Choosing the right database is a critical choice when building any software application. All databases have different strengths and weaknesses when it comes to performance, so deciding which database has the most benefits and the most minor downsides for your specific use case and data model is an important decision. Below you will find an overview of the key concepts, architecture, features, use cases, and pricing models of Amazon Timestream for LiveAnalytics and Apache Doris so you can quickly see how they compare against each other.

The primary purpose of this article is to compare how Amazon Timestream for LiveAnalytics and Apache Doris perform for workloads involving time series data, not for all possible use cases. Time series data typically presents a unique challenge in terms of database performance. This is due to the high volume of data being written and the query patterns to access that data. This article doesn’t intend to make the case for which database is better; it simply provides an overview of each database so you can make an informed decision.

Amazon Timestream for LiveAnalytics vs Apache Doris Breakdown


 
Database Model

Time series database

Data warehouse

Architecture

Timestream is a fully managed, serverless time series database service that is only available on AWS.

Doris can be deployed on-premises or in the cloud and is compatible with various data formats such as Parquet, ORC, and JSON.

License

Closed source

Apache 2.0

Use Cases

Monitoring, observability, IoT, real-time analytics

Interactive analytics, data warehousing, real-time data analysis, reporting, dashboarding

Scalability

Serverless and automatically scalable, handling ingestion, storage, and query workload without manual intervention

Horizontally scalable with distributed storage and compute

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Amazon Timestream for LiveAnalytics Overview

Amazon Timestream for LiveAnalytics is a fully managed, serverless time series database service developed by Amazon Web Services (AWS). Launched in 2020, Amazon Timestream for LiveAnalytics is designed specifically for handling time series data, making it an ideal choice for IoT, monitoring, and analytics applications that require high ingestion rates, efficient storage, and fast querying capabilities. As a part of the AWS ecosystem, Timestream seamlessly integrates with other AWS services, simplifying the process of building and deploying time series applications in the cloud.

Apache Doris Overview

Apache Doris is an MPP-based interactive SQL data warehousing system designed for reporting and analysis. It is known for its high performance, real-time analytics capabilities, and ease of use. Apache Doris integrates technologies from Google Mesa and Apache Impala. Unlike other SQL-on-Hadoop systems, Doris is designed to be a simple and tightly coupled system that does not rely on external dependencies. It aims to provide a streamlined and efficient solution for data warehousing and analytics.


Amazon Timestream for LiveAnalytics for Time Series Data

Amazon Timestream for LiveAnalytics is designed specifically for handling time series data, making it a suitable choice for a wide range of applications that require high ingestion rates, efficient storage, and fast querying capabilities. Its dual-tiered storage architecture, consisting of the Memory Store and Magnetic Store, allows Timestream to automatically manage data retention and optimize storage costs based on data age and access patterns. Additionally, Timestream supports SQL-like querying and integrates with popular analytics tools, making it easy for users to gain insights from their time series data.

Apache Doris for Time Series Data

Apache Doris can be effectively used with time series data for real-time analytics and reporting. With its high performance and sub-second response time, Doris can handle massive amounts of time-stamped data and provide timely query results. It supports both high-concurrent point query scenarios and high-throughput complex analysis scenarios, making it suitable for analyzing time series data with varying levels of complexity.


Amazon Timestream for LiveAnalytics Key Concepts

  • Memory Store: In Amazon Timestream for LiveAnalytics, the Memory Store is a component that stores recent, mutable time series data in memory for fast querying and analysis.
  • Magnetic Store: The Magnetic Store in Amazon Timestream for LiveAnalytics is responsible for storing historical, immutable time series data on disk for cost-efficient, long-term storage.
  • Time-to-Live (TTL): Amazon Timestream for LiveAnalytics allows users to set a TTL on their time series data, which determines how long data is retained in the Memory Store before being moved to the Magnetic Store or deleted.

Apache Doris Key Concepts

  • MPP (Massively Parallel Processing): Apache Doris leverages MPP architecture, which allows it to distribute data processing across multiple nodes, enabling parallel execution and scalability.
  • SQL: Apache Doris supports SQL as the query language, providing a familiar and powerful interface for data analysis and reporting.
  • Point Query: Point query refers to retrieving a specific data point or a small subset of data from the database.
  • Complex Analysis: Apache Doris can handle complex analysis scenarios that involve processing large volumes of data and performing advanced computations and aggregations.


