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Apache Storm VS AWS Lambda

Compare Apache Storm VS AWS Lambda 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 Storm logo Apache Storm

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

AWS Lambda logo AWS Lambda

Automatic, event-driven compute service
  • Apache Storm Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-03-11
  • AWS Lambda Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-29

Apache Storm features and specs

  • Real-Time Processing
    Apache Storm is designed for processing data in real-time, which makes it ideal for applications like fraud detection, recommendation systems, and monitoring tools.
  • Scalability
    Storm is capable of scaling horizontally, allowing it to handle increasing amounts of data by adding more nodes, making it suitable for large-scale applications.
  • Fault Tolerance
    Storm provides robust fault-tolerance mechanisms by rerouting tasks from failed nodes to operational ones, ensuring continuous processing.
  • Broad Language Support
    Apache Storm supports multiple programming languages, including Java, Python, and Ruby, allowing developers to use the language they are most comfortable with.
  • Open Source Community
    Being an Apache project, Storm benefits from a strong open-source community, which contributes to its development and offers abundant resources and support.

Possible disadvantages of Apache Storm

  • Complex Setup
    Setting up and configuring Apache Storm can be complex and time-consuming, requiring detailed knowledge of its architecture and the underlying infrastructure.
  • High Learning Curve
    The architecture and components of Storm can be difficult for new users to grasp, leading to a steeper learning curve compared to some other streaming platforms.
  • Maintenance Overhead
    Managing and maintaining a Storm cluster can require significant effort, including monitoring, troubleshooting, and scaling the infrastructure.
  • Error Handling
    While Storm is fault-tolerant, its error handling at the application level can sometimes be challenging, requiring careful design to manage failures effectively.
  • Resource Intensive
    Storm can be resource-intensive, particularly in terms of memory and CPU usage, which can lead to increased costs and necessitate powerful hardware.

AWS Lambda features and specs

  • Scalability
    AWS Lambda automatically scales your application by running your code in response to each trigger. This means no manual intervention is required to handle varying levels of traffic.
  • Cost-effectiveness
    You only pay for the compute time you consume. Billing is metered in increments of 100 milliseconds and you are not charged when your code is not running.
  • Reduced Operations Overhead
    AWS Lambda abstracts the infrastructure management layer, so there is no need to manage or provision servers. This allows you to focus more on writing code for your applications.
  • Flexibility
    Supports multiple programming languages such as Python, Node.js, Ruby, Java, Go, and .NET, which allows you to use the language you are most comfortable with.
  • Integration with Other AWS Services
    Seamlessly integrates with many other AWS services such as S3, DynamoDB, RDS, SNS, and more, making it versatile and highly functional.
  • Automatic Scaling and Load Balancing
    Handles thousands of concurrent requests without managing the scaling yourself, making it suitable for applications requiring high availability and reliability.

Possible disadvantages of AWS Lambda

  • Cold Start Latency
    The first request to a Lambda function after it has been idle for a certain period can take longer to execute. This is referred to as a 'cold start' and can impact performance.
  • Resource Limits
    Lambda has defined limits, such as a maximum execution timeout of 15 minutes, memory allocation ranging from 128 MB to 10,240 MB, and temporary storage up to 512 MB.
  • Vendor Lock-in
    Using AWS Lambda ties you into the AWS ecosystem, making it difficult to migrate to another cloud provider or an on-premises solution without significant modifications to your application.
  • Complexity of Debugging
    Debugging and monitoring distributed, serverless applications can be more complex compared to traditional applications due to the lack of direct access to the underlying infrastructure.
  • Cold Start Issues with VPC
    When Lambda functions are configured to access resources within a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), the cold start latency can be exacerbated due to additional VPC networking overhead.
  • Limited Execution Control
    AWS Lambda is designed for stateless, short-running tasks and may not be suitable for long-running processes or tasks requiring complex orchestration.

Analysis of AWS Lambda

Overall verdict

  • AWS Lambda is a strong choice for developers looking for scalable, event-driven applications with minimal management overhead. It is particularly beneficial for applications that experience intermittent traffic or unpredictable workloads.

