One technology that has become pivotal for any organization in today’s world is Node.js. Node.js is a serverless, Open-Source environment that runs JavasScript-based scripts to build scalable applications. Along with Node.js, finding the best ETL tool for your business is essential.
JavaScript and NodeJs Open Source ETL Tools have gained popularity because these tools help keep business costs low and offer flexibility in building applications at the same time. They also offer a simple UI (User Interface) and help users set up the ETL process with ease.
This article gives you a comprehensive overview of the best JavaScript and NodeJs Open Source ETL Tools and describes their features briefly, along with a few limitations of leveraging these tools.
Table of Contents
Prerequisites
- Working knowledge of SaaS applications.
- Working knowledge of Open-Source and Cloud Environments.
What is the ETL Process?
The ETL process consists of 3 steps:
- Extraction: Extraction is an essential part of the ETL process as it helps unify Structured and Unstructured data from a diverse set of data sources such as Databases, SaaS applications, files, CRMs, etc.
Extraction Tools simplify this process by allowing users to extract valuable information in a matter of a few clicks. All this is done without having to write any complex code. - Transformation: Transformation is the process of converting the extracted data into a common format so that it can be better understood by a Data Warehouse or a BI (Business Intelligence) tool. Some transformation techniques include Sorting, Cleaning, Removing Redundant Information, and Verifying Data from data sources.
- Loading: Loading is the process of storing the transformed data into a destination, normally a Data Warehouse, and also supports analysis of the data using various BI tools to gain valuable insights and build reports and dashboards. The Loading stage is crucial as the customer data is visualized using different BI tools after this stage.
The given figure highlights the stages of the ETL process:
As the ability of businesses to collect data explodes, data teams have a crucial role to play in fueling data-driven decisions. Yet, they struggle to consolidate the scattered data in their warehouse to build a single source of truth. Broken pipelines, data quality issues, bugs and errors, and lack of control and visibility over the data flow make data integration a nightmare.
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What is Node.js?
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Node.js is a cross-platform, Open-Source, and back-end JavaScript runtime environment that uses a V8 engine to execute JavaScript code outside a web browser. It is mostly used to build scalable applications and web pages. Node.js is an asynchronous technology, which means that data is transmitted through networks without any time constraints.
The event-driven runtime of Node.js handles all types of HTTP requests and sleeps when it’s not required. This enables developers to use JavaScript and write server-side scripts to produce dynamic web content before the content is sent to the user’s web browser.
Node.js consists of the “.js” standard filename extension for JavaScript code and represents a “JavaScript everywhere” paradigm, thereby unifying web application development around a single programming language, rather than different languages for server-side and client-side scripts.
JavaScript and NodeJs Open Source ETL Tools can be slightly complicated for non-technical users but are the best tools when it comes to handling critical Big Data jobs that demand enterprise-level performance.
To learn more about Node.js, click this link.
Top 5 JavaScript and NodeJs Open Source ETL Tools
Choosing the best JavaScript and NodeJs Open Source ETL Tool can be an exhausting task as each tool has its advantages and disadvantages.
Generally, companies opt for tools that are regularly updated and monitored by a large community and bring in new features too. Here is a comprehensive list of the best JavaScript and Nodejs Open Source ETL Tools:
1) Nextract
Nextract is an ETL Tool built on Node.js Streams and is designed by Github contributor Chad Auld. It is suited for beginner and mid-level programmers.
The main goal of Nextract is to help developers make their work easier by using the flexible and asynchronous nature of the Node.js runtime environment as compared to other Java-based ETL Tools.
By using npm packages (JavaScript packages) you can extend the capabilities of Nextract. This Nodejs Open Source ETL Tool supports multiple databases including Postgres, MySQL, MSSQL(Microsoft SQL Server), MariaDB, Oracle, and many more.
It can extract data from database queries and reflect the results onto tables. It works best with CSV and JSON files and by adding plug-ins, you can perform additional ETL operations like Sorting, Filtering, and Math.
The only limitation of Nextract is that it cannot work with Big Data as it runs on the resources of a single machine.
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2) Datapumps
Datapumps is a JavaScript and NodeJs Open Source ETL Tool that uses “pumps” to read inputs and write outputs. An example can include exporting data from MySQL to Excel using a single pump. In case you work with complex data, you can create groups of pumps to export data.
Datapumps supports ETL processes such as Data Transformation, Encapsulation, Error Handling & Debugging. One limitation of Datapumps is that they cannot perform the ETL processes on their own and can only pass data in a controlled manner.
To make it efficient you can add “mixins”. Mixins help import, export, and transfer your data. Currently, Datapumps support 10 types of mixins.
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3) ETL
ETL is a JavaScript and NodeJs Open Source Tool that helps perform ETL processes from MySQL to PostgreSQL. It was developed by Github contributor John Skillbeck and is one of the first NodeJs Open Source ETL Tools created.
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4) Empujar
Empujar is a NodeJs Open Source ETL Tool that helps extract data and perform backup operations. It is developed by TaskRabbit and takes advantage of Node.js’s asynchronous behavior to run data operations in series or parallel.
It uses a Book, Chapter, and Page format to represent data. Top-level objects are known as Books and they contain sequential Chapters with Pages that can run in parallel up to a limit that you can set.
This tool integrates with different types of databases including MySQL, FTP, S3, Amazon Redshift, and many more.
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Extraload is a lightweight ETL Tool for Node.js that moves data from files into databases and between databases. It was developed by Github contributor Alyaton Norgard.
It processes ETL operations quickly as it uses JavaScript coding and Node.js’s time-saving non-block programming. Along with ETL operations, Extraload also updates search platform indexes like Apache Solr.
This tool also houses API reference pages that explain how to write scripts and create drivers.
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Limitations of JavaScript & NodeJs Open Source ETL Tools
Although JavaScript and NodeJs Open Source ETL Tools can provide a solid backbone for your Data Pipeline, they have a few limitations especially when it comes to providing support.
As these tools are work-in-progress tools many of them are not fully developed and are not compatible with multiple data sources. Some of the limitations of these tools include:
- Enterprise Application Connectivity: Companies are not able to connect a few of their applications with NodeJs Open Source ETL Tools due to compatibility reasons.
- Management & Error Handling Capabilities: Many Open-Source ETL Tools are not able to handle errors easily due to their lack of error-handling capabilities.
- Large Data Volumes & Small Batch Windows: Many NodeJs Open Source ETL Tools need to analyze large data volumes but can process the data in small batches only. This is because many of these tools are Command-Line Interfaces and need both the power of Node.js and the ETL tool to function effectively.
- Complex Transformation Requirements: Companies that have complex transformation needs cannot use NodeJs Open Source ETL Tools. This is because they often lack support for performing complex transformations.
- Lack of Customer Support Teams: As Open-Source ETL Tools are managed by communities and developers all around the world, they do not have specific customer support teams to handle issues.
- Poor Security Features: Being Open-Source causes these tools to have poor security infrastructure and become prone to many cyber attacks.
Conclusion
This article gave a comprehensive list of the best JavaScript and NodeJs Open Source ETL Tools. It also gave an introduction to the ETL Process and Node.js technology. It further explained the features of these tools.
Finally, it highlighted some of the limitations as well. Overall, JavaScript and NodeJs Open Source ETL Tools provide all types of users to work with both technologies seamlessly. They efficiently interrelate both these technologies to help companies gather valuable & actionable insights.
In case you want to integrate data into your desired Database/destination, then Hevo Data is the right choice for you! It will help simplify the ETL and management process of both the data sources and the data destinations.
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