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Apache Flink

Score9 out of 10

5 Reviews and Ratings

What is Apache Flink?

Apache Flink is a framework and distributed processing engine designed for stateful computations over unbounded and bounded data streams. It is a versatile solution suitable for companies of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises. According to the vendor, Apache Flink is utilized by a range of professionals and industries, including data engineers, data scientists, software engineers, IT professionals, and the financial services sector.

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Product Demos

Top Performing Features

  • Real-Time Data Analysis

    Ability to analyze data in motion

    Category average: 8.5

  • Low Latency

    How many milli-seconds or seconds it takes to ingest, analyze and respond to an incoming event or data-point

    Category average: 8.4

  • Data Enrichment

    Ability to enrich the data stream with static reference data

    Category average: 7.7

Areas for Improvement

  • Linear Scale-Out

    Easy to scale out or scale down by visually changing the resource allocation. This allows changes in load or traffic to be handled without interruptions

    Category average: 7.5

  • Data Ingestion from Multiple Data Sources

    Ability to ingest data from many sources including Internet of Things (IoT) endpoint data, stock trading data etc, as well as static data

    Category average: 8.7

  • Data wrangling and preparation

    Tools to rapidly prepare data for analysis by normalization, data cleansing, etc.

    Category average: 7.8

Who Buys & Uses Apache Flink

Unrivaled Excellence in Streaming Processing and Fault Tolerance

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Apache Flink is employed within our company exclusively in our real-time data pipeline. Apache Flink stands out as one of the few frameworks capable of providing the scalable and distributed processing we require while ensuring the integrity and fault tolerance of our pipeline through its built-in systems. Without Apache Flink, we might struggle to get valuable insights and benefits to our business.

Pros

  • Low latency Stream Processing, enabling real-time analytics
  • Scalability, due its great parallel capabilities
  • Stateful Processing, providing several built-in fault tolerance systems
  • Flexibility, supporting both batch and stream processing

Cons

  • Python/SQL API, since both are relatively new, still misses a few features in comparison with the Java/Scala option
  • Steep Learning Curve, it's documentation could be improved to something more user-friendly, and it could also discuss more theoretical concepts than just coding
  • Community smaller than other frameworks

Return on Investment

  • Allowed for real-time data recovery, adding significant value to the busines
  • Enabled us to create new internal tools that we couldn't find in the market, becoming a strategic asset for the business
  • Enhanced the overall technical capability of the team

Alternatives Considered

Apache Spark

Other Software Used

ClickHouse, Slack, Snowflake