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TimescaleDB VS Apache Spark

Compare TimescaleDB VS Apache Spark and see what are their differences

TimescaleDB logo TimescaleDB

TimescaleDB is a time-series SQL database providing fast analytics, scalability, with automated data management on a proven storage engine.

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.
  • TimescaleDB Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-23
  • Apache Spark Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-12-31

TimescaleDB features and specs

  • Scalability
    TimescaleDB offers excellent horizontal and vertical scalability, which allows it to handle large volumes of data efficiently. Its architecture is designed to accommodate growth by distributing and efficiently managing data shards.
  • Time-Series Data Optimization
    Specifically optimized for time-series data, TimescaleDB provides features like hypertables and continuous aggregates that speed up queries and optimize storage for time-based data.
  • SQL Compatibility
    As an extension of PostgreSQL, TimescaleDB offers full SQL support, making it familiar to developers and allowing easy integration with existing SQL-based systems and applications.
  • Retention Policies
    TimescaleDB includes built-in data retention policies, enabling automatic management of historical data and freeing up storage by performing automatic data roll-ups or deletes.
  • Integration with the PostgreSQL Ecosystem
    It benefits from PostgreSQL's rich ecosystem of extensions, tools, and optimizations, allowing for versatile use cases beyond just time-series data while maintaining robust reliability and performance.

Possible disadvantages of TimescaleDB

  • Learning Curve
    Although it’s SQL-based, developers might face a learning curve to fully leverage TimescaleDB's time-series specific features such as hypertables and specific optimization techniques.
  • Limited Write Scalability
    While it's scalable, TimescaleDB might face challenges with extremely high-throughput write workloads compared to some NoSQL time-series databases, which are specifically built for such tasks.
  • Dependency on PostgreSQL
    As it operates as a PostgreSQL extension, any limitations and issues in PostgreSQL might directly affect TimescaleDB's performance and capabilities.
  • Complexity in Setup for High Availability
    Setting up TimescaleDB with high availability and distributed systems might introduce complexities, particularly for organizations that are not well-versed in PostgreSQL clustering and replication strategies.
  • Storage Overhead
    The additional storage features add an overhead, which means that while it adds value with its optimizations, users need to manage storage resources effectively, especially in environments with very large datasets.

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.

TimescaleDB videos

Rearchitecting a SQL Database for Time-Series Data | TimescaleDB

More videos:

  • Review - Visualizing Time-Series Data with TimescaleDB and Grafana

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 TimescaleDB and Apache Spark)
Databases
30 30%
70% 70
Time Series Database
100 100%
0% 0
Big Data
0 0%
100% 100
Relational Databases
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

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

TimescaleDB Reviews

ClickHouse vs TimescaleDB
Recently, TimescaleDB published a blog comparing ClickHouse & TimescaleDB using timescale/tsbs, a timeseries benchmarking framework. I have some experience with PostgreSQL and ClickHouse but never got the chance to play with TimescaleDB. Some of the claims about TimescaleDB made in their post are very bold, that made me even more curious. I thought it’d be a great...
4 Best Time Series Databases To Watch in 2019
The Guardian did a very nice article explaining on they went from MongoDB to PostgresSQL in the favor of scaling their architecture and encrypting their content at REST. As you can tell, big companies are relying on SQL-constraint systems (with a cloud architecture of course) to ensure system reliability and accessibility. I believe that PostgresSQL will continue to grow, so...
Source: medium.com
20+ MongoDB Alternatives You Should Know About
TimescaleDB If on the other hand you are storing time series data in MongoDB, then TimescaleDB might be a good fit.
Source: www.percona.com

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 TimescaleDB. While we know about 70 links to Apache Spark, we've tracked only 5 mentions of TimescaleDB. 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.

TimescaleDB mentions (5)

  • Ask HN: Does anyone use InfluxDB? Or should we switch?
    (:alert: I work for Timescale :alert:) It's funny, we hear this more and more "we did some research and landed on Influx and ... Help it's confusing". We actually wrote an article about what we think, you can find it here: https://www.timescale.com/blog/what-influxdb-got-wrong/ As the QuestDB folks mentioned if you want a drop in replacement for Influx then they would be an option, it kinda sounds that's not what... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Best small scale dB for time series data?
    If you like PostgreSQL, I'd recommend starting with that. Additionally, you can try TimescaleDB (it's a PostgreSQL extension for time-series data with full SQL support) it has many features that are useful even on a small-scale, things like:. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Quick n Dirty IoT sensor & event storage (Django backend)
    I have built a Django server which serves up the JSON configuration, and I'd also like the server to store and render sensor graphs & event data for my Thing. In future, I'd probably use something like timescale.com as it is a database suited for this application. However right now I only have a handful of devices, and don't want to spend a lot of time configuring my back end when the Thing is my focus. So I'm... Source: over 3 years ago
  • How fast and scalable is TimescaleDB compare to a NoSQL Database?
    I've seen a lot of benchmark results on timescale on the web but they all come from timescale.com so I just want to ask if those are accurate. Source: over 3 years ago
  • The State of PostgreSQL 2021 Survey is now open!
    Ryan from Timescale here. We (TimescaleDB) just launched the second annual State of PostgreSQL survey, which asks developers across the globe about themselves, how they use PostgreSQL, their experiences with the community, and more. Source: about 4 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 / 12 days 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 / 14 days 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 / about 2 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 / about 2 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 / 3 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

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

InfluxData - Scalable datastore for metrics, events, and real-time analytics.

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

Prometheus - An open-source systems monitoring and alerting toolkit.

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

VictoriaMetrics - Fast, easy-to-use, and cost-effective time series database

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