine Learning
Scipy is used for mathematical and scientific computations but can also perform multi-dimensional image processing using the submodule scipy.ndimage. It provides functions to operate on n-dimensional Numpy arrays and at the end of the day images are just that.
Source: neptune.ai
Top Python Libraries For Image Processing In 2021
SciPy is primarily used for mathematical and scientific computations, but sometimes it can also be used for basic image manipulation and processing tasks using the submodule scipy.ndimage.At the end of the day, images are just multidimensional arrays, SciPy provides a set of functions that are used to operate n-dimensional Numpy operations. SciPy provides some basic image...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Apache Spark should be more popular than SciPy. It has been mentiond 72 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 (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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SciPy mentions (17)

  • Intro to Ray on GKE
    The Python Library components of Ray could be considered analogous to solutions like numpy, scipy, and pandas (which is most analogous to the Ray Data library specifically). As a framework and distributed computing solution, Ray could be used in place of a tool like Apache Spark or Python Dask. Itโ€™s also worthwhile to note that Ray Clusters can be used as a distributed computing solution within Kubernetes, as... - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Video Generation with Python
    Python has become a popular programming language for different applications, including data science, artificial intelligence, and web development. But, did you know creating and rendering fully customized videos with Python is also possible? At Stack Builders, we have successfully used Python libraries such as MoviePy, SciPy, and ImageMagick to generate videos with animations, text, and images. In this article, we... - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Beginning Python: Project Management With PDM
    A majority of software in the modern world is built upon various third party packages. These packages help offload work that would otherwise be rather tedious. This includes interacting with cloud APIs, developing scientific applications, or even creating web applications. As you gain experience in python you'll be using more and more of these packages developed by others to power your own code. In this example... - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • Understanding Cosine Similarity in Python with Scikit-Learn
    SciPy: a library used for scientific and technical computing. It has a function that can calculate the cosine distance, which equals 1 minus the cosine similarity. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • PSA: You don't need fancy stuff to do good work.
    Python's pandas, NumPy, and SciPy libraries offer powerful functionality for data manipulation, while matplotlib, seaborn, and plotly provide versatile tools for creating visualizations. Similarly, in R, you can use dplyr, tidyverse, and data.table for data manipulation, and ggplot2, lattice, and shiny for visualization. These packages enable you to create insightful visualizations and perform statistical analyses... Source: over 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Apache Spark and SciPy, 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.

NumPy - NumPy is the fundamental package for scientific computing with Python

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

Pandas - Pandas is an open source library providing high-performance, easy-to-use data structures and data analysis tools for the Python.

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

Matplotlib - matplotlib is a python 2D plotting library which produces publication quality figures in a variety...