Apache Drill vs Apache Hue

Apache Drill is a schema-free SQL query engine for Hadoop, NoSQL databases, and cloud storage. It can query raw data where it resides without first loading it, defining schemas, or transforming it. Its JSON data model supports complex and nested structures, and a single query can join data across multiple datastores. Listed sources include HBase, MongoDB, HDFS, Amazon S3, Azure Blob Storage, Google Cloud Storage, Swift, NAS, and local files. JDBC and ODBC drivers connect Drill to tools including Tableau, Qlik, MicroStrategy, Spotfire, SAS, and Excel; developers can also use its REST API in custom applications. Drill can run embedded on a laptop or in distributed mode on a server cluster, and the homepage lists Mac, Windows, and Linux. Documented security options include Kerberos, username and password authentication, Digest, authorization, and impersonation. The software is free under Apache License 2.0. A compatibility limit: official support for Hadoop 2 and Java 8 was dropped with Drill 1.22.0.

Apache Hue is a free, open-source SQL assistant for databases and data warehouses. Its SQL Editor provides autocomplete, risk alerts, and self-service troubleshooting. Query results can be charted or exported as CSV or XLS, sent to cluster storage, or saved to a table. Notebook mode supports light programming snippets, while dashboards visualize indexed data and query SQL databases. Documented connectors include Hive, Impala, Presto, Flink SQL, Spark SQL, PostgreSQL, Redshift, BigQuery, and Snowflake, among others. Table and storage browsers use existing catalog knowledge to help users locate data across databases. Queries can be shared with permissions, and administrators configure database and warehouse connectors. Documentation covers SAML single sign-on, HTTPS, a REST API, Docker, and Helm on Kubernetes. Hue is available through listed distributions including Cloudera Data Platform, AWS EMR, Google Cloud Dataproc, Azure HDInsight, and Open Data Hub.