Hortonworks Data Platform

Hortonworks Data Platform was created in 2011 by Hortonworks, a company founded by former Yahoo engineers. It was developed to provide an enterprise-ready open-source platform based on Apache Hadoop, addressing the need for scalable and reliable big data processing solutions. The platform aimed to simplify and enhance Hadoop's capabilities for businesses seeking to leverage big data analytics effectively.

Strengths of Hortonworks Data Platform included its open-source nature, strong integration with Apache Hadoop, comprehensive data management features, and robust support for various analytics workloads. Weaknesses involved complexity in setup and management, potential performance issues with large-scale deployments, and reliance on community support for certain aspects. Competitors included Cloudera's CDH (Cloudera Distribution Including Apache Hadoop), MapR (now part of HPE), and cloud-based big data services from AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure.

A Hortonworks Data Platform expert must have strong skills in Apache Hadoop, including HDFS, MapReduce, and YARN. Proficiency in related technologies such as Apache Hive, HBase, Pig, and Spark is essential. Knowledge of data ingestion tools like Apache NiFi and Sqoop is important. Familiarity with data governance and security features within HDP is crucial. Experience with Linux system administration and scripting languages like Python or Bash is beneficial for managing the platform. Understanding of distributed computing principles and performance tuning for big data environments is also necessary.