Hi,

Really nice to see people chime into this thread. I agree with Martijn about the
development approach. There will be some iterations until we can stabilize this 
anyways,
so we can try to shoot getting out a good enough MVP, then fix issues + reach 
feature
parity with the existing implementations on the go.

I am not a licensing expert but AFAIK the previous images that were released 
under the
acceptable license can be continued to use. For most integration tests, we use 
an
ancient image anyways [1]. There is another place where the latest img gets 
pulled [2],
I guess it would be good to apply an explicit that tag there. But AFAIK they 
stop
publishing to Docker Hub, so I would anticipate we cannot end up pulling an 
image with
a forbidden license.

Best,
Ferenc

[1] 
https://github.com/apache/flink/blob/fd1a97768b661f19783afe70d93a0a8d3d625b2a/flink-test-utils-parent/flink-test-utils-junit/src/main/java/org/apache/flink/util/DockerImageVersions.java#L39
[2] 
https://github.com/apache/flink/blob/fd1a97768b661f19783afe70d93a0a8d3d625b2a/flink-end-to-end-tests/test-scripts/common_s3_minio.sh#L51




On Sunday, October 26th, 2025 at 22:05, Martijn Visser 
<[email protected]> wrote:

> 
> 
> Hi Samrat,
> 
> First of all, thanks for the proposal. It's long overdue to get this in a
> better state.
> 
> With regards to the schemes, I would say to ship an initial release that
> does not include support for s3a and s3p, and focus first on getting this
> new implementation into a stable state. When that's done, as a follow-up,
> we can consider adding support for s3a and s3p on this implementation, and
> when that's there consider deprecating the older implementations. It will
> probably take multiple releases before we have this in a stable state.
> 
> Not directly related to this, but given that MinIO decided to change their
> license, do we also need to refactor existing tests to not use MinIO
> anymore but something else?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Martijn
> 
> On Sat, Oct 25, 2025 at 1:38 AM Samrat Deb [email protected] wrote:
> 
> > Hi all,
> > 
> > One clarifying question regarding the URI schemes:
> > 
> > Currently, the Flink ecosystem uses multiple schemes to differentiate
> > between S3 implementations: s3a:// for the Hadoop-based connector and
> > s3p://[1] for the Presto-based one, which is often recommended for
> > checkpointing.
> > 
> > A key goal of the proposed flink-s3-fs-native is to unify these into a
> > single implementation. With that in mind, what should be the strategy for
> > scheme support? Should the new native s3 filesystem register only for the
> > simple s3:// scheme, aiming to deprecate the others? Or would it be
> > beneficial to also support s3a:// and s3p:// to provide a smoother
> > migration path for users who may have these schemes in their existing job
> > configurations?
> > Cheers,
> > Samrat
> > 
> > [1] https://github.com/generalui/s3p
> > 
> > On Wed, Oct 22, 2025 at 6:31 PM Piotr Nowojski [email protected]
> > wrote:
> > 
> > > Hi Samrat,
> > > 
> > > > 1. Even if the specifics are hazy, could you recall the general
> > > > nature of those concerns? For instance, were they related to S3's
> > > > eventual
> > > > consistency model, which has since improved, the atomicity of Multipart
> > > > Upload commits, or perhaps complex failure/recovery scenarios during
> > > > the
> > > > commit phase?
> > > 
> > > and
> > > 
> > > > *8. *The flink-s3-fs-presto connector explicitly throws an
> > > > `UnsupportedOperationException` when `createRecoverableWriter()` is
> > > > called.
> > > > Was this a deliberate design choice to keep the Presto connector
> > > > lightweight and optimized specifically for checkpointing, or were there
> > > > other technical challenges that prevented its implementation at the
> > > > time?
> > > > Any context on this would be very helpful
> > > 
> > > I very vaguely remember that at least one of those concerns was with
> > > respect to how long
> > > does it take for the S3 to make some certain operations visible. That you
> > > think you have
> > > uploaded and committed a file, but in reality it might not be visible for
> > > tens of seconds.
> > > 
> > > Sorry, I don't remember more (or even if there was more). I was only
> > > superficially involved
> > > in the S3 connector back then - just participated/overheard some
> > > discussions.
> > > 
> > > > 2. It's clear that implementing an efficient
> > > > PathsCopyingFileSystem[2]
> > > > is
> > > > a non-negotiable requirement for performance. Is there any benchmark
> > > > numbers available that can be used as reference and evaluate new
> > > > implementation deviation ?
> > > 
> > > I only have the numbers that I put in the original Flip [1]. I don't
> > > remember the benchmark
> > > setup, but it must have been something simple. Like just let some job
> > > accumulate 1GB of state
> > > and measure how long the state downloading phase of recovery was taking.
> > > 
> > > > 3. Do you recall the workload characteristics for that PoC?
> > > > Specifically,
> > > > was the 30-40% performance advantage of s5cmd observed when copying
> > > > many
