Architecture

• Traditional EMR (Cluster-based): This is the classic way you operate EMR. You provision and manage virtual machines (EC2 instances) to form a cluster. You choose instance types, define cluster size, and handle scaling manually or with some automation.
• EMR Serverless: This is a more recent development, focusing on simplicity and rapid execution of big data workloads. With EMR Serverless, you don't provision or manage any underlying infrastructure. You submit your application (Spark, Hive, etc.), and AWS automatically allocates the necessary resources, runs your job, and releases the resources afterward.

Key Takeaways

• Choice: EMR lets you choose either the traditional cluster-based mode or the serverless mode, depending on your workload and priorities.
• Serverless Benefits: EMR Serverless is ideal for intermittent workloads, ad-hoc analysis, and cases where you don't want to spend time configuring and managing clusters.
• Cluster-Based Benefits: With traditional EMR, you retain more fine-grained control over cluster configuration, instance types, and software stacks. This is relevant if you have continuous workloads or specific hardware needs.

What is AWS EMR?

• Managed Big Data Platform: EMR simplifies the setup, management, and scaling of big data processing frameworks like Apache Hadoop, Apache Spark, Presto, and others.
• Cloud-Based: AWS handles the infrastructure provisioning, software installation, and cluster configuration, so you can focus on data analysis rather than administration tasks.

Key Features

• Choice of Frameworks: Supports a wide range Hadoop ecosystem tools: Spark, Hive, HBase, Flink, Presto, etc.
• Scalability: Resize clusters with a few clicks or configure auto-scaling based on workload.
• Flexibility: Customize clusters with specific software/configurations.
• Integration: Works seamlessly with other AWS services (S3, DynamoDB, Redshift, etc.)
• Spot Instances: Lower costs dramatically by utilizing Spot Instances for transient workloads.
• Security: Robust security features with granular access controls, encryption, and compliance with various standards.

Strengths