Why this product is good

  • AWS Lambda is a popular serverless computing service because it allows users to run code without provisioning or managing servers. It automatically scales applications by running code in response to triggers such as HTTP requests, changes in data, or system events. This can significantly reduce operational overhead and costs, as you only pay for the compute time you consume.

Recommended for

  • Developers building microservices or serverless applications.
  • Companies looking to reduce infrastructure management.
  • Startups wanting to quickly deploy applications with limited operational costs.
  • Organizations needing to integrate with other AWS services for a comprehensive solution.
  • Projects with unpredictable or variable workloads that require automatic scaling.

Apache Storm videos

Apache Storm Tutorial For Beginners | Apache Storm Training | Apache Storm Example | Edureka

More videos:

  • Review - Developing Java Streaming Applications with Apache Storm
  • Review - Atom Text Editor Option - Real-Time Analytics with Apache Storm

AWS Lambda videos

AWS Lambda Vs EC2 | Serverless Vs EC2 | EC2 Alternatives

More videos:

  • Tutorial - AWS Lambda Tutorial | AWS Tutorial for Beginners | Intro to AWS Lambda | AWS Training | Edureka
  • Tutorial - AWS Lambda | What is AWS Lambda | AWS Lambda Tutorial for Beginners | Intellipaat

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Apache Storm and AWS Lambda)
Big Data
100 100%
0% 0
Cloud Computing
0 0%
100% 100
Stream Processing
100 100%
0% 0
Cloud Hosting
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 Storm and AWS Lambda

Apache Storm Reviews

Top 15 Kafka Alternatives Popular In 2021
Apache Storm is a recognized, distributed, open-source real-time computational system. It is free, simple to use, and helps in easily and accurately processing multiple data streams in real-time. Because of its simplicity, it can be utilized with any programming language and that is one reason it is a developer’s preferred choice. It is fast, scalable, and integrates well...
5 Best-Performing Tools that Build Real-Time Data Pipeline
Apache Storm is an open-source distributed real-time computational system for processing data streams. Similar to what Hadoop does for batch processing, Apache Storm does for unbounded streams of data in a reliable manner. Built by Twitter, Apache Storm specifically aims at the transformation of data streams. Storm has many use cases like real-time analytics, online machine...

AWS Lambda Reviews

Top 7 Firebase Alternatives for App Development in 2024
AWS Lambda is suitable for applications with varying workloads and those already using the AWS ecosystem.
Source: signoz.io

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, AWS Lambda seems to be a lot more popular than Apache Storm. While we know about 277 links to AWS Lambda, we've tracked only 11 mentions of Apache Storm. 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 Storm mentions (11)

  • Data Engineering and DataOps: A Beginner's Guide to Building Data Solutions and Solving Real-World Challenges
    There are several frameworks available for batch processing, such as Hadoop, Apache Storm, and DataTorrent RTS. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Real Time Data Infra Stack
    Although this article lists a lot of targets for technical selection, there are definitely others that I haven't listed, which may be either outdated, less-used options such as Apache Storm or out of my radar from the beginning, like JAVA ecosystem. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • In One Minute : Hadoop
    Storm, a system for real-time and stream processing. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Elon Musk reportedly wants to fire 75% of Twitter’s employees
    Google has scaled well and has helped others scale, Twitter has always been behind by years. I think the only thing they did well was Twitter Storm, now taken up by Apache Foundation. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Spark for beginners - and you
    Streaming: Sparks Streamings's latency is at least 500ms, since it operates on micro-batches of records, instead of processing one record at a time. Native streaming tools like Storm, Apex or Flink might be better for low-latency applications. - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago
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AWS Lambda mentions (277)

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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Apache Storm and AWS Lambda, you can also consider the following products

Apache Spark - Apache Spark is an engine for big data processing, with built-in modules for streaming, SQL, machine learning and graph processing.

Amazon S3 - Amazon S3 is an object storage where users can store data from their business on a safe, cloud-based platform. Amazon S3 operates in 54 availability zones within 18 graphic regions and 1 local region.

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

Amazon API Gateway - Create, publish, maintain, monitor, and secure APIs at any scale

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

Google App Engine - A powerful platform to build web and mobile apps that scale automatically.