Apache Zeppelin vs Superset: What are the differences?

Introduction

Apache Zeppelin and Superset are both powerful data visualization tools that can be used in website development. While they share some similarities in terms of functionality, there are key differences that set them apart. This article aims to highlight the main differences between Apache Zeppelin and Superset.

1. Interactivity: One key difference between Apache Zeppelin and Superset is their level of interactivity. Apache Zeppelin provides a highly interactive environment for data exploration, analysis, and visualization. Users can interact with the data, execute queries, and create visualizations in real-time. On the other hand, Superset offers a more static experience with pre-defined dashboards and charts. While Superset allows some level of interaction, it is not as dynamic as Apache Zeppelin.

2. Supported Databases: Another important difference between Apache Zeppelin and Superset lies in their supported databases. Apache Zeppelin offers support for a wide range of databases, including popular ones like Apache Spark, MySQL, PostgreSQL, and others. This flexibility allows users to connect to various data sources and perform their analysis seamlessly. In contrast, Superset has a limited number of supported databases, which can be a consideration for organizations with diverse data sources.

3. Built-in Notebooks: Apache Zeppelin is primarily known for its notebook interface, which allows users to create and share interactive documents. These notebooks can contain code, visualizations, and text, making it easy to document and reproduce analysis workflows. Superset, on the other hand, does not have a built-in notebook feature. While it offers a user-friendly interface for creating visualizations and dashboards, it lacks the notebook's functionality provided by Zeppelin.

4. Collaboration and Sharing: Collaboration and sharing capabilities differ between Apache Zeppelin and Superset. Apache Zeppelin excels in this aspect, allowing users to share and collaborate on notebooks with other team members. Zeppelin also supports version control, making it easy to track changes and revert to previous versions if needed. In contrast, Superset focuses more on sharing dashboards and visualizations, without providing extensive collaboration features like Zeppelin.

5. Data Source Integration: When it comes to integrating data from external sources, Apache Zeppelin offers more flexibility compared to Superset. Zeppelin allows users to ingest data from various sources using built-in connectors and libraries. This makes it easier to work with diverse datasets and leverage external libraries for analysis. Superset, while supporting various data sources, may require more manual configuration and customization to integrate data from specific sources.

6. Customization and Extensibility: Lastly, Apache Zeppelin offers more customization and extensibility options compared to Superset. Zeppelin allows users to define custom visualizations, extend functionality with plugins, and customize the entire user interface to fit specific requirements. Superset, although customizable to some extent, may not provide the same level of flexibility when it comes to advanced customization and extending core functionality.

In summary, the key differences between Apache Zeppelin and Superset lie in their interactivity, supported databases, built-in notebook feature, collaboration capabilities, data source integration, and customization/extensibility options. These differences affect the user experience, data analysis capabilities, and flexibility of the tools in different ways.