How to work with Hacker News Data in Apache Spark using SQL

Apache Spark is a fast and general engine for large-scale data processing. When paired with the CData JDBC Driver for Hacker News, Spark can work with live Hacker News data. This article describes how to connect to and query Hacker News data from a Spark shell.

The CData JDBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live Hacker News data due to optimized data processing built into the driver. When you issue complex SQL queries to Hacker News, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to Hacker News and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations (often SQL functions and JOIN operations) client-side. With built-in dynamic metadata querying, you can work with and analyze Hacker News data using native data types.

Install the CData JDBC Driver for Hacker News

Download the CData JDBC Driver for Hacker News installer, unzip the package, and run the JAR file to install the driver.

Start a Spark Shell and Connect to Hacker News Data

1. Open a terminal and start the Spark shell with the CData JDBC Driver for Hacker News JAR file as the jars parameter:

   $ spark-shell --jars /CData/CData JDBC Driver for Hacker News/lib/cdata.jdbc.api.jar
   

2. With the shell running, you can connect to Hacker News with a JDBC URL and use the SQL Context load() function to read a table.

   Connecting to HackerNews

   The HackerNews API (powered by Firebase) is a public API that requires no authentication. You can connect and query data immediately without any credentials.

   After setting the following connection properties, you are ready to connect:

   • AuthScheme: Set this to None.

   Example connection string:

   Profile=C:\profiles\HackerNews.apip;AuthScheme=None
   

   Built-in Connection String Designer

   For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the Hacker News JDBC Driver. Either double-click the JAR file or execute the jar file from the command-line.

   java -jar cdata.jdbc.api.jar
   

   Fill in the connection properties and copy the connection string to the clipboard.

   

   Configure the connection to Hacker News, using the connection string generated above.

   scala> val api_df = spark.sqlContext.read.format("jdbc").option("url", "jdbc:api:Profile=C:\profiles\HackerNews.apip;AuthScheme=None").option("dbtable","TopStories").option("driver","cdata.jdbc.api.APIDriver").load()
   

3. Once you connect and the data is loaded you will see the table schema displayed.

4. Register the Hacker News data as a temporary table:

   scala> api_df.registerTable("topstories")

5. Perform custom SQL queries against the Data using commands like the one below:

   scala> api_df.sqlContext.sql("SELECT ,  FROM TopStories WHERE  = ").collect.foreach(println)

   You will see the results displayed in the console, similar to the following:

   

Using the CData JDBC Driver for Hacker News in Apache Spark, you are able to perform fast and complex analytics on Hacker News data, combining the power and utility of Spark with your data. Download a free, 30 day trial of any of the hundreds of CData JDBC Drivers and get started today.