Apache Zeppelin vs Hue: What are the differences?

Introduction

Apache Zeppelin and Hue are both web-based UI tools that provide a graphical interface for interacting with big data platforms. While they have some similarities, there are key differences between the two.

1. Architecture:

Apache Zeppelin is built using a notebook architecture, where users can create and execute code in individual paragraphs. It supports multiple interpreters and languages, allowing users to work with different data processing engines. Hue, on the other hand, follows a traditional web application architecture, providing a centralized interface for various applications like Hive, Pig, and Impala.

1. Support for Data Processing Engines:

Zeppelin is more focused on data analysis and exploration, providing support for engines like Spark, Hive, and SQL through interpreters. It allows users to create visualizations and perform data manipulation tasks within the notebook environment. Hue, on the other hand, acts as a gateway to different data processing engines, providing a unified interface for managing and running jobs across multiple platforms.

1. Collaboration and Sharing:

Zeppelin provides collaboration features, allowing multiple users to work on the same notebook simultaneously. It also supports sharing and exporting notebooks, making it easy to share analyses with others. Hue, while lacking real-time collaboration, provides a comprehensive sharing and scheduling framework that allows users to share queries, dashboards, and workflows with other team members.

1. User Interface Design:

Zeppelin focuses on a notebook-style interface, where users can organize their code and visualizations in a structured manner. It provides a rich set of visualizations and interactive controls that can be embedded directly within the notebook. Hue, on the other hand, provides a more traditional web-based interface, with a menu-driven navigation that guides users through the various data processing applications.

1. Extensibility and Customization:

Zeppelin allows users to extend its functionality by creating custom interpreters and visualizations. This makes it highly customizable and adaptable to specific use cases. Hue, while not as extensible as Zeppelin, provides integration with multiple data processing engines, allowing users to leverage their existing workflows and tools.

1. Security and Access Control:

Zeppelin provides basic access control features, allowing users to authenticate and authorize access to notebooks. However, it lacks the comprehensive security features provided by Hue, which includes fine-grained access controls, SSL encryption, and integration with external authentication systems like LDAP and Kerberos.

In summary, Apache Zeppelin and Hue are web-based UI tools with different architectures, focuses, and features. Zeppelin is more geared towards data analysis and exploration, with its notebook-style interface and support for multiple data processing engines. Hue, on the other hand, acts as a gateway to different platforms, providing a centralized interface for managing and running jobs across various applications.