Choosing the right database is a critical choice when building any software application. All databases have different strengths and weaknesses when it comes to performance, so deciding which database has the most benefits and the most minor downsides for your specific use case and data model is an important decision. Below you will find an overview of the key concepts, architecture, features, use cases, and pricing models of DataBend and Elasticsearch so you can quickly see how they compare against each other.

The primary purpose of this article is to compare how DataBend and Elasticsearch perform for workloads involving time series data, not for all possible use cases. Time series data typically presents a unique challenge in terms of database performance. This is due to the high volume of data being written and the query patterns to access that data. This article doesn’t intend to make the case for which database is better; it simply provides an overview of each database so you can make an informed decision.

DataBend vs Elasticsearch Breakdown


 
Database Model

Data warehouse

Distributed search and analytics engine, document-oriented

Architecture

DataBend can be run on your own infrastructure or using a managed service. It is designed as a cloud native system and is built to take advantage of many of the services available in cloud providers like AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure.

Elasticsearch is built on top of Apache Lucene and uses a RESTful API for communication. It stores data in a flexible JSON document format, and the data is automatically indexed for fast search and retrieval. Elasticsearch can be deployed as a single node, in a cluster configuration, or as a managed cloud service (Elastic Cloud)

License

Apache 2.0

Elastic License

Use Cases

Data analytics, Data warehousing, Real-time analytics, Big data processing

Full-text search, log and event data analysis, real-time application monitoring, analytics

Scalability

Horizontally scalable with support for distributed computing

Horizontally scalable with support for data sharding, replication, and distributed querying

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DataBend Overview

DataBend is an open-source, cloud-native data processing and analytics platform designed to provide high-performance, cost-effective, and scalable solutions for big data workloads. The project is driven by a community of developers, researchers, and industry professionals aiming to create a unified data processing platform that combines batch and streaming processing capabilities with advanced analytical features. DataBend’s flexible architecture allows users to build a wide range of applications, from real-time analytics to large-scale data warehousing.

Elasticsearch Overview

Elasticsearch is an open-source distributed search and analytics engine built on top of Apache Lucene. It was first released in 2010 and has since become popular for its scalability, near real-time search capabilities, and ease of use. Elasticsearch is designed to handle a wide variety of data types, including structured, unstructured, and time-based data. It is often used in conjunction with other tools from the Elastic Stack, such as Logstash for data ingestion and Kibana for data visualization.


DataBend for Time Series Data

DataBend’s architecture and processing capabilities make it a suitable choice for working with time series data. Its support for both batch and streaming data processing allows users to ingest, store, and analyze time series data at scale. Additionally, DataBend’s integration with Apache Arrow and its powerful query execution framework enable efficient querying and analytics on time series data, making it a versatile choice for applications that require real-time insights and analytics.

Elasticsearch for Time Series Data

Elasticsearch can be used for time series data storage and analysis, thanks to its distributed architecture, near real-time search capabilities, and support for aggregations. However, it might not be as optimized for time series data as dedicated time series databases. Despite this, Elasticsearch is widely used for log and event data storage and analysis which can be considered time series data.


DataBend Key Concepts

  • DataFusion: DataFusion is a core component of DataBend, providing an extensible query execution framework that supports both SQL and DataFrame-based query APIs.
  • Ballista: Ballista is a distributed compute platform within DataBend, built on top of DataFusion, that allows for efficient and scalable execution of large-scale data processing tasks.
  • Arrow: DataBend leverages Apache Arrow, an in-memory columnar data format, to enable efficient data exchange between components and optimize query performance.

Elasticsearch Key Concepts

  • Inverted Index: A data structure used by Elasticsearch to enable fast and efficient full-text searches.
  • Cluster: A group of Elasticsearch nodes that work together to distribute data and processing tasks.
  • Shard: A partition of an Elasticsearch index that allows data to be distributed across multiple nodes for improved performance and fault tolerance.


DataBend Architecture

DataBend is built on a cloud-native, distributed architecture that supports both NoSQL and SQL-like querying capabilities. Its modular design allows users to choose and combine components based on their specific use case and requirements. The core components of DataBend’s architecture include DataFusion, Ballista, and the storage layer. DataFusion is responsible for query execution and optimization, while Ballista enables distributed computing for large-scale data processing tasks. The storage layer in DataBend can be configured to work with various storage backends, such as object storage or distributed file systems.

Elasticsearch Architecture

Elasticsearch is a distributed, RESTful search and analytics engine that uses a schema-free JSON document data model. It is built on top of Apache Lucene and provides a high-level API for indexing, searching, and analyzing data. Elasticsearch’s architecture is designed to be horizontally scalable, with data distributed across multiple nodes in a cluster. Data is indexed using inverted indices, which enable fast and efficient full-text searches.

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DataBend Features

Unified Batch and Stream Processing

DataBend supports both batch and streaming data processing, enabling users to build a wide range of applications that require real-time or historical data analysis.

Extensible Query Execution

DataBend’s DataFusion component provides a powerful and extensible query execution framework that supports both SQL and DataFrame-based query APIs.

Scalable Distributed Computing

With its Ballista compute platform, DataBend enables efficient and scalable execution of large-scale data processing tasks across a distributed cluster of nodes.

Flexible Storage

DataBend’s architecture allows users to configure the storage layer to work with various storage backends, providing flexibility and adaptability to different use cases.

Elasticsearch Features

Elasticsearch provides powerful full-text search capabilities with support for complex queries, scoring, and relevance ranking.

Scalability

Elasticsearch’s distributed architecture enables horizontal scalability, allowing it to handle large volumes of data and high query loads.

Aggregations

Elasticsearch supports various aggregation operations, such as sum, average, and percentiles, which are useful for analyzing and summarizing data.


DataBend Use Cases

Real-Time Analytics

DataBend’s support for streaming data processing and its powerful query execution framework make it a suitable choice for building real-time analytics applications, such as log analysis, monitoring, and anomaly detection.

Data Warehousing

With its scalable distributed computing capabilities and flexible storage options, DataBend can be used to build large-scale data warehouses that can efficiently store and analyze vast amounts of structured and semi-structured data.

Machine Learning

DataBend’s ability to handle arge-scale data processing and its support for both batch and streaming data make it an excellent choice for machine learning applications. Users can leverage DataBend to preprocess, transform, and analyze data for feature engineering, model training, and evaluation, enabling them to derive valuable insights and build data-driven machine learning models.

Elasticsearch Use Cases

Log and Event Data Analysis

Elasticsearch is widely used for storing and analyzing log and event data, such as web server logs, application logs, and network events, to help identify patterns, troubleshoot issues, and monitor system performance.

Elasticsearch is a popular choice for implementing full-text search functionality in applications, websites, and content management systems due to its powerful search capabilities and flexible data model.

Security Analytics

Elasticsearch, in combination with other Elastic Stack components, can be used for security analytics, such as monitoring network traffic, detecting anomalies, and identifying potential threats.


DataBend Pricing Model

As an open-source project, DataBend is freely available for use without any licensing fees or subscription costs. Users can deploy and manage DataBend on their own infrastructure or opt for cloud-based deployment using popular cloud providers. DataBend itself also provides a managed cloud service with free trial credits available.

Elasticsearch Pricing Model

Elasticsearch is open-source software and can be self-hosted without any licensing fees. However, operational costs, such as hardware, hosting, and maintenance, should be considered. Elasticsearch also offers a managed cloud service called Elastic Cloud, which provides various pricing tiers based on factors like storage, computing resources, and support. Elastic Cloud includes additional features and tools, such as Kibana, machine learning, and security features.