Data catalogs & discovery · Apache Software Foundation

Apache Atlas

Apache open-source metadata and governance framework providing classification, lineage and search for Hadoop-era platforms.

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Apache Atlas is an open-source metadata management and governance framework built to work with Hadoop-ecosystem tools such as Hive, HBase and Kafka. It defines an extensible type system for modeling entities and relationships, so organizations can represent tables, columns, processes and custom business concepts, then classify and tag them for compliance purposes. Atlas integrates tightly with Apache Ranger for policy enforcement, letting classifications drive access-control rules, and it captures lineage automatically through hooks on Hive, Sqoop, Storm and Kafka. It exposes full-text and DSL-based search plus a REST API. Atlas is self-hosted only and requires operating Kafka, HBase and Solr/Elasticsearch as backing services, so it suits organizations already running a Hadoop or Hive-based data platform rather than teams on a purely cloud-warehouse stack.

At a glance

Vendor Apache Software Foundation
Pricing model Open source + paid options
Free tier Yes
Deployment Self-hosted
Open source Yes (Apache-2.0)
Best for Organizations running Hadoop/Hive-based data platforms wanting native metadata governance.

Pricing

Free, self-hosted Apache project; no vendor pricing.

Pricing has not been verified yet — see the vendor's site.

Features

  • Extensible metadata type system
  • Entity classification and tagging
  • Automated lineage via Hive/Sqoop/Storm/Kafka hooks
  • Full-text and DSL-based search
  • Apache Ranger integration for policy enforcement
  • REST API
  • Kafka-based metadata notifications

Integrations

Profile last reviewed September 21, 2026

Alternatives

Amundsen Open-source, search-first data discovery catalog originally built at Lyft; development has slowed significantly since 2024. DataHub Open-source metadata platform for search, lineage and governance, with a managed DataHub Cloud offered by Acryl Data. OpenMetadata Open-source unified metadata platform covering catalog, lineage, data quality and observability in one schema.

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Terms to know

Data governance The policies, roles and processes that determine how data is defined, owned, accessed and kept compliant. Data lineage A traceable record of where data came from, how it was transformed, and where it is used downstream. Data catalog A searchable inventory of an organization's data assets, with descriptions, ownership and usage attached. Metadata management The discipline of capturing, organizing, and maintaining data about data so it can be found, trusted, and used consistently.

Related guides

How to choose a data catalog Pick a data catalog by who has to document it, how lineage gets built, and whether your organization needs governed workflow or fast, automated discovery.