Amazon Timestream for LiveAnalytics Architecture

Amazon Timestream for LiveAnalytics is built on a serverless, distributed architecture that supports SQL-like querying capabilities. Its data model is specifically tailored for time series data, using time-stamped records and a flexible schema that can accommodate varying data granularities and dimensions. The core components of Timestream’s architecture include the Memory Store and the Magnetic Store, which together manage data retention, storage, and querying. The Memory Store is optimized for fast querying of recent data, while the Magnetic Store provides cost-efficient, long-term storage for historical data.

Apache Doris Architecture

Apache Doris is based on MPP architecture, which enables it to distribute data and processing across multiple nodes for parallel execution. It is a standalone system and does not depend on other systems or frameworks. Apache Doris combines the technology of Google Mesa and Apache Impala to provide a simple and tightly coupled system for data warehousing and analytics. It leverages SQL as the query language and supports efficient data processing and query optimization techniques to ensure high performance and scalability.

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Amazon Timestream for LiveAnalytics Features

Serverless architecture

Amazon Timestream for LiveAnalytics serverless architecture eliminates the need for users to manage or provision infrastructure, making it easy to scale and reducing operational overhead.

Dual-tiered storage

Timestream’s dual-tiered storage architecture, consisting of the Memory Store and Magnetic Store, automatically manages data retention and optimizes storage costs based on data age and access patterns.

SQL-like querying

Amazon Timestream for LiveAnalytics supports SQL-like querying and integrates with popular analytics tools, making it easy for users to gain insights from their time series data.

Apache Doris Features

High Performance

Apache Doris is designed for high-performance data analytics, delivering sub-second query response times even with massive amounts of data.

Real-Time Analytics

Apache Doris enables real-time data analysis, allowing users to gain insights and make informed decisions based on up-to-date information.

Scalability

Apache Doris can scale horizontally by adding more nodes to the cluster, allowing for increased data storage and processing capacity.


Amazon Timestream for LiveAnalytics Use Cases

IoT device monitoring

Amazon Timestream for LiveAnalytic’s support for high ingestion rates and efficient storage makes it an ideal choice for monitoring and analyzing data from IoT devices, such as sensors and smart appliances.

Application performance monitoring

Timestream’s fast querying capabilities and ability to handle large volumes of time series data make it suitable for application performance monitoring, allowing users to track and analyze key performance indicators in real-time and identify bottlenecks or issues.

Infrastructure monitoring

Amazon Timestream for LiveAnalytics can be used to monitor and analyze infrastructure metrics, such as CPU utilization, memory usage, and network traffic, enabling organizations to optimize resource utilization, identify potential issues, and maintain a high level of performance for their critical systems.

Apache Doris Use Cases

Real-Time Analytics

Apache Doris is well-suited for real-time analytics scenarios where timely insights and analysis of large volumes of data are crucial. It enables businesses to monitor and analyze real-time data streams, make data-driven decisions, and detect patterns or anomalies in real time.

Reporting and Business Intelligence

Apache Doris can be used for generating reports and conducting business intelligence activities. It supports fast and efficient querying of data, allowing users to extract meaningful insights and visualize data for reporting and analysis purposes.

Data Warehousing

Apache Doris is suitable for building data warehousing solutions that require high-performance analytics and querying capabilities. It provides a scalable and efficient platform for storing, managing, and analyzing large volumes of data for reporting and decision-making.


Amazon Timestream for LiveAnalytics Pricing Model

Amazon Timestream for LiveAnalyticsv offers a pay-as-you-go pricing model based on data ingestion, storage, and query execution. Ingestion costs are determined by the volume of data ingested into Timestream, while storage costs are based on the amount of data stored in the Memory Store and Magnetic Store. Query execution costs are calculated based on the amount of data scanned and processed during query execution. Timestream also offers a free tier for users to explore the service and build proof-of-concept applications without incurring costs.

Apache Doris Pricing Model

As an open-source project, Apache Doris is freely available for usage and does not require any licensing fees. Users can download the source code and set up Apache Doris on their own infrastructure without incurring any direct costs. However, it’s important to consider the operational costs associated with hosting and maintaining the database infrastructure.