Full Comparison: Apache Pulsar vs. Azure Event Hub Go Head-to-Head

When we talk about data, we rarely perceive it as a resource; we perceive it as information. Still, because business data has imposed itself as an essential issue for every modern business, we are now forced to recognize its value as a business resource, the same way we do equipment, finances, human resources, and so on.

Due to the advancement we’ve reached with modern tech and software development, we can now aggregate all kinds of data. Nearly every industry relies on it to assess the state of things in the field and get insights into their business performance, customer satisfaction, losses, etc. It all depends on your goals and the type of data you are aggregating. 

We’re here to discuss and compare two software solutions that deal with data and attempt to compare their capabilities when it comes to distributed messaging for applications. We’re talking about Pulsar and Azure Event Hub as two very competitive solutions, so let’s get into it.

Apache Pulsar

Pulsar has been around for a while now. It was initially developed by Yahoo! But was later incorporated into Apache.

This is a cloud-native software solution focused on distributed messaging and streaming. It can cover a wider variety of functions but is also not too complicated to use. 

The main functions of Apache Pulsar are its lightweight computing process and its developer-friendly APIs. The upside that we like the most about Pulsar is the fact that you don’t need to run a stream processing engine – it takes care of that for you. 

The platform offers horizontal scalability allowing users to broaden their capacity to hundreds of nodes while keeping the operation seamless. Pulsar also provides APIs for a headache-free integration with C++, C#, WebSocket, Java, Python, Go, Node.js, and more. 

We also need to mention that the latency for publishing through Pulsar is very low. It’s somewhere around 5ms or less, which is a big deal to some developers. 

This a multi-tenancy platform built to support quotas, authorization, authentication, and isolation. Furthermore, it can manage replication between multiple geo-regions, which is essential for many systems these days. Another critical feature is persistent storage based on Apache BookKeeper, and it comes with IO-level isolation. 

Features:

• Low Latency
• Multi-Tenancy
• Client libraries (C#, C++, Java, Go, Python, Node.js, etc.)
• Persistent Storage
• Scalability
• Geo-replication
• REST Admin API

Azure Event Hubs

As a part of the Azure suite, Event Hubs functions as a real-time data ingestions service. It has incredible capabilities and can handle streams with millions of events per second regardless of how many sources it draws upon. 

The significant upside that Event Hubs has is its simplicity. It allows the creation of real-time data pipelines in no time at all. The seamless integration with Azure helps turn data into insights very quickly. 

When it comes to security, Event Hubs is no joke and can protect real-time data without any issue. Here is a list of security certificates that they hold:

• PCI
• HIPAA
• CSA STAR
• ISO
• HITRUST
• SOC
• GxP

Of course, scalability is also an option. Their payment system is set up so that you only pay for the resources you use, which is the preferred payment plan for most. This means that you can smoothly go from handling megabytes of data daily to handling more than a terabyte worth of data in no time at all. 

The platforms’ open-source nature allows development across multiple platforms and can handle HTTPS, AMQP, and Apache Kafka protocols. 

Azure can natively connect to Stream Analytics, and this allows developers to create a serverless end-to-end solution. Using hybrid cloud architecture, one can improve the processing, visualization, and storage of data. 

Features:

• Geo-Disaster Recovery
• Geo-Replication
• Multiple security certificates
• Scalability
• Open-source
• Compatible with multiple protocols
• Real-time and micro-batch processing
• Low latency
• Serverless streaming

How do they compare to each other?

Being that we are limited in this article, we didn’t manage to list out all the features these two platforms offer as that would end up being a long read. The truth is, Apache Pulsar and Azure Event Hubs are pretty similar platforms aimed at basically the same crowd. They’re both open-source, scalable utilizing the same payment model. 

One thing that sets them apart really is Pulsar’s ability to handle big data and predictive analysis through AI and machine learning models at scale. It can do so through Pandio, a distributed messaging service that was built for Pulsar. 

Pandio utilizes neural networks and can handle terabytes of data and a high level of data complexity. It also uses the “AI running AI” option; it can expand horizontally without draining CAPEX and has cloud-native multi-tenancy capabilities. 

Furthermore, your choice will depend on whether you are using Apache or Azure in your operations. There are no compatibility issues as both Pulsar and Event Hubs are supported on both Apache and Azure, but native software is always superior compared to supported, third-party solutions.

Conclusion

Well, that’s about all the information we have for you right now. You should understand these two software solutions well enough to make a decision. If you are still unsure which one to go for, we recommend looking at how they perform in action. 

There should be plenty of tutorial videos on their respective website, YouTube, and other places. Take a look at their performance, interface, and if this is a big decision for you, it might be a good idea to contact their support and make your inquiries directly.

One important thing to note is that both platforms have limited trial periods, which is excellent if you want hands-on experience before you make your choice. 

Good luck!