Assembling the Apache Lakehouse: The Modular Architecture

This article details the modular Apache Lakehouse architecture, breaking down the traditional monolithic data warehouse into four open-source pillars: Apache Parquet for storage, Apache Iceberg for table format with ACID transactions, Apache Polaris for governance and catalog management, and Apache Arrow for in-memory execution. It highlights the benefits of decoupling storage and compute, ensuring vendor neutrality and data ownership. The article also warns against the DIY Lakehouse trap, where manual assembly of these components leads to operational complexity, especially with Iceberg maintenance. It is part of a series on open source and the lakehouse, targeting IT professionals interested in modern data architecture.