Data Lake

A storage repository that holds a vast amount of raw data in its native format until it is needed.

A data lake is a centralized storage repository that holds large volumes of raw data in its native format until it is needed for analysis. Unlike a data warehouse, which stores data in a structured, processed format, a data lake retains data in its original form -- structured, semi-structured, or unstructured.

Data lakes are built on scalable storage systems such as AWS S3, Azure Data Lake Storage, or Google Cloud Storage. They support diverse data types including log files, JSON documents, images, and streaming data. Processing frameworks like Apache Spark and Presto query data in place without requiring it to be loaded into a separate database.

In API-driven systems, data lakes often serve as the destination for API analytics and logging data. API gateway access logs, request metadata, and performance metrics can be streamed into a data lake for later analysis. This enables teams to identify usage patterns, detect anomalies, and make data-driven decisions about API design and capacity planning.