What is — Apache Iceberg
3 min readDec 13, 2023
Apache Iceberg is an open-source table format for huge analytic datasets, providing a more efficient and reliable way to handle data at scale. Initially developed by Netflix and now a part of the Apache Software Foundation, Iceberg addresses many of the limitations of older formats. Below is a detailed guide on what Apache Iceberg is and how to get started with it.
Key Features of Apache Iceberg
- Hidden Partitioning: Iceberg handles partitioning behind the scenes, simplifying data management and optimizing query performance.
- Full Snapshot Isolation: Ensures data consistency and integrity, allowing concurrent reads and writes without interference.
- Schema Evolution: Supports adding, renaming, deleting, and reordering fields without rewriting the entire dataset.
- Time Travel: Allows querying of data snapshots at specific points in time, facilitating data audit and rollback scenarios.
- File Format Agnostic: Works with popular file formats like Parquet, Avro, and ORC.
- Efficient Storage Management: Minimizes metadata size and improves read/write performance, especially…