What is a streaming system?
So what exactly do we mean when we mention a streaming system?
A streaming system is one that possesses the following traits:
- It is not only able but also capable of consuming a variety of data that seems to never end.
- It is capable of performing chunks of predefined, focused processing on the incoming data.
- It is capable of getting rid of the processed data efficiently. What I mean by getting rid of is that it is as efficient in giving the data to the downstream system as it is efficient in consuming from the upstream systems or data sources.
These, for me, are the essential traits of a streaming system. Remember I have intentionally left the non-functional traits out of the list, essentially because I believe things such as distributed processing, high-availability, and reliability are essential. This does not mean that we will not be talking about them in the context of streaming system.
Another thing to mention is that what I mean by data that never ends, I do...