vs

Apache Spark SQL vs Sail

Apache Spark SQL: Spark's SQL and DataFrame engine for large-scale batch, streaming and lakehouse processing. Sail: Rust-native, Spark Connect-compatible engine for SQL, DataFrame and streaming jobs without the JVM.

key differences

  • Apache Spark SQL is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than Sail (≤ 1 PB).
  • Only Apache Spark SQL has durable persistence, compression.
  • Only Sail has columnar storage.

choose apache-spark-sql for

  • +Lakehouse ETL and ELT
  • +Batch feature engineering for ML
  • +Streaming ingestion into Delta/Iceberg
  • +Large-scale data cleaning and joins

best at · Lakehouse, OLAP, Streaming

choose sail for

  • +Cutting cost of PySpark ETL
  • +Local Spark development without a JVM
  • +Lakehouse batch jobs on Delta/Iceberg

best at · Lakehouse, OLAP, Streaming

overview
Primary model
Relational
Relational
Also supports
Columnar / OLAP, Document
Columnar / OLAP
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Apache Software Foundation
LakeSail
First release
2014
2024
Latest version
4.2.0 (Jul 14, 2026)
0.7.2 (Sep 29, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
50.3
14.5
Rank
#26
#231
GitHub stars
44.3K
3.5K
Stack Overflow questions
26.9K
–
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Massive (Multi-PB)
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
None
None
ACID
Limited
Limited
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Flexible
Flexible
Architecture
Distributed, Client server
Distributed, Single node, Client server
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
—
—
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, Alibaba Cloud, Oracle 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
Spark SQL (ANSI), Python (PySpark DataFrames), Scala, R
Spark SQL, Python (PySpark DataFrame API)
Client languages
Python, Scala, Java, R, Go
Python, Scala, Java, Go, Rust
Best for
Lakehouse, OLAP, Streaming, Warehouse
Lakehouse, OLAP, Streaming

Apache Spark SQL vs Sail: FAQ

What is the difference between Apache Spark SQL and Sail?

Apache Spark SQL: Spark's SQL and DataFrame engine for large-scale batch, streaming and lakehouse processing. Sail: Rust-native, Spark Connect-compatible engine for SQL, DataFrame and streaming jobs without the JVM. Apache Spark SQL is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than Sail (≤ 1 PB). Only Apache Spark SQL has durable persistence, compression. Only Sail has columnar storage.

When should I choose Apache Spark SQL over Sail?

Choose Apache Spark SQL for lakehouse ETL and ELT; batch feature engineering for ML; and streaming ingestion into Delta/Iceberg. Choose Sail for cutting cost of PySpark ETL, local Spark development without a JVM and lakehouse batch jobs on Delta/Iceberg.

Is Apache Spark SQL or Sail more popular?

Apache Spark SQL ranks #26 on the WhichDB Score (50.3/100) and Sail ranks #231 (14.5/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Apache Spark SQL and Sail open source?

Yes. Apache Spark SQL is open source. License: Apache License 2.0. Yes. Sail is open source. License: Apache License 2.0.