> > > > small files (like checkpoint state) or larger, multi-gigabyte files?
> > > 
> > > It was just a regular mix of compacted RocksDB sst files, with total
> > > state
> > > size 1 or at most
> > > a couple of GBs. So most of the files were around ~64MB or ~128MB, with a
> > > couple of
> > > smaller L0 files, and maybe one larger L2 file.
> > > 
> > > > 4. The idea of a switchable implementation sounds great. Would you
> > > > envision this as a configuration flag (e.g.,
> > > > s3.native.copy.strategy=s5cmd
> > > > or s3.native.copy.strategy=sdk) that selects the backend implementation
> > > > at
> > > > runtime? Also on contrary is it worth adding configuration that exposes
> > > > some level of implementation level information ?
> > > 
> > > I think something like that should be fine, assuming that `s5cmd` will
> > > again
> > > prove significantly faster and/or more cpu efficient. If not, if the
> > > SDKv2
> > > has
> > > already improved and caught up with the `s5cmd`, then it probably doesn't
> > > make sense to keep `s5cmd` support.
> > > 
> > > > 5. My understanding is that the key takeaway here is to avoid the
> > > > file-by-file stream-based copy used in the vanilla connector and
> > > > leverage
> > > > bulk operations, which PathsCopyingFileSystem[2] enables. This seems
> > > > most
> > > > critical during state download on recovery. please suggest if my
> > > > inference
> > > > is in right direction
> > > 
> > > Yes, but you should also make the bult transfer configurable. How many
> > > bulk
> > > transfers
> > > can be happening in parallel etc.
> > > 
> > > > 6. The warning about `s5cmd` causing OOMs sounds like indication to
> > > > consider `S3TransferManager`[3] implementation, which might offer more
> > > > granular control over buffering and in-flight requests. Do you think
> > > > exploring more on `S3TransferManager` would be valuable ?
> > > 
> > > I'm pretty sure if you start hundreds of bulk transfers in parallel via
> > > the
> > > `S3TransferManager` you can get the same problems with running out of
> > > memory or exceeding available network throughput. I don't know if
> > > `S3TransferManager` is better or worse in that regard to be honest.
> > > 
> > > > 7. The insight on AWS aggressively dropping packets instead of
> > > > gracefully
> > > > throttling is invaluable. Currently i have limited understanding on how
> > > > aws
> > > > behaves at throttling I will deep dive more into it and
> > > > look for clarification based on findings or doubt. To counter this,
> > > > were
> > > > you thinking of a configurable rate limiter within the filesystem
> > > > itself
> > > > (e.g., setting max bandwidth or max concurrent requests), or something
> > > > more
> > > > dynamic that could adapt to network conditions?
> > > 
> > > Flat rate limiting is tricky because AWS offers burst network capacity,
> > > which
> > > comes very handy, and in the vast majority of cases works fine. But for
> > > some jobs
> > > if you exceed that burst capacity, AWS starts dropping your packets and
> > > then the
> > > problems happen. On the other hand, if rate limit to your normal
> > > capacity,
> > > you
> > > are leaving a lot of network throughput unused during recoveries.
> > > 
> > > At the same time AWS doesn't share details for the burst capacity, so
> > > it's
> > > sometimes
> > > tricky to configure the whole system properly. I don't have an universal
> > > good answer
> > > for that :(
> > > 
> > > Best,
> > > Piotrek
> > > 
> > > wt., 21 paź 2025 o 21:40 Samrat Deb [email protected] napisał(a):
> > > 
> > > > Hi Gabor/ Ferenc
> > > > 
> > > > Thank you for sharing the pointer and valuable feedback.
> > > > 
> > > > The link to the custom `XmlResponsesSaxParser`[1] looks scary 😦
> > > > and contains hidden complexity.
> > > > 
> > > > 1. Could you share some context on why this custom parser was
> > > > necessary?
> > > > Was it to work around a specific bug, a performance issue, or an
> > > > inconsistency in the S3 XML API responses that the default AWS SDK
> > > > parser
> > > > couldn't handle at the time? With sdk v2 what are core functionality
> > > > that
> > > > is required to be intensively tested ?
> > > > 
> > > > 2. You mentioned it has no Hadoop dependency, which is great news.
> > > > For
> > > > a
> > > > new native S3 connector, would integration simply require implementing
> > > > a
> > > > new S3DelegationTokenProvider/Receiver pair using the AWS SDK, or are
> > > > there
> > > > more subtle integration points with the framework that should be
> > > > accounted?
> > > > 
> > > > 3. I remember solving Serialized Throwable exception issue [2]
> > > > leading
> > > > to
> > > > a new bug [3], where an initial fix led to a regression that Gabor
> > > > later
> > > > solved with Ferenc providing a detailed root cause insights [4] 😅.
> > > > Its hard to fully sure that all scenarios are covered properly. This is
> > > > one
> > > > of the example, there can be other unknowns.
> > > > what would be the best approach to test for and prevent such
> > > > regressions
> > > > or
> > > > unknown unknowns, especially in the most sensitive parts of the
> > > > filesystem
> > > > logic?
