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Python VS Azure Databricks

Compare Python VS Azure Databricks and see what are their differences

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Python logo Python

Python is a clear and powerful object-oriented programming language, comparable to Perl, Ruby, Scheme, or Java.

Azure Databricks logo Azure Databricks

Azure Databricks is a fast, easy, and collaborative Apache Spark-based big data analytics service designed for data science and data engineering.
  • Python Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-17

  • Azure Databricks Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-02

Python features and specs

  • Easy to Learn
    Python syntax is clear and readable, which makes it an excellent choice for beginners and allows for quick learning and prototyping.
  • Versatile
    Python can be used for web development, data analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, automation, and more, making it a highly versatile programming language.
  • Large Standard Library
    Python comes with a comprehensive standard library that includes modules and packages for various tasks, reducing the need to write code from scratch.
  • Strong Community Support
    Python has a large and active community, which means a wealth of third-party packages, tutorials, and documentation is available for assistance.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    Python is compatible with major operating systems like Windows, macOS, and Linux, allowing for easy development and deployment across different platforms.
  • Good for Rapid Development
    The high-level nature of Python allows for quick development cycles and fast iteration, which is ideal for startups and prototyping.

Possible disadvantages of Python

  • Performance Limitations
    Python is generally slower than compiled languages like C or Java because it is an interpreted language, which can be a drawback for performance-critical applications.
  • Global Interpreter Lock (GIL)
    The GIL in CPython, the most used Python interpreter, prevents multiple native threads from executing Python bytecodes at once, limiting multi-threading capabilities.
  • Memory Consumption
    Python can be more memory-intensive compared to some other languages, which might be a concern for applications with tight memory constraints.
  • Mobile Development
    Python is not a primary choice for mobile app development, where languages like Java, Swift, or Kotlin are more commonly used.
  • Runtime Errors
    Being a dynamically typed language, Python code can sometimes lead to runtime errors that would be caught at compile-time in statically typed languages.
  • Dependency Management
    Managing dependencies in Python projects can sometimes be complex and cumbersome, especially when dealing with conflicting versions of libraries.

Azure Databricks features and specs

  • Scalability
    Azure Databricks enables easy scaling of workloads up or down, allowing users to handle large volumes of data and perform distributed processing efficiently.
  • Integration
    Seamlessly integrates with other Azure services, such as Azure Data Lake Storage and Azure SQL Data Warehouse, facilitating a streamlined data pipeline.
  • Collaboration
    Offers collaborative features like notebooks that allow multiple users to work together easily on data analytics projects.
  • Performance Optimization
    Built on top of Apache Spark, Azure Databricks provides high performance and optimized execution for data engineering and machine learning tasks.
  • Managed Service
    As a fully managed service, it handles infrastructure provisioning and maintenance, enabling users to focus on data insights rather than backend management.

Possible disadvantages of Azure Databricks

  • Cost
    Azure Databricks can be expensive, particularly for large-scale and long-running workloads, which may be a concern for budget-conscious organizations.
  • Complexity
    Despite its capabilities, Azure Databricks may have a steep learning curve, especially for users not familiar with Apache Spark.
  • Vendor Lock-in
    Leveraging Azure-specific services can lead to vendor lock-in, making it challenging to migrate workloads and data to other cloud platforms.
  • Limited Offline Capabilities
    As a cloud-native service, it requires an active internet connection and might not suit scenarios that require offline processing.
  • Compliance Concerns
    Due to Azure Databricks' integration with Azure, users need to carefully manage compliance and data governance, which might be complex in multi-regional deployments.

Python videos

Creator of Python Programming Language, Guido van Rossum | Oxford Union

Azure Databricks videos

Azure Databricks is Easier Than You Think

More videos:

  • Review - Ingest, prepare & transform using Azure Databricks & Data Factory | Azure Friday
  • Review - Azure Databricks - What's new! | DB102

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Python and Azure Databricks)
Programming Language
100 100%
0% 0
Technical Computing
0 0%
100% 100
OOP
100 100%
0% 0
Office & Productivity
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 Python and Azure Databricks

