Apache Avro
Apache Avro is a data serialization system that provides rich data structures, a compact binary format, and integration with dynamic languages. It uses JSON-based schemas to define data structures, enabling efficient serialization and deserialization for data exchange in distributed systems like Hadoop and Kafka. Avro supports schema evolution, allowing schemas to change over time without breaking compatibility.
Developers should use Apache Avro when building data-intensive applications that require efficient, schema-based serialization for high-throughput messaging or data storage, such as in Apache Kafka for event streaming or Hadoop for big data processing. It is particularly valuable in microservices architectures where data consistency and interoperability across services are critical, as its schema evolution capabilities help manage changes without disrupting systems.