How Similarweb uses Firebolt to deliver sub-second analytics over more than 1 trillion rows
Customer Company Size
Large Corporate
Country
- United States
Product
- Firebolt
- AWS
- DynamoDB
- Databricks
- Airflow
Tech Stack
- Spark
- AWS
- Databricks
- Airflow
Implementation Scale
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
Impact Metrics
- Cost Savings
- Productivity Improvements
Technology Category
- Analytics & Modeling - Predictive Analytics
- Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Data Management Platforms
Applicable Industries
- Software
- Professional Service
Applicable Functions
- Business Operation
Services
- Software Design & Engineering Services
- System Integration
About The Customer
Similarweb is a leading big data company that provides comprehensive web analytics services. It collects vast amounts of web-related data to help marketers, brands, and salespeople understand how audiences interact with websites. Similarweb's platform allows users to track keyword searches, website traffic, and user behavior across various websites. The company aims to deliver a seamless user experience by enabling users to analyze, slice, and dice data to gain insights. With a focus on delivering analytics-rich experiences, Similarweb ingests 5TB of new data daily and manages a dataset of approximately 1 petabyte. The company's operations are primarily based on AWS, utilizing tools like Spark, Databricks, and Airflow for data processing and orchestration.
The Challenge
Similarweb faced significant challenges in delivering fast and efficient analytics over massive data volumes. The company needed to enable users to analyze segments within larger websites, such as comparing FootLocker.com traffic with Amazon.com shoe searches. The dynamic input from users required handling an exponential number of combinations, making pre-processing unfeasible. Additionally, the existing solutions like Athena and DynamoDB were not fast enough or lacked SQL support for dynamic grouping. The challenge was further compounded by the need to scan large data volumes, such as 150GB of data generated daily by Amazon, and the requirement to analyze up to two years' worth of data.
The Solution
To address the challenges, Similarweb evaluated several solutions and ultimately selected Firebolt for its superior performance and cost-effectiveness. Firebolt's ability to handle raw data without additional pre-processing and deliver sub-second query performance was a key factor in the decision. The decoupling of storage and compute in Firebolt allowed Similarweb to isolate workloads and ensure consistently fast query responses. This enabled the company to develop new features without impacting the production experience. Firebolt's REST APIs and integration with Airflow facilitated seamless orchestration in production. The solution allowed Similarweb to deliver dynamic querying capabilities and enhance user experience by providing fast and predictable analytics.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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