Python Reviews

Pine Script Alternatives: A Comprehensive Guide to Trading Indicator Languages
Technical analysis in trading has come a long way, with various programming languages emerging to support traders in developing custom indicators. While Pine Script has been a popular choice for many, alternatives like Indie, ThinkScript, NinjaScript, MetaQuotes Language (MQL), and even general-purpose languages like Python and C++ are gaining traction. Let’s explore these...
Source: medium.com
Top 5 Most Liked and Hated Programming Languages of 2022
No wonder Python is one of the easiest programming languages to work upon. This general-purpose programming language finds immense usage in the field of web development, machine learning applications, as well as cutting-edge technology in the software industry. The fact that Python is used by major tech giants such as Amazon, Facebook, Google, etc. is good enough proof as to...
Top 10 Rust Alternatives
This programming langue is typed statically and operates on a complied system. It works based on several computing languages Python, Ada, and Modula.
15 data science tools to consider using in 2021
Python is the most widely used programming language for data science and machine learning and one of the most popular languages overall. The Python open source project's website describes it as "an interpreted, object-oriented, high-level programming language with dynamic semantics," as well as built-in data structures and dynamic typing and binding capabilities. The site...
The 10 Best Programming Languages to Learn Today
Python's variety of applications make it a powerful and versatile language for different use cases. Python-based web development frameworks like Django and Flask are gaining popularity fast. It's also equipped with quality machine learning and data analysis tools like Scikit-learn and Pandas.
Source: ict.gov.ge

Azure Databricks Reviews

10 Best Big Data Analytics Tools For Reporting In 2022
Azure Databricks is a data analytics tool optimized for Microsoft’s Azure cloud services solution. It provides three development environments for data-intensive apps, namely Databricks SQL, Databricks Machine Learning, and Databricks Data Science & Engineering.The platform supports languages including Python, Java, R, Scala, and SQL, plus data science frameworks and...
Source: theqalead.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Python seems to be a lot more popular than Azure Databricks. While we know about 288 links to Python, we've tracked only 2 mentions of Azure Databricks. 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.

Python mentions (288)

  • A Beginner's Guide to Auto-Instrumenting a Flask App with OpenTelemetry and SigNoz
    If Python is not installed, download it from python.org or use your system's package manager (e.g., sudo apt install python3 on Ubuntu). - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Scraping Infinite Scroll Pages with a 'Load More' Button: A Step-by-Step Guide
    Python Installed: Download and install the latest Python version from python.org, including pip during setup. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • Get Started with Python
    First, you'll need to install Python if you don't have it already. Go to the official Python website python.org, download the latest version, and follow the instructions. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Unlocking DuckDB from Anywhere - A Guide to Remote Access with Apache Arrow and Flight RPC (gRPC)
    Python: We’ll use Python for it’s simplicity and accessibility. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Python Packaging is Great Now: `uv` is all you need
    Bootstrapping was an often neglected problem. Should we tell people to install Python from https://python.org? The Anaconda distribution? How do we stop folks from using their system package manager and risk breaking everything? - Source: dev.to / 9 months ago
View more

Azure Databricks mentions (2)

  • Top 30 Microsoft Azure Services
    In the big data space, Azure offers Azure Databricks. This is an Apache Spark big data analytics and machine learning service over a Distributed File System. The distributed cluster of nodes running analytics and AI operations in parallel allow for fast processing of large volumes of data and integration with popular machine learning libraries such as PyTorch unleash endless possibilities for custom ML. - Source: dev.to / almost 4 years ago
  • ZooKeeper-free Kafka is out. First Demo
    https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/databricks. - Source: Hacker News / about 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Python and Azure Databricks, you can also consider the following products

JavaScript - Lightweight, interpreted, object-oriented language with first-class functions

IBM Cloud Pak for Data - Move to cloud faster with IBM Cloud Paks running on Red Hat OpenShift – fully integrated, open, containerized and secure solutions certified by IBM.

Rust - A safe, concurrent, practical language

MyAnalytics - MyAnalytics, now rebranded to Microsoft Viva Insights, is a customizable suite of tools that integrates with Office 365 to drive employee engagement and increase productivity.

Java - A concurrent, class-based, object-oriented, language specifically designed to have as few implementation dependencies as possible

MicroStrategy - MicroStrategy is a cloud-based platform providing business intelligence, mobile intelligence and network applications.