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Apache Samza

samza.apache.org

Free plan LinuxAPISelf-hosted
Visit samza.apache.org
Spec score 7.8 #11 of 25 in Streaming Analytics Software

What it is

Apache Samza is a free, open-source distributed framework for applications that process data from multiple sources in real time. It supports stateless and stateful workloads, using a scalable, fault-tolerant state store for retained application state. Developers can use the high-level Streams API, lower-level Task API, Samza SQL or an Apache Beam API; Beam support for Python and Go is described as work in progress. Java and Scala applications can embed Samza as a lightweight client library. Built-in integrations include Apache Kafka, AWS Kinesis, Azure Event Hubs, Elasticsearch and Apache Hadoop, with custom sources also supported. Samza runs on YARN, Kubernetes or as a standalone library across public-cloud, containerized and bare-metal environments. Host affinity and incremental checkpointing help recover tasks and their state after failures. Processing is at least once. The project supports SQL processing and event-time windows, and its documentation describes applications with several terabytes of state and thousands of cores. Samza is self-hosted on Linux and distributed as source artifacts and through Maven; there is no binary release at this time.

Spec sheet

Purpose
Apache Samza is a distributed stream-processing framework for building stateful applications that process data in real time from multiple sources.Read 2 Oct 2026 · samza.apache.org
Deployment
Samza supports deployment on YARN, Kubernetes, or as a standalone library, and its documentation describes running applications across public clouds, containerized environments, and bare-metal hardware.Read 2 Oct 2026 · samza.apache.org
Integrations
Built-in integrations include Apache Kafka, AWS Kinesis, Azure Event Hubs, Elasticsearch, and Apache Hadoop, and custom sources can also be integrated.Read 2 Oct 2026 · samza.apache.org
Security
The background documentation says Samza works with YARN, which supports Hadoop’s security model, and uses Linux cgroups for resource isolation.Read 2 Oct 2026 · samza.apache.org
Support
The project directs users to a user mailing list subscribed to by Samza users, contributors, and committers.Read 2 Oct 2026 · samza.apache.org
Founded
2013Read 28 Sep 2026 · samza.apache.org
APIs
It provides a high-level Streams API, a low-level Task API, Samza SQL, and an Apache Beam API; Python and Go support for Beam are described as work in progress.Read 2 Oct 2026 · samza.apache.org
Distribution
Samza is distributed as a source artifact and through Maven; the download page says it does not have a binary release at this time.Read 2 Oct 2026 · samza.apache.org
Processing
Samza supports both stateless and stateful stream processing, with a scalable, fault-tolerant state store for stateful workloads.Read 2 Oct 2026 · samza.apache.org
Processing guarantee
Samza supports at-least-once processing.Read 2 Oct 2026 · samza.apache.org
Recovery
Samza supports host affinity and incremental checkpointing to help recover tasks and their associated state after failures.Read 2 Oct 2026 · samza.apache.org
Scale
The documentation says Samza has been used in applications with several terabytes of state and thousands of cores.Read 2 Oct 2026 · samza.apache.org
Supported language
Samza can be embedded as a lightweight client library in Java and Scala applications.Read 2 Oct 2026 · samza.apache.org

Plans and prices

Apache Samza Free Open-source stream-processing framework · source artifacts and Maven distribution Read 2 Oct 2026 · samza.apache.org

Every Apache Samza plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Stateful processing with a fault-tolerant state store
  • Kafka, Kinesis, Event Hubs, Elasticsearch and Hadoop integrations
  • Runs on YARN, Kubernetes or standalone
  • Incremental checkpointing supports state recovery
  • Supports SQL and event-time windows

Limits

  • Processing guarantee is at least once
  • Python and Go Beam support is work in progress
  • No binary release is currently provided
  • Self-hosted deployment requires operational infrastructure

Who it suits

It suits developers building stateful or stateless real-time applications from multiple event sources. Java and Scala teams can embed it, while operators can deploy it on YARN, Kubernetes or standalone infrastructure.

Verdict

Samza combines multiple stream APIs, source connectors and state recovery options for real-time applications. Its at-least-once guarantee and source-only distribution are important deployment considerations.

Where Specifiction places it

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