Apache Hadoop HDFS vs Azure Table Storage
Apache Hadoop HDFS
hadoop.apache.org
Azure Table Storage
azure.microsoft.comSide by side
| Figure | Apache Hadoop HDFS | Azure Table Storage |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · Data Lake Software | 8.9 (#1) | 7.5 (#8) |
| Purpose | HDFS is a distributed file system designed for high-throughput access to large application data sets on commodity hardware. | Azure Table Storage is a NoSQL key-value store for structured and semi-structured data with a schemaless design. |
| Support | The project asks users not to request private support from its non-paid volunteers and directs help requests to module mailing lists. | All Azure customers have billing and subscription management support, while technical support is available to customers with a support plan. |
Plans
Apache Hadoop HDFS
- Apache Hadoop HDFSFree
- Apache Hadoop / HDFS open-source distributionFree
Azure Table Storage
- Azure Table Storage pay-as-you-goPrice not published
In their own words
Apache Hadoop HDFS
Apache Hadoop HDFS is a free, open-source distributed file system for high-throughput access to large application data sets on commodity hardware. It is designed for clusters of hundreds of nodes and can support tens of millions of files in one instance. HDFS copies file blocks across machines and detects failed DataNodes so it can start creating replacement copies. Its design prioritizes batch processing and streaming throughput rather than low-latency interactive workloads. Files follow a write-once, read-many model: appends and truncates are supported, but arbitrary in-place changes are not. Applications can connect through Java, a C wrapper, REST, a browser interface or an NFS gateway. The documentation lists connectors for Google Cloud Storage, Amazon S3, Azure Blob Storage and Azure Data Lake Storage. HDFS supports transparent encryption. Apache warns that without Kerberos caller authentication, anyone with network access to cluster servers can access data and run code, and recommends securing clusters before production. Apache also recommends checking release downloads with GPG signatures or SHA-512 checksums. The listed stable release is Hadoop 3.5.0, dated April 2, 2026.
Azure Table Storage
Azure Table Storage has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.