Apache Flink
An open-source distributed engine for processing data streams and batch workloads
- Vendor
- The Apache Software Foundation
- Also known as
- apache-flink
What is Apache Flink?
A streaming-first runtime that processes high-volume data with low latency, supporting both streaming and batch programs. It offers Java and Scala APIs, flexible windowing, exactly-once processing guarantees, and integrates with components of the Hadoop ecosystem.
Apache Flink pricing
We don't have Apache Flink's full plan breakdown yet (its pricing page resisted automated reading). Here's what we could confirm. Always check live pricing for exact numbers.
What Apache Flink does
The capabilities that matter for data engineering tools, normalised so it lines up with every alternative. “-” means we haven't confirmed it, not that it's missing.
- Tool role
- Processing engine
- Processing paradigm
- Batch + streaming
- Connector count
- 17+
- CDC / log-based replication
- -
- In-warehouse transformation (push-down)
- -
- dbt-native orchestration
- -
- Self-hosted / open-source available
- ✓
- Managed cloud available
- -
- Data lineage / asset catalog
- -
- Python-first authoring
- -
- Incremental / partition-aware runs
- ✓
- Built-in data quality / tests
- -
- Horizontal scale (distributed executor)
- ✓
Platform & deployment
Independently observed- CLI
- macOS
- Linux
- Windows
- Self-hosted
Integrations (25)
Independently observed- Kafka
- Cassandra
- Elasticsearch
- MongoDB
- OpenSearch
- RabbitMQ
- Google Cloud Pub/Sub
- Apache Pulsar
- JDBC
- Apache HBase
- Apache Hive
- Amazon Kinesis
- Amazon Firehose
- Amazon DynamoDB
- Apache Kudu
- Prometheus
- HTTP
- AWS•
- Google Cloud PubSub•
- HBase•
- Hive•
- Kudu•
- Pulsar•
- YARN•
- HDFS•
Security & compliance
Known vulnerabilities: 0 (0 in the last 12 months) sourcea count reflects scale & disclosure, not quality
Apache Flink FAQ
Common questions about Apache Flink, answered from independent, dated evidence.
What is Apache Flink?
A framework that processes real-time streams and batch data at scale, enabling stateful computations with low latency and high throughput across distributed clusters. It is indexed under Data Engineering Tools.
Source: https://flink.apache.org
Is Apache Flink free to use?
Apache Flink is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the Apache-2.0 licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.
Source: https://flink.apache.org
What platforms does Apache Flink support?
Apache Flink supports Windows, macOS, Linux and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.
Source: https://flink.apache.org
Can Apache Flink be self-hosted?
Yes. Apache Flink can be deployed cloud / SaaS, on-premise and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.
Source: https://flink.apache.org
What does Apache Flink integrate with?
We have confirmed 17 integrations for Apache Flink, including Kafka, Cassandra, Elasticsearch, MongoDB, OpenSearch, RabbitMQ, Google Cloud Pub/Sub and Apache Pulsar, plus 9 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.
Source: https://flink.apache.org
Is Apache Flink open source?
Yes. Apache Flink is published under the Apache-2.0 licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.
Source: https://github.com/apache/flink
Apache Flink alternatives
Other data engineering tools we track, ranked by the same independent score.
- CensusAutomated data integration platform that moves and transforms data from diverse sources into analytics and AI-ready destinationsmedium · 74%
- Estuary FlowA managed platform for moving data between systems with support for real-time streaming, batch processing, and in-flight transformation.medium · 72%
- HightouchActivate your data warehouse to keep business tools updated with current customer informationmedium · 71%
- Apache AirflowOpen-source workflow orchestration engine for scheduling and monitoring data pipelines as codemedium · 67%
- Prefecthigh · 77%
- Stitchmedium · 70%
Compare Apache Flink
Side by side against other data engineering tools, attribute by attribute, with a source on every value.
The vioscaleAI score: one lens on the evidence
Not user reviews and not a paid placement: a confidence-weighted blend of the independent signals below (adoption, activity, security posture, and more), which you can sort and re-weight yourself. Vendors can correct their listing but can never move their rank, and stars are weighted low as a vanity metric. It is one way to read the evidence for Apache Flink, not the verdict.
| Signal | Score | Weight | Contribution | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package downloads | 61 | 0.14 | 8.3 | ✓ |
| Development activity | 63 | 0.09 | 5.9 | ✓ |
| Capabilities | 58 | 0.08 | 4.5 | ✓ |
| Dependent projects | 52 | 0.06 | 3.3 | ✓ |
| Security score | 62 | 0.04 | 2.6 | ✓ |
| Integrations | 36 | 0.07 | 2.5 | ✓ |
| Stars | 83 | 0.03 | 2.2 | ✓ |
| Release cadence | 0 | 0.05 | 0.0 | - |
| Security posture | 5 | 0.07 | 0.0 | - |
| Developer Q&A activity | 0 | 0.06 | 0.0 | - |
Computed . Re-weight it by intent, or see the full method.
All data & sourcesshow ↓
Every value we hold, with its source, retrieval date, and confidence. This is the evidence behind the score: don't trust it, verify it.
Activity
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Commits last 30d | 100 | mediumsource · 2026-09-10 · 65% |
Adoption
Content
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Faq | 6 items | mediumsource · 2026-09-10 · 67% |
Features
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Capabilities | Role: engine · Paradigm: both · Connector count: 17+ · Self hosted oss: Yes · Incremental runs: Yes · Distributed executor: Yes | mediumsource · 2026-09-14 · 60% |
Integrations
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Count | 17 | mediumsource · 2026-09-14 · 60% |
Language
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Java | highsource · 2026-09-10 · 90% |
License
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Spdx | Apache-2.0 | highsource · 2026-09-10 · 95% |
Pricing
Security
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Disclosure policy | Yes | mediumsource · 2026-08-14 · 60% |
| Scorecard | 6.2 | highsource · 2026-09-10 · 90% |
| Vulnerabilities | Count: 0 · Source: https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=maven&package_name=org.apache.flink%3Aflink-clients_2.11&per_page=100 · Last 12m: 0 | highsource · 2026-08-26 · 90% |
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