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Spark Streaming VS Apache Spark

Compare Spark Streaming VS Apache Spark and see what are their differences

Spark Streaming logo Spark Streaming

Spark Streaming makes it easy to build scalable and fault-tolerant streaming applications.

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.
  • Spark Streaming Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-01-10
  • Apache Spark Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-12-31

Spark Streaming features and specs

  • Scalability
    Spark Streaming is highly scalable and can handle large volumes of data by distributing the workload across a cluster of machines. It leverages Apache Spark's capabilities to scale out easily and efficiently.
  • Integration
    It integrates seamlessly with other components of the Spark ecosystem, such as Spark SQL, MLlib, and GraphX, allowing for comprehensive data processing pipelines.
  • Fault Tolerance
    Spark Streaming provides fault tolerance by using Spark's micro-batching approach, which allows the system to recover data in case of a failure.
  • Ease of Use
    Spark Streaming provides high-level APIs in Java, Scala, and Python, making it relatively easy to develop and deploy streaming applications quickly.
  • Unified Platform
    It provides a unified platform for both batch and streaming data processing, allowing reuse of code and resources across different types of workloads.

Possible disadvantages of Spark Streaming

  • Latency
    Spark Streaming operates on a micro-batch processing model, which introduces latency compared to real-time processing. This may not be suitable for applications requiring immediate responses.
  • Complexity
    While it integrates well with other Spark components, building complex streaming applications can still be challenging and may require expertise in distributed systems and stream processing concepts.
  • Resource Management
    Efficiently managing cluster resources and tuning the system can be difficult, especially when dealing with variable workload and ensuring optimal performance.
  • Backpressure Handling
    Handling backpressure effectively can be a challenge in Spark Streaming, requiring careful management to prevent resource saturation or data loss.
  • Limited Windowing Support
    Compared to some stream processing frameworks, Spark Streaming has more limited options for complex windowing operations, which can restrict some advanced use cases.

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.

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.

Spark Streaming videos

Spark Streaming Vs Kafka Streams || Which is The Best for Stream Processing?

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Spark Streaming Vs Structured Streaming Comparison | Big Data Hadoop Tutorial

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

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Spark Streaming and Apache Spark)
Stream Processing
53 53%
47% 47
Databases
0 0%
100% 100
Data Management
100 100%
0% 0
Big Data
21 21%
79% 79

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Spark Streaming and Apache Spark

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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 – 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...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Apache Spark seems to be a lot more popular than Spark Streaming. While we know about 70 links to Apache Spark, we've tracked only 5 mentions of Spark Streaming. 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.

Spark Streaming mentions (5)

  • RisingWave Turns Four: Our Journey Beyond Democratizing Stream Processing
    The last decade saw the rise of open-source frameworks like Apache Flink, Spark Streaming, and Apache Samza. These offered more flexibility but still demanded significant engineering muscle to run effectively at scale. Companies using them often needed specialized stream processing engineers just to manage internal state, tune performance, and handle the day-to-day operational challenges. The barrier to entry... - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Streaming Data Alchemy: Apache Kafka Streams Meet Spring Boot
    Apache Spark Streaming: Offers micro-batch processing, suitable for high-throughput scenarios that can tolerate slightly higher latency. https://spark.apache.org/streaming/. - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
  • Choosing Between a Streaming Database and a Stream Processing Framework in Python
    Other stream processing engines (such as Flink and Spark Streaming) provide SQL interfaces too, but the key difference is a streaming database has its storage. Stream processing engines require a dedicated database to store input and output data. On the other hand, streaming databases utilize cloud-native storage to maintain materialized views and states, allowing data replication and independent storage scaling. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Machine Learning Pipelines with Spark: Introductory Guide (Part 1)
    Spark Streaming: The component for real-time data processing and analytics. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Spark for beginners - and you
    Is a big data framework and currently one of the most popular tools for big data analytics. It contains libraries for data analysis, machine learning, graph analysis and streaming live data. In general Spark is faster than Hadoop, as it does not write intermediate results to disk. It is not a data storage system. We can use Spark on top of HDFS or read data from other sources like Amazon S3. It is the designed... - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago

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 / about 2 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 30–50% resource waste due to idle Executors and suboptimal instance selection. - Source: dev.to / about 2 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 / 3 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 / 3 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 / 4 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Spark Streaming and Apache Spark, you can also consider the following products

Confluent - Confluent offers a real-time data platform built around Apache Kafka.

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

Google Cloud Dataflow - Google Cloud Dataflow is a fully-managed cloud service and programming model for batch and streaming big data processing.

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

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

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