May 1, 2024
Updated June 22, 2025
21 minute read
An Introduction to Streams: Navigating the Flow of Modern Data
In the vast and ever-evolving landscape of technology, "Streams" represent a fundamental concept in how we handle and process data. At a high level, a stream refers to a continuous flow of data, often generated from various sources, that needs to be processed, analyzed, and acted upon in real-time or near real-time. Think of it like a river: water (data) is constantly flowing, and we can build mechanisms to observe, divert, or utilize this flow for specific purposes. This paradigm contrasts with traditional batch processing, where data is collected over a period and processed in chunks. The ability to manage and interpret these ceaseless data currents is becoming increasingly vital across numerous sectors.
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Find a path to becoming a Streams. Learn more at:
OpenCourser.com/topic/2o5g90/stream
Reading list
We've selected four books
that we think will supplement your
learning. Use these to
develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a
deeper understanding of the topics covered in
Streams.
Introduces reactive programming using Kotlin, a modern programming language well-suited for stream processing. It covers the core concepts and patterns of reactive programming, with a focus on building scalable and responsive applications.
Covers the architecture, APIs, and use cases of Apache Flink, a popular distributed stream processing framework. It provides a comprehensive guide to building and deploying scalable and reliable stream processing applications with Flink.
Teaches stream processing using the Scala programming language. It covers the fundamentals of stream processing and provides practical examples of building and deploying stream processing applications in Scala.
Provides a deep dive into concurrency and parallelism, covering fundamental concepts and advanced topics. While it does not directly focus on streams, it offers valuable insights into the challenges and techniques involved in designing and implementing concurrent systems, which are essential for understanding stream processing.
For more information about how these books relate to this course, visit:
OpenCourser.com/topic/2o5g90/stream