Side by side
Apache Hadoop HDFS vs AWS Lake Formation
Both stand on data lake software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
HDFS is built for distributed, high-throughput storage with replication and several access interfaces. Its write model and security requirements should fit the workload and deployment plan.
Visit Apache Hadoop HDFS
Choose AWS Lake Formation if your data governance work centers on AWS and requires detailed permissions, auditing, or cross-account sharing. Permissions used through integrated services have no separate charge, but the connected services can still incur standard rates. Check the usage terms for the Storage API, Governed Tables, and storage optimizer when estimating costs.
Visit AWS Lake FormationThe facts
| Apache Hadoop HDFS | AWS Lake Formation | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | Not published |
| Runs on | API, Linux, Self-hosted, Windows | API, Web |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 2 | 4 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | hadoop.apache.org | aws.amazon.com |
| On data lake software | #1 of 19 | #4 of 19 |
Apache Hadoop HDFS: what it does well
- Designed to scale across hundreds of nodes.
- Replicates blocks and detects failed DataNodes.
- Supports Java, REST, browser, and NFS access.
- Transparent encryption is supported.
- Connectors are listed for major cloud storage services.
What to know first
- Not tuned for low-latency interactive workloads.
- Arbitrary in-place file updates are unavailable.
- Clusters without Kerberos caller authentication expose access to network users.
- Production deployment requires attention to cluster security.
AWS Lake Formation: what it does well
- Centralizes metadata and permissions through the AWS Glue Data Catalog.
- Supports access policies down to row and cell levels.
- Tag-based controls use data attributes as data changes.
- Shares data across accounts and Regions, including selected IAM principals.
- CloudTrail logs show which users or roles attempted access and when.
What to know first
- Integrated services can incur their standard usage charges.
- Storage API use is restricted to data not processed by another AWS Analytics service.
- Storage API scanned-byte billing has a 10 MB minimum.
- Governed Tables and storage optimizer have separately measured usage charges.
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