Convert Avro to Arrow

Avro is a row-based data serialization system developed within Apache's Hadoop project. It provides rich data structures and a compact, fast binary data format.

Technical Details

Avro uses JSON for defining data schemas, which are stored with the data. This enables schema evolution while maintaining compatibility. The data itself is stored in a compact binary format.

Advantages

• Compact binary serialization
• Schema definition included with the data
• Support for schema evolution
• Dynamic typing and code generation

Limitations

• Not human-readable without special tools
• Less widely supported than formats like JSON or CSV
• More complex to implement than simpler formats
• Less efficient for columnar queries than Parquet

Apache Arrow is a cross-language platform for in-memory data. It defines a standard columnar memory format for flat and hierarchical data that works across different programming languages. This format is optimized for efficient analytics on modern hardware like CPUs and GPUs.

Arrow can handle complex nested data structures and lets you query and work with specific columns without reading the entire dataset.

Key Features

• Columnar memory format for flat and hierarchical data
• Works with any programming language
• Optimized for analytics and modern hardware
• Supports complex nested data structures
• Enables efficient zero-copy reads

Use Cases

Apache Arrow shines in scenarios like:

• Big data processing and analytics
• Machine learning and AI pipelines
• Data exchange between different systems and languages
• High-performance computing applications

Its efficient memory layout and standardized format make it a great choice for applications that need fast data processing and compatibility between different tools and languages.