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Apache Thrift VS PostGraphile

Compare Apache Thrift VS PostGraphile and see what are their differences

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Apache Thrift logo Apache Thrift

An interface definition language and communication protocol for creating cross-language services.

PostGraphile logo PostGraphile

GraphQL API for Postgres
  • Apache Thrift Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-07-12
  • PostGraphile Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-12-23

Apache Thrift features and specs

  • Cross-Language Support
    Apache Thrift supports numerous programming languages including Java, Python, C++, Ruby, and more, enabling seamless communication between services written in different languages.
  • Efficient Serialization
    Thrift offers efficient binary serialization which helps in reducing the payload size and improves the communication speed between services.
  • Service Definition Flexibility
    Thrift provides a robust interface definition language (IDL) for defining and generating code for services with strict type checking, fostering strong contract interfaces.
  • Scalability
    Due to its lightweight and efficient serialization mechanisms, Apache Thrift can handle a large number of simultaneous client connections, making it suitable for scalable distributed systems.
  • Versioning Support
    Thrift supports service versioning which helps in evolving APIs without disrupting existing services or clients.

Possible disadvantages of Apache Thrift

  • Steep Learning Curve
    For new users, especially those not familiar with RPC frameworks, learning and understanding Thrift’s IDL and operations can be complex and time-consuming.
  • Documentation and Community Support
    Compared to some alternative technologies, Apache Thrift's documentation and community support can be less robust, which might pose challenges in troubleshooting or seeking guidance.
  • Lack of Advanced Features
    Thrift does not support some advanced features like streaming or multiplexing out of the box, which could limit its use in complex systems requiring these functionalities.
  • Infrastructure Overhead
    Integrating Thrift into an existing system might introduce infrastructure overhead both in initial setup and ongoing maintenance, especially when dealing with multiple languages.
  • Protocol Limitations
    While Thrift is highly efficient, its protocol limitations might require additional workarounds for certain data structures or transport mechanisms, complicating development.

PostGraphile features and specs

  • Automatic API Generation
    PostGraphile automatically generates a GraphQL API from a PostgreSQL database, simplifying the development process by eliminating the need to manually create API endpoints.
  • Efficient Performance
    PostGraphile is optimized for performance, offering features like query planning and batching to ensure that it handles large and complex queries efficiently.
  • Rapid Prototyping
    The tool enables rapid prototyping by quickly turning a database schema into a working API, which is useful for testing ideas and building MVPs.
  • Feature Rich
    PostGraphile supports various advanced features out-of-the-box, such as real-time updates with subscriptions, advanced filtering, and pagination.
  • Strong PostgreSQL Integration
    Being specifically designed for PostgreSQL, PostGraphile provides deep integration with PostgreSQL features, making it possible to leverage database functions, views, and security features directly.

Possible disadvantages of PostGraphile

  • Steep Learning Curve
    While powerful, PostGraphile can be complex to learn, especially for developers unfamiliar with PostgreSQL or GraphQL, due to its extensive configuration options and feature set.
  • Limited to PostgreSQL
    PostGraphile is designed to work specifically with PostgreSQL, which means it cannot be used with other databases like MySQL or MongoDB, limiting its applicability in diverse tech stacks.
  • Overhead for Simple Applications
    For simple applications, the advanced features and automatic generation can create unnecessary overhead, potentially complicating simple CRUD operations.
  • Less Control Over SQL
    Since automatic GraphQL generation is based on the database schema, developers may have less fine-grained control over the SQL queries that are generated, which can be a limitation for highly optimized or specific query requirements.
  • Dependency on Database Schema
    Changes in the database schema directly affect the API, which can be a drawback if the schema evolves frequently, requiring more cautious database management to ensure API stability.

Analysis of Apache Thrift

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Apache Thrift is considered to be a good option for projects needing cross-language communication and efficient serialization. Its efficiency and wide adoption have proven it to be a reliable framework in many production environments.

Why this product is good

  • Apache Thrift is a widely used framework for scalable cross-language services development. It allows for seamless communication between programs written in different languages by providing code generation and serialization capabilities for a variety of languages. Thrift supports an efficient binary protocol and is highly customizable, making it a robust choice for services that require performance and flexibility. Additionally, it's an open-source project under the Apache Software Foundation, which ensures it has a strong community and ongoing updates.

Recommended for

  • Organizations that require cross-language service communication
  • Projects that need high-performance and low-latency data transmission
  • Developers looking for a framework with support for multiple programming languages
  • Teams looking for a customizable serialization protocol

Apache Thrift videos

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Apache Thrift

PostGraphile videos

+ Add

Full-Stack Developer talks PostGraphile, GraphQL, Angular and Philosophy of Developing!

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Apache Thrift and PostGraphile)

Apache Thrift

PostGraphile

Web Servers
100 100%
Web Servers
0% 0
Realtime Backend / API
0 0%
Realtime Backend / API
100% 100
Web And Application Servers
100 100%
Web And Application Servers
0% 0
GraphQL
0 0%
GraphQL
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Apache Thrift and PostGraphile. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Apache Thrift seems to be a lot more popular than PostGraphile. While we know about 13 links to Apache Thrift, we've tracked only 1 mention of PostGraphile. 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 Thrift mentions (13)

  • Show HN: TypeSchema – A JSON specification to describe data models
    I once read a paper about Apache/Meta Thrift [1,2]. It allows you to define data types/interfaces in a definition file and generate code for many programming languages. It was specifically designed for RPCs and microservices. [1]: https://thrift.apache.org/. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • Delving Deeper: Enriching Microservices with Golang with CloudWeGo
    While gRPC and Apache Thrift have served the microservice architecture well, CloudWeGo's advanced features and performance metrics set it apart as a promising open source solution for the future. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Reddit System Design/Architecture
    Services in general communicate via Thrift (and in some cases HTTP). Source: over 3 years ago
  • Universal type language!
    Protocol Buffers is the most popular one, but there are many others such as Apache Thrift and my own Typical. Source: over 3 years ago
  • You worked on it? Why is it slow then?
    RPC is not strictly OO, but you can think of RPC calls like method calls. In general it will reflect your interface design and doesn't have to be top-down, although a good project usually will look that way. A good contrast to REST where you use POST/PUT/GET/DELETE pattern on resources where as a procedure call could be a lot more flexible and potentially lighter weight. Think of it like defining methods in code... Source: almost 4 years ago
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PostGraphile mentions (1)

  • [Question] What will it take to create an automated graphQL API with Elixir?
    There are tools like Hasura/Haskell, Postgraphile/Node.js or Graphjin/Golang that could generate an automatic graphQL API from a Postgres database. Im new to Elixir and really love it. I wonder if there is anything similar these. I heard about Absinthe for graphQL, however as far as I understand it requires to write your own resolvers. What will it take to create a similar tool in Elixir like the one stated above?... Source: almost 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Apache Thrift and PostGraphile, you can also consider the following products

Docker Hub - Docker Hub is a cloud-based registry service

Hasura - Hasura is an open platform to build scalable app backends, offering a built-in database, search, user-management and more.

Apache ZooKeeper - Apache ZooKeeper is an effort to develop and maintain an open-source server which enables highly reliable distributed coordination.

GraphQL - GraphQL is a data query language and runtime to request and deliver data to mobile and web apps.

Eureka - Eureka is a contact center and enterprise performance through speech analytics that immediately reveals insights from automated analysis of communications including calls, chat, email, texts, social media, surveys and more.

Oracle PL/SQL - PL/SQL is Oracle's procedural extension to industry-standard SQL.

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