Apache Hive vs Greenplum Database
Apache Hive
hive.apache.orgGreenplum Database
greenplum.orgSide by side
| Figure | Apache Hive | Greenplum Database |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Analytics Databases | 9.0 (#4) | 8.2 (#12) |
| Spec score · Data Warehouse Software | 9.0 (#4) | 8.1 (#7) |
| Spec score · OLAP Databases | 8.9 (#5) | 8.1 (#11) |
| Deployment | The official quickstart provides Docker instructions for running HiveServer2 and the Metastore in a container. | The maker lists deployment on public clouds including AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform, as well as VCF, OpenStack private clouds, and on-premises. |
| Integrations | The project site names Spark, Presto, and Impala as integrations; it also describes Apache Ranger for authorization and Apache Atlas for lineage and governance. | The maker describes streaming ingestion with Tanzu Greenplum Streaming Server on Kubernetes and a certified standalone Apache NiFi connector for Greenplum 7. |
| Notable limit | The Apache Hive community declared the 3.x release line end of life in October 2024, with no further updates or releases planned for that series. | Greenplum’s documented access control supports object-level privileges; row-level and column-level access control are not supported. |
| Purpose | Apache Hive is a distributed, fault-tolerant data warehouse system for reading, writing, and managing large datasets with SQL. | Greenplum Database is an open-source, PostgreSQL-based data warehouse for analytics, machine learning, and AI. |
| Security | The site describes Kerberos authentication, fine-grained access control, and audit logging; HiveServer2 documentation also lists LDAP, PAM, and custom authentication options. | The maker states Tanzu Greenplum uses STIG hardening and FIPS 140-3 cryptographic modules for encryption at rest and in transit. |
| Storage | The project site describes support for S3, Azure Data Lake, and Google Cloud Storage. | It supports append-optimized row or column storage, and its column-oriented storage can be compressed. |
Plans
Greenplum Database
- Greenplum Database (open source)Free
- VMware Tanzu GreenplumPriced on request
In their own words
Apache Hive
Apache Hive is a distributed data warehouse system for reading, writing, and managing large datasets with SQL. Its Metastore keeps shared metadata for tables and partitions and serves clients including Hive, Impala, and Spark; HiveServer2 supports concurrent clients through JDBC and ODBC. Hive provides full ACID transactions for ORC tables and insert-only transactions for other formats. Documented storage options include S3, Azure Data Lake, and Google Cloud Storage, and Hive supports Apache Iceberg tables through a StorageHandler. Named integrations include Spark, Presto, and Impala, with Apache Ranger for authorization and Apache Atlas for lineage and governance. Security options described by the project include Kerberos, fine-grained access control, and audit logging; HiveServer2 also lists LDAP, PAM, and custom authentication. The quickstart includes Docker instructions for the server and Metastore. Hive is free open-source software. The installation manual lists Java 8, Maven 3.6.3, Protobuf 2.5, Hadoop 3.3.6, and Tez among current prerequisites; Hive 4.2.x instead requires JDK 21 minimum and works with Hadoop 3.4.1 and Tez 0.10.5.
Greenplum Database
Greenplum Database is a PostgreSQL-based, open-source data warehouse for analytics, machine learning, and AI. Its architecture spreads data and query work across a cluster: a coordinator divides queries among segment servers. The project describes it for large analytical warehouses and business intelligence, including petabyte-scale data. Query planning can use GPORCA alongside the PostgreSQL-based planner. Storage options include append-optimized row and column formats, with compression for column storage. PXF connectors connect to Hadoop, object stores including Azure, Google Cloud Storage, MinIO, and S3, and SQL databases through JDBC. External tables can be queried or used to load outside data; PXF also supports querying Apache Iceberg foreign tables. Clients can connect through psql, ODBC, or JDBC. Greenplum is available as a free open-source project under Apache 2, while the commercial VMware Tanzu Greenplum offering is priced on request. It supports on-premises deployment and data lakes. Documented access control covers object privileges; row-level and column-level access controls are not supported.