Apache Polaris: The Definitive Guide

Chapter 11. Looking to the Future of Apache Polaris

As Apache Polaris continues to evolve as a key part of the Iceberg ecosystem, its trajectory reflects both the maturity of open table formats and the growing demand for flexible, interoperable data catalogs.

This chapter looks ahead to what’s next for Polaris. We begin by examining the broader Polaris ecosystem, including how Polaris is offered as a managed service by vendors such as Dremio and Snowflake. We then examine how Polaris integrates into the landscape of REST-compatible catalogs, facilitating seamless collaboration across engines and vendors. Finally, we delve into the Apache Polaris project roadmap, highlighting key features under development and the direction of community-led innovation. Understanding where Polaris is headed is essential for practitioners planning for the future of their Iceberg-based infrastructure.

Apache Polaris is a community-driven, open source project. The features and functionalities mentioned in this chapter are not part of Apache Polaris at the time of writing. There is no guarantee on whether, when, how, and to what extent these features and functionalities will be implemented. Only features and functionalities that are part of an official, binary release and not marked as experimental or the like are considered stable.

Managed Polaris

The Polaris ecosystem is rapidly expanding, supported by a vibrant community and significant contributions from Dremio and Snowflake. Apache Polaris’s ...