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Comparison · Infra & APIs

Apache Pinot vs nfs-ganesha

A side-by-side editorial comparison of Apache Pinot and nfs-ganesha — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Apache Pinot vs nfs-ganesha: at a glance

FeatureApache Pinotnfs-ganesha
SectorInfra & APIs, AnalyticsInfra & APIs
Velocity score6.35.0
Sparks · 30d10
Top themesreal-time-olap, sql-ddl, vector-search, materialized-viewsnfs, storage, ceph, grpc
Last editorial update7h ago1h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is Apache Pinot?

Pinot 1.6 adds SQL DDL and vector backends, and now needs Java 25 to run its services.

1.6.0 on 29 October lets operators manage tables through CREATE, DROP and SHOW statements, gives materialized views DDL and single-stage query rewrite, and adds GROUPING SETS, ROLLUP and CUBE to both query engines. Vector search gains IVF_FLAT, IVF_PQ and IVF_ON_DISK backends alongside HNSW. The release also removes legacy pieces: native text and FST indexes, Spark 2 and Presto integrations, and APIs deprecated through 1.3.0.

Read the full Apache Pinot trajectory →

What is nfs-ganesha?

NFS-Ganesha's 15.x line turns to weekly fixes, input checks and dropping 9P.

NFS-Ganesha is a userspace NFS server used with Ceph, GPFS and clustered storage. Since 15.3 in early September it has shipped 15.4 through 15.9 roughly weekly. The releases harden XDR decoding against empty handles, owners and strings, fix a session use-after-free and an integer overflow in offset checks, add gRPC QoS APIs for per-client bandwidth and IOPS, and in 15.9 remove the unmaintained 9P protocol code.

Read the full nfs-ganesha trajectory →

Apache Pinot vs nfs-ganesha: editorial side-by-side

Apache Pinot logo
Apache Pinot
INFRA · APISANALYTICS
6.3

Pinot 1.6 adds SQL DDL and vector backends, and now needs Java 25 to run its services.

◆ Current state

1.6.0 on 29 October lets operators manage tables through CREATE, DROP and SHOW statements, gives materialized views DDL and single-stage query rewrite, and adds GROUPING SETS, ROLLUP and CUBE to both query engines. Vector search gains IVF_FLAT, IVF_PQ and IVF_ON_DISK backends alongside HNSW. The release also removes legacy pieces: native text and FST indexes, Spark 2 and Presto integrations, and APIs deprecated through 1.3.0.

◆ Where it's heading

Pinot is moving toward being operated like a SQL database. The multi-stage engine's SQL coverage has grown release by release, and table lifecycle now joins it, while vector backends pull retrieval workloads into the same store. The upgrade cost is real: Java 25 for services, Scala 2.13 for Spark artifacts, and mixed-version limits around SMART aggregation. Federation, the headline of 1.5, doesn't feature in the 1.6 highlights.

◆ Prediction

Expect materialized-view rewrite to reach the multi-stage engine, since it is single-stage only today. A security patch on 1.6 would match what followed 1.5.0.

N
nfs-ganesha
INFRA · APIS
5.0

NFS-Ganesha's 15.x line turns to weekly fixes, input checks and dropping 9P.

◆ Current state

NFS-Ganesha is a userspace NFS server used with Ceph, GPFS and clustered storage. Since 15.3 in early September it has shipped 15.4 through 15.9 roughly weekly. The releases harden XDR decoding against empty handles, owners and strings, fix a session use-after-free and an integer overflow in offset checks, add gRPC QoS APIs for per-client bandwidth and IOPS, and in 15.9 remove the unmaintained 9P protocol code.

◆ Where it's heading

The fast feature run of 15.0 to 15.3 (gRPC management, dynamic config, monitoring) has given way to stabilisation: input validation, Ceph ACL and multi-client fixes, GPFS performance. gRPC continues to grow, with QoS management added in 15.5.

◆ Prediction

Expect more 15.x patch releases on the same cadence. The 9P removal shows a willingness to prune unused code, but the entries do not name other candidates.

Alternatives to Apache Pinot and nfs-ganesha

Other Infra & APIs products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Apache Pinot or nfs-ganesha.

See all Apache Pinot alternatives → · See all nfs-ganesha alternatives →

Recent activity from Apache Pinot and nfs-ganesha

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 4d agoApache PinotPinot 1.6.0: SQL DDL, IVF vector search, Java 25 requirement ⚡
  2. 10d agoApache PinotPinot 1.6.0 rc1 tag, no release notes
  3. 13d agonfs-ganeshaNFS-Ganesha 15.9: 9P removed, session use-after-free fixed
  4. 16d agoApache PinotPinot 1.6.0 RC0: first candidate with the 1.6 highlights
  5. 24d agonfs-ganeshaNFS-Ganesha 15.8: XDR input checks and GPFS fixes
  6. 29d agonfs-ganeshaNFS-Ganesha 15.7: offset overflow fix and GPFS readdir speedup
  7. 1mo agonfs-ganeshaNFS-Ganesha 15.6: Ceph ACL inheritance and aligned I/O buffers
  8. 1mo agonfs-ganeshaNFS-Ganesha 15.5: gRPC QoS APIs and 4096 RDMA connections
  9. 1mo agonfs-ganeshaNFS-Ganesha 15.4: multiple Ceph clients, monitoring revert
  10. 4mo agoApache PinotApache Pinot 1.5.1
  11. 6mo agoApache PinotApache Pinot Release 1.5.0 ⚡
  12. 1y agoApache PinotApache Pinot Release 1.4.0

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Apache Pinot and nfs-ganesha?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Apache Pinot is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is Apache Pinot better than nfs-ganesha?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Apache Pinot is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Infra & APIs products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to Apache Pinot?

Top Apache Pinot alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Apache Pinot alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/apache-pinot for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to nfs-ganesha?

Top nfs-ganesha alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "nfs-ganesha alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/nfs-ganesha for the full list with editorial commentary on each.