The State of Apache Parquet in 2026: The Quiet Format Enters Its Loudest Decade

This article provides a comprehensive state-of-the-project overview of Apache Parquet in 2026, highlighting its transformation from a quiet foundational format to a rapidly evolving one. It covers recent developments like native variant types, geospatial support, format 2.13, and ongoing debates about versioning and footer redesign. The article explains how lakehouse architectures and AI workloads (embeddings, semi-structured data) are driving these changes, and offers insights for practitioners on what to expect and how to adapt. Written by Alex Merced of Dremio, it includes a refresher on Parquet internals, ecosystem updates, and practical advice.