Apache Impala

Free plan APILinuxMacSelf-hosted

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What Apache Impala is

Apache Impala is an open-source analytic database for SQL queries on open data and table formats. It is designed for low-latency, high-concurrency business intelligence and analytics across the Hadoop ecosystem, with linear scaling that also applies to multitenant environments. It works with HDFS, HBase, and Amazon S3, and supports formats including delimited text, Parquet, Avro, SequenceFile, and RCFile, along with Snappy, GZIP, Deflate, and BZIP codecs. Users can connect through impala-shell, Hue, JDBC, or ODBC. Impala reuses file formats, metadata, security, and resource-management frameworks from Hadoop deployments, and shares metadata and an ODBC driver with Apache Hive. It can query Kudu tables and perform updates or deletes, and interact with Iceberg tables registered in the Hive Metastore. Kerberos authentication, Apache Ranger fine-grained authorization, auditing, and encrypted JDBC or ODBC connections are supported. Impala is free under the Apache License 2.0, with source and binary releases. It is available for Linux, macOS, API use, and self-hosted deployment. It does not replace MapReduce-based batch frameworks such as Hive for long-running ETL and batch jobs.

Who it suits

Apache Impala suits teams running SQL-based BI and analytic queries on Hadoop ecosystem data. It may fit deployments using supported storage and table formats that need high-concurrency queries.

What it does well

Supports SQL and multiple client interfaces.
Works with HDFS, HBase, and Amazon S3.
Can query Kudu and interact with Iceberg tables.
Integrates Kerberos, Ranger authorization, and auditing.
Free under the Apache License 2.0.

What to know first

Does not replace Hive for long-running batch jobs.
Listed deployment is self-hosted.

Limits

The free Apache Impala plan is open-source software under Apache License 2.0. Impala does not replace MapReduce-based frameworks such as Hive for long-running ETL and batch work.

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Apache Impala open-source software	free of charge · Apache License 2.0 · source and binary releases	Free

As impala.apache.org lists them, read 1 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

Open the Apache Impala website.
Choose a release from the downloads page; DEB and RPM packages are available from GitHub Releases.
Install and run Impala in a self-hosted Linux or macOS environment.
Connect using impala-shell, Hue, JDBC or ODBC.

Verdict

Apache Impala is a free analytic database for SQL queries across supported open data formats and Hadoop infrastructure. It is not a substitute for MapReduce-based frameworks handling long-running ETL or batch work.

Questions

How much does Apache Impala cost?

The listed plan is free, billed free of charge, under Apache License 2.0.

Is Apache Impala open source?

Yes. It is open-source software under Apache License 2.0, with source and binary releases.

Which platforms does Impala support?

The listed platforms are API, Linux, macOS and self-hosted deployment.

Which data sources and formats can it query?

Listed sources include HDFS, HBase, Amazon S3, Apache Kudu, Apache Iceberg, ADLS, Isilon and Apache Ozone. Formats include delimited text, Parquet, Avro, SequenceFile and RCFile.

Can Impala handle changing data?

It can query Kudu tables and perform efficient updates or deletes when data changes continuously or in small batches.

Is Impala intended for batch ETL?

It does not replace MapReduce-based batch frameworks such as Hive, which are suited to long-running ETL and batch jobs.

Facts from Apache Impala's own pages

Batch-processing limitation: Impala does not replace MapReduce-based batch frameworks such as Hive, which are suited to long-running ETL and batch jobs. · impala.apache.org, 1 Oct 2026
Client interfaces: Clients can connect through impala-shell, Hue, JDBC, or ODBC. · impala.apache.org, 1 Oct 2026
Data formats: Supported formats include delimited text, Parquet, Avro, SequenceFile, and RCFile, with Snappy, GZIP, Deflate, and BZIP compression codecs. · impala.apache.org, 1 Oct 2026
Downloads: The downloads page lists releases with SHA512 checksums and GPG signatures, and says DEB/RPM packages are available from GitHub Releases. · impala.apache.org, 1 Oct 2026
Encrypted connections: JDBC and ODBC applications can use Kerberos authentication, TLS/SSL encryption, or both. · impala.apache.org, 1 Oct 2026
Iceberg integration: Impala can add existing Iceberg tables to the Hive Metastore with CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE and interact with them. · impala.apache.org, 1 Oct 2026
Infrastructure reuse: Impala uses the same file and data formats, metadata, security, and resource-management frameworks as Hadoop deployments. · impala.apache.org, 1 Oct 2026
Kudu integration: Impala can query Kudu tables and perform efficient update or delete operations when data changes continuously or in small batches. · impala.apache.org, 1 Oct 2026
Product type: Apache Impala is an open-source native analytic database for open data and table formats. · impala.apache.org, 1 Oct 2026
Query performance: Impala provides low-latency and high-concurrency BI and analytic queries on the Hadoop ecosystem. · impala.apache.org, 1 Oct 2026
Scaling: Impala scales linearly, including in multitenant environments. · impala.apache.org, 1 Oct 2026
Security: Impala integrates Kerberos authentication with Apache Ranger fine-grained authorization and provides auditing capabilities. · impala.apache.org, 1 Oct 2026
SQL compatibility: Impala supports SQL and uses the same metadata and ODBC driver as Apache Hive. · impala.apache.org, 1 Oct 2026
Storage systems: Impala supports data in HDFS, HBase, and Amazon S3. · impala.apache.org, 1 Oct 2026
Support channels: The project provides user and developer mailing lists, Jira issues, Slack, Stack Overflow, and Quora community channels. · impala.apache.org, 1 Oct 2026