Real-World Hadoop

Chapter 1. Turning to Apache Hadoop and NoSQL Solutions

Some questions are easier to answer than others. In response to the question, “Is Hadoop ready for production?,” the answer is, simply, “yes.”

This answer may surprise you, given how young the Apache Hadoop technology actually is. You may wonder on what basis we offer this definitive response to the question of Hadoop’s readiness for production. The key reason we say that it is ready is simply because so many organizations are already using Hadoop in production and doing so successfully. Of course, being ready for production is not the same thing as being a mature technology.

Will Hadoop-based technologies change over the next few years? Of course they will. This is a rapidly expanding new arena, with continual improvements in the underlying technology and the appearance of innovative new tools that run in this ecosystem. The level of experience and understanding among Hadoop users is also rapidly increasing. As Hadoop and its related technologies continue progress toward maturity, there will be a high rate of change. Not only will new features and capabilities be added, these technologies will generally become easier to use as they become more refined.

Are these technologies a good choice for you? The answer to that question is more complicated, as it depends on your own project goals, your resources, and your willingness to adopt new approaches. Even with a mature technology, there would be a learning curve to account for in ...