Azure Databricks
An Apache Spark-based analytics platform optimized for Azure.
Welcome to Microsoft Q&A,
Hello @Syed Bilal Haider , I hope you are doing well,
Azure Databricks and Databricks are closely related, but they are not exactly the same thing.
Databricks is the company and the underlying Data Intelligence Platform. It is a cloud-based platform for data engineering, analytics, data science, AI, and lakehouse workloads. Databricks can run on multiple cloud providers, including Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud.
Azure Databricks is the Databricks platform integrated specifically with Microsoft Azure. It is optimized for Azure and integrates with Azure services such as Azure Storage, Microsoft Entra ID, networking, security, and other Azure services. Microsoft describes Azure Databricks as a unified analytics platform for enterprise data, analytics, and AI workloads.
A simple way to think about it is:
| Databricks | Azure Databricks | |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Databricks | Databricks |
| -------- | -------- | -------- |
| Company | Databricks | Databricks |
| Platform | Databricks Data Intelligence Platform | Same platform adapted to Azure |
| Cloud | AWS, Azure, Google Cloud | Microsoft Azure |
| Azure integration | Not applicable | Strong integration with Azure services |
| Compute/storage | Managed by Databricks and the cloud provider | Integrated with Azure infrastructure and services |
For example, if your organization primarily uses Microsoft Azure, you would typically choose Azure Databricks so that your data and analytics environment can integrate with your existing Azure identity, networking, storage, security, and governance.
Regarding ownership, Azure Databricks is not a Microsoft-owned product. It is a Databricks product/service offered on Microsoft Azure. Databricks is the company behind the platform, while Microsoft provides the Azure cloud infrastructure and Azure integration.
Microsoft documentation: What is Azure Databricks?
Databricks documentation: What is Databricks?
I hope this clarifies the difference.