Pinot

OLAP

Apache Pinot is an open-source, real-time distributed online analytical processing (OLAP) database designed to ingest and query data with sub-second latency.

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Apache Pinot is a real-time distributed OLAP database that ingests and queries large volumes of data with sub-second latency.

Apache Pinot is an open-source, real-time distributed online analytical processing (OLAP) database designed to ingest and query data with sub-second latency. Originally developed at LinkedIn to power internal analytics dashboards, the project was donated to the Apache Software Foundation in 2015 and graduated as a top-level project in 2018. Pinot is built to handle large-scale, high-velocity data, supporting both batch and streaming ingestion from sources like Apache Kafka and Apache Hadoop.

Its architecture separates servers into offline (batch) and real-time segments, enabling it to serve queries on fresh data within seconds of ingestion. The project is maintained by a community of contributors, with LinkedIn, Uber, and Microsoft among the most active corporate backers. As of June 2026, the GitHub repository shows over 6,100 stars, 1,500 forks, and more than 15,300 commits, indicating sustained development activity.

Pinot competes with other real-time analytics databases such as Apache Druid and ClickHouse. The project does not generate direct revenue; it is freely available under the Apache License 2.0. Several companies offer managed services or commercial support for Pinot, including StarTree, which was founded by former LinkedIn engineers who worked on the original project.

StarTree raised $47 million in Series B funding in 2022. Pinot's adoption spans industries including e-commerce, advertising, finance, and logistics, where low-latency analytical queries on large datasets are critical. The project's recent development focus includes upgrading Apache Calcite (from 1.40.0 to 1.42.0 in June 2026) and refining AI tooling policies within the repository.

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Who buys this

  • Companies needing real-time analytics dashboards on streaming data
  • Organizations running user-facing analytics products requiring low query latency
  • Enterprises with large-scale event data from systems like Kafka
  • Ad-tech and e-commerce platforms requiring fast aggregation queries
  • Financial services firms monitoring real-time market data

Strengths and what to watch

Strengths

  • Sub-second query latency on fresh data through separate offline and real-time segment servers
  • Proven at scale with LinkedIn, Uber, and Microsoft as active contributors and users
  • Strong community with over 6,100 GitHub stars, 1,500 forks, and 15,300+ commits as of June 2026

Watch for

  • Competition from Apache Druid and ClickHouse, both of which have larger commercial ecosystems and marketing presence
  • No single commercial vendor controls the project, which can lead to slower decision-making on features and releases
  • Dependence on a small number of corporate contributors (LinkedIn, Uber, Microsoft) for major development work

Key Information

Industry
OLAP
Founded
1986

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Apache Pinot and what does it do?

Apache Pinot is an open-source, real-time distributed OLAP database that ingests and queries large volumes of data with sub-second latency. It was originally developed at LinkedIn for internal analytics dashboards and later donated to the Apache Software Foundation.

How does Apache Pinot achieve sub-second query latency?

Pinot separates servers into offline and real-time segments, allowing it to serve queries on fresh data within seconds of ingestion. This architecture supports both batch and streaming ingestion from sources like Apache Kafka and Hadoop, enabling fast analytical queries.

Who are the main contributors to Apache Pinot?

The project is maintained by a community of contributors, with LinkedIn, Uber, and Microsoft among the most active corporate backers. As of June 2026, the GitHub repository shows over 6,100 stars, 1,500 forks, and more than 15,300 commits.

What are the main use cases for Apache Pinot?

Pinot is used by companies needing real-time analytics dashboards on streaming data, user-facing analytics products, ad-tech and e-commerce platforms requiring fast aggregation queries, and financial services firms monitoring real-time market data.

How does Apache Pinot compare to Apache Druid and ClickHouse?

Pinot competes with Druid and ClickHouse as a real-time analytics database. While Druid and ClickHouse have larger commercial ecosystems and marketing presence, Pinot offers sub-second latency on fresh data and is proven at scale with contributors like LinkedIn, Uber, and Microsoft.

Is there commercial support available for Apache Pinot?

Yes, several companies offer managed services or commercial support for Pinot, including StarTree, which was founded by former LinkedIn engineers who worked on the original project. StarTree raised $47 million in Series B funding in 2022.

Sources

  1. github.com — Project repository statistics: 6.1k stars, 1.5k forks, 15,356 commits, recent commit upgrading Apache Calcite
  2. investors.fiscalnote.com — FiscalNote Q1 2026 revenue of $20.0 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $1.0 million
  3. ir.andrewpeller.com — Andrew Peller Limited Q3 2026 revenue of $108.8 million and net earnings of $7.9 million
  4. investors.toasttab.com — Toast Q1 2026 ARR of $2.2 billion, net income of $126 million, and Adjusted EBITDA of $179 million
  5. investors.angiodynamics.com — AngioDynamics fiscal Q1 2026 net sales of $75.7 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $2.2 million
  6. news.crunchbase.com — Crunchbase tech layoffs tracker showing at least 127,000 U.S. tech workers laid off in 2025
  7. finance.yahoo.com — TechCrunch 2025 layoffs tracker reporting over 22,000 tech workers laid off in 2025