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Apache HBase vs Apache Kudu

Apache HBase: Hadoop's Bigtable clone: strongly consistent wide-column tables on top of HDFS. Apache Kudu: Columnar storage engine for fast analytics on fast-changing data, paired with Impala or Spark.

key differences

  • Apache HBase is primarily a wide-column database; Apache Kudu is columnar / OLAP.
  • Apache HBase is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than Apache Kudu (≤ 1 PB).
  • Only Apache HBase has triggers, stored procedures, ttl / expiry, time travel.
  • Only Apache Kudu has columnar storage.

choose apache-hbase for

  • +Large sparse tables within an existing Hadoop cluster
  • +Time-series and metrics backends (OpenTSDB)
  • +Random read/write access to batch-processed data
  • +Message and event history stores

best at · OLTP, Time-series, Metadata

choose apache-kudu for

  • +Mutable fact tables in Cloudera
  • +Near-real-time analytics with Impala
  • +Time-series with updates

best at · Real-time analytics, OLAP, Time-series

Apache HBaseHadoop's Bigtable clone: strongly consistent wide-column tables on top of HDFS.
Apache KuduColumnar storage engine for fast analytics on fast-changing data, paired with Impala or Spark.
overview
Primary model
Wide-Column
Columnar / OLAP
Also supports
Key-Value
Relational
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Apache Software Foundation
Apache Software Foundation
First release
2008
2016
Latest version
3.0.0 (Aug 6, 2026)
1.18.1 (Jan 9, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
26.6
18.6
Rank
#110
#176
GitHub stars
5.6K
1.9K
Stack Overflow questions
6.9K
130
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Massive (Multi-PB)
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
Read replicas
None
ACID
Limited
Limited
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Flexible
Strict
Architecture
Distributed, Shared storage, Client server
Distributed
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
—
—
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
AWS, Azure, Alibaba Cloud
–
capabilities
Transactions
—
—
Joins
—
—
Secondary indexes
—
—
Full-text search
—
—
Vector search
—
—
Geospatial
—
—
JSON
—
—
Change data capture
—
—
Triggers
✓
—
Stored procedures
✓
—
Materialized views
—
—
TTL / expiry
✓
—
Pub/Sub
—
—
Columnar storage
—
✓
In-memory
—
—
Durable persistence
✓
✓
Compression
✓
✓
Encryption at rest
✓
✓
Role-based access
✓
✓
Time travel
✓
—
Branching
—
—
Online schema changes
✓
✓
Streaming ingest
—
—
Offline sync
—
—
Runs in WebAssembly
—
—
interfaces
Query languages
HBase API, HBase shell
Impala SQL, Spark SQL, Kudu client API
Client languages
Java, Python, C++, Go
C++, Java, Python
Best for
OLTP, Time-series, Metadata, IoT
Real-time analytics, OLAP, Time-series
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Apache HBase vs Apache Kudu: FAQ

What is the difference between Apache HBase and Apache Kudu?

Apache HBase: Hadoop's Bigtable clone: strongly consistent wide-column tables on top of HDFS. Apache Kudu: Columnar storage engine for fast analytics on fast-changing data, paired with Impala or Spark. Apache HBase is primarily a wide-column database; Apache Kudu is columnar / OLAP. Apache HBase is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than Apache Kudu (≤ 1 PB). Only Apache HBase has triggers, stored procedures, ttl / expiry, time travel.

When should I choose Apache HBase over Apache Kudu?

Choose Apache HBase for large sparse tables within an existing Hadoop cluster; time-series and metrics backends (OpenTSDB); and random read/write access to batch-processed data. Choose Apache Kudu for mutable fact tables in Cloudera, near-real-time analytics with Impala and time-series with updates.

Is Apache HBase or Apache Kudu more popular?

Apache HBase ranks #110 on the WhichDB Score (26.6/100) and Apache Kudu ranks #176 (18.6/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Apache HBase and Apache Kudu open source?

Yes. Apache HBase is open source. License: Apache License 2.0. Yes. Apache Kudu is open source. License: Apache License 2.0.