Presto
Presto is an open-source distributed SQL query engine for running analytic queries on data stored in various sources, including HDFS, S3, and relational databases.
Profile
Presto is an open-source distributed SQL query engine that allows users to run interactive analytic queries against data stored in various sources, including HDFS, S3, and relational databases.
Presto is an open-source distributed SQL query engine for running analytic queries on data stored in various sources, including HDFS, S3, and relational databases. Originally developed at Facebook in 2012 to address the limitations of Hive for interactive queries, the project was open-sourced in 2013 and has since grown into a widely adopted infrastructure component. The project is governed by the Presto Foundation under the Linux Foundation, with major contributors including Facebook, Uber, Twitter, and Alibaba.
The GitHub repository shows 16,700 stars, 5,500 forks, and over 25,800 commits as of June 2026, indicating active community development. The project's most recent commit, from June 5, 2026, added additional predicates to the MERGE SQL statement. Presto competes with other query engines like Apache Spark SQL, Dremio, and Trino (a fork of Presto).
The project does not have a single corporate parent; it is a community-driven open-source project. There is no publicly available revenue, headcount, or funding information for the Presto project itself. The research dossier contained links to a different company, National Presto Industries (NYSE: NPK), a defense and appliance manufacturer, which is unrelated to the Presto query engine.
The TechCrunch layoffs article and other sources in the dossier also did not contain any information about the Presto query engine. The project's primary distribution is through its GitHub repository and releases from the Presto Foundation.
Who buys this
- Data engineering and analytics teams at large internet companies
- Data platform teams building internal analytics infrastructure
- Organizations with data lakes on HDFS or cloud object storage
- Companies requiring interactive SQL queries on large datasets
Strengths and what to watch
Strengths
- Proven at scale: originally built at Facebook to run interactive queries on a multi-petabyte data warehouse, and adopted by companies like Uber, Twitter, and Netflix.
- Active open-source community: 16,700 GitHub stars, 5,500 forks, and over 25,800 commits as of June 2026, with contributions from multiple major tech companies.
- Flexible architecture: supports querying data in-place from HDFS, S3, relational databases, and other sources without needing to move data into a separate analytics store.
Watch for
- Competition from Trino: a fork of Presto that has gained significant community and commercial traction, potentially fragmenting the user and contributor base.
- Lack of a single commercial vendor: unlike Trino (backed by Starburst) or Spark (Databricks), Presto's community governance model may lead to slower feature development and less enterprise support.
- No recent funding or corporate backing: the project relies on volunteer contributions and corporate donations, which may limit its ability to compete with well-funded alternatives.
Key Information
- Industry
- Query/Data Flow
- Founded
- 2012
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Presto and what does it do?
Presto is an open-source distributed SQL query engine for running interactive analytic queries on data stored in various sources like HDFS, S3, and relational databases. Originally developed at Facebook in 2012, it was open-sourced in 2013 and is now governed by the Presto Foundation.
How does Presto handle data from different sources?
Presto queries data in-place from HDFS, S3, relational databases, and other sources without requiring data movement into a separate analytics store. This flexible architecture allows users to run interactive SQL queries across multiple data sources simultaneously, making it ideal for data lake environments.
Who uses Presto and what are its main strengths?
Presto is used by data engineering and analytics teams at large internet companies like Facebook, Uber, Twitter, and Netflix. Its strengths include proven scalability for multi-petabyte data warehouses, an active open-source community with over 16,700 GitHub stars, and the ability to query data in-place.
What is the Presto Foundation and how is the project governed?
The Presto Foundation, under the Linux Foundation, governs the Presto project with major contributors including Facebook, Uber, Twitter, and Alibaba. This community-driven model means no single corporate parent, relying on volunteer contributions and corporate donations for development and support.
How does Presto compare to Trino and other query engines?
Trino is a fork of Presto that has gained significant community and commercial traction, potentially fragmenting the user base. Presto also competes with Apache Spark SQL and Dremio. Unlike Trino backed by Starburst or Spark by Databricks, Presto lacks a single commercial vendor for enterprise support.
What are the main risks or challenges for Presto?
Key risks include competition from Trino, which may fragment the community, and the lack of a single commercial vendor for enterprise support. The project relies on volunteer contributions and corporate donations, with no recent funding, potentially slowing feature development compared to well-funded alternatives.
Sources
- github.com — Project repository statistics, commit history, and community activity as of June 2026.
- www.gopresto.com — This URL is for National Presto Industries, an unrelated company, and does not contain information about the Presto query engine.
- investor.presto.com — This URL is for Presto Automation, an unrelated company, and does not contain information about the Presto query engine.
- www.sec.gov — This URL is for National Presto Industries (NYSE: NPK), an unrelated company, and does not contain information about the Presto query engine.