> > > > 
> > > > Cheers,
> > > > Samrat
> > > > 
> > > > [1]
> > 
> > https://github.com/apache/flink/blob/0e4e6d7082e83f098d0c1a94351babb3ea407aa8/flink-filesystems/flink-s3-fs-base/src/main/java/com/amazonaws/services/s3/model/transform/XmlResponsesSaxParser.java
> > 
> > > > [2] https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/FLINK-28513
> > > > [3] https://github.com/apache/flink/pull/25231
> > > > [4] https://github.com/apache/flink/pull/25231#issuecomment-2312059662
> > > > 
> > > > On Tue, 21 Oct 2025 at 3:49 PM, Gabor Somogyi <
> > > > [email protected]
> > > > 
> > > > wrote:
> > > > 
> > > > > Hi Samrat,
> > > > > 
> > > > > +1 on the direction that we move away from hadoop.
> > > > > 
> > > > > This is a long standing discussion to replace the mentioned 2
> > > > > connectors
> > > > > with something better.
> > > > > Both of them has it's own weaknesses, I've fixed several blockers
> > > > > inside
> > > > > them.
> > > > > 
> > > > > There are definitely magic inside them, please see this [1] for
> > > > > example
> > > > > and
> > > > > there are more🙂
> > > > > I think the most sensitive part is the recovery because hard to test
> > > > > all
> > > > > cases.
> > > > > 
> > > > > @Ferenc
> > > > > 
> > > > > > One thing that comes to my mind that will need some changes and its
> > > > > > involvement
> > > > > > to this change is not trivial is the delegation token framework.
> > > > > > Currently
> > > > > > it
> > > > > > is also tied to the Hadoop stuff and has some abstract classes in 
> > > > > > the
> > > > > > base
> > > > > > S3 FS
> > > > > > module.
> > > > > 
> > > > > The delegation token framework has no dependency on hadoop so there
> > > > > is
> > > > > no
> > > > > blocker on the road,
> > > > > but I'm here to help if any question appears.
> > > > > 
> > > > > BR,
> > > > > G
> > > > > 
> > > > > [1]
> > 
> > https://github.com/apache/flink/blob/0e4e6d7082e83f098d0c1a94351babb3ea407aa8/flink-filesystems/flink-s3-fs-base/src/main/java/com/amazonaws/services/s3/model/transform/XmlResponsesSaxParser.java#L95-L104
> > 
> > > > > On Tue, Oct 14, 2025 at 8:19 PM Samrat Deb [email protected]
> > > > > wrote:
> > > > > 
> > > > > > Hi All,
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > Poorvank (cc'ed) and I are writing to start a discussion about a
> > > > > > potential
> > > > > > improvement for Flink, creating a new, native S3 filesystem
> > > > > > independent
> > > > > > of
> > > > > > Hadoop/Presto.
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > The goal of this proposal is to address several challenges related
> > > > > > to
> > > > > > Flink's S3 integration, simplifying flink-s3-filesystem. If this
> > > > > > discussion
> > > > > > gains positive traction, the next step would be to move forward
> > > > > > with
> > > > > > a
> > > > > > formalised FLIP.
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > The Challenges with the Current S3 Connectors
> > > > > > Currently, Flink offers two primary S3 filesystems,
> > > > > > flink-s3-fs-hadoop[1]
> > > > > > and flink-s3-fs-presto[2]. While functional, this dual-connector
> > > > > > approach
> > > > > > has few issues:
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > 1. The flink-s3-fs-hadoop connector adds an additional dependency
> > > > > > to
> > > > > > manage. Upgrades like AWS SDK v2 are more dependent on
> > > > > > Hadoop/Presto
> > > > > > to
> > > > > > support first and leverage in flink-s3-filesystem. Sometimes it's
> > > > > > restrictive to leverage features directly from the AWS SDK.
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > 2. The flink-s3-fs-presto connector was introduced to mitigate the
> > > > > > performance issues of the Hadoop connector, especially for
> > > > > > checkpointing.
> > > > > > However, it lacks a RecoverableWriter implementation.
> > > > > > Sometimes it's confusing for Flink users, highlighting the need
> > > > > > for a
> > > > > > single, unified solution.
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > Proposed Solution:
> > > > > > A Native, Hadoop-Free S3 Filesystem
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > I propose we develop a new filesystem, let's call it
> > > > > > flink-s3-fs-native,
> > > > > > built directly on the modern AWS SDK for Java v2. This approach
> > > > > > would
> > > > > > be
> > > > > > free of any Hadoop or Presto dependencies. I have done a small
> > > > > > prototype
> > > > > > to
> > > > > > validate [3]
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > This is motivated by trino<>s3 [4]. The Trino project successfully
> > > > > > undertook a similar migration, moving from Hadoop-based object
> > > > > > storage
> > > > > > clients to their own native implementations.
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > The new Flink S3 filesystem would:
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > 1. Provide a single, unified connector for all S3 interactions,
> > > > > > from
> > > > > > state
> > > > > > backends to sinks.
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > 2. Implement a high-performance S3RecoverableWriter using S3's
> > > > > > