Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users
AWS Glue Logo

AWS Glue pros and cons

3.9 out of 5
Badge Ranked 1
257 followers
Start review

Pros & Cons summary

Buyer's Guide

Get pricing advice, tips, use cases and valuable features from real users of this product.
Get the report

Prominent pros & cons

PROS

Data catalog and triggers are highly valued for streamlining scheduling and metadata management.
AWS Glue integrates seamlessly with other AWS services like S3 and supports Jupyter Notebook.
AWS Glue's serverless architecture and scalability are praised for cost-effectiveness and performance.
Glue Crawler efficiently manages schema updates without needing extensive team knowledge.
The real-time data processing, including fast email sending capabilities, is a standout feature.

CONS

Start-up time is high, taking five to eight minutes for new jobs to begin.
Lack of direct integration with Redshift and limited language support can hinder customization.
High costs and complicated configuration make AWS Glue expensive for users handling large data volumes.
Technical support response time is slow, and documentation is lacking, leading to difficulties in learning.
Performance issues exist, necessitating optimization in handling data transformations and integrations.
 

AWS Glue Pros review quotes

Muthuvel Sivaraman - PeerSpot reviewer
Jun 21, 2024
It is a very scalable solution.
NS
Jan 2, 2025
For ETL, I feel the performance is excellent.
Syed Zakaulla - PeerSpot reviewer
Feb 13, 2023
What I like best about AWS Glue is its real-time data backup feature. Last week, there was a production push, and what used to take almost ten days to send out around fifty-six thousand emails now takes only two hours.
Learn what your peers think about AWS Glue. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2025.
850,671 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer1084386 - PeerSpot reviewer
Dec 2, 2021
Glue is a NoSQL-based data ETL tool that has some advantages over IIS and ISAs.
Sunil Morya - PeerSpot reviewer
Dec 9, 2022
The solution helps organizations gain flexibility in defining the structure of the data.
BR
Dec 17, 2020
The facility to integrate with S3 and the possibility to use Jupyter Notebook inside the pipeline are the most valuable features.
ParamShah - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 16, 2024
Our entire use case was very easily handled or solved using this solution.
Joaquin Marques - PeerSpot reviewer
Nov 25, 2022
It's fairly straightforward as a product; it's not very complicated.
UjjwalGupta - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 9, 2024
The most valuable feature of AWS Glue is that it provides a GUI format with a drag-and-drop feature.
reviewer2543349 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sep 13, 2024
Its ease of use, cost-effectiveness, and highly secure architecture are some of the most valuable features.
 

AWS Glue Cons review quotes

Muthuvel Sivaraman - PeerSpot reviewer
Jun 21, 2024
The drawbacks associated with the product stem from the fact that, based on the data volume, it can become very costly.
NS
Jan 2, 2025
Improvements in the UI are needed, as it is challenging to understand some functionalities.
Syed Zakaulla - PeerSpot reviewer
Feb 13, 2023
Cost-wise, AWS Glue is expensive, so that's an area for improvement. The process for setting up the solution was also complex, which is another area for improvement.
Learn what your peers think about AWS Glue. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2025.
850,671 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer1084386 - PeerSpot reviewer
Dec 2, 2021
There is a learning curve to this tool.
Sunil Morya - PeerSpot reviewer
Dec 9, 2022
I haven't looked into Glue in terms of seeking out flaws. I've not come across missing features.
BR
Dec 17, 2020
The crucial problem with AWS Glue is that it only works with AWS. It is not an agnostic tool like Pentaho. In PowerCenter, we can install the forms from Google and other vendors, but in the case of AWS Glue, we can only use AWS.
ParamShah - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 16, 2024
It is not clear how the partition discovery would have been affected by more data coming in.
Joaquin Marques - PeerSpot reviewer
Nov 25, 2022
The mapping area and the use of the data catalog from Glue could be better.
UjjwalGupta - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 9, 2024
AWS Glue is more costly compared to other tools like Airflow.
reviewer2543349 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sep 13, 2024
There could be an enhanced way of managing pure metadata management or data cataloging.