Overview of HttpFS for HDFS access
trunkHttpFS is a REST HTTP gateway for HDFS that provides full filesystem read and write capabilities. It serves as an interface for interacting with HDFS using standard HTTP protocols instead of the native HDFS RPC protocol.
Key use cases include:
- Cross-version data transfer: Facilitates moving data between Hadoop clusters running different versions (e.g., via Hadoop DistCP) by overcoming RPC versioning incompatibilities.
- Firewall traversal: Acts as a secure gateway for clusters located behind a firewall; the HttpFS server is the only component permitted to cross the firewall into the HDFS cluster.
- Language and tool interoperability: Enables HDFS access using standard HTTP utilities like
curlandwget, or via HTTP libraries in languages other than Java (e.g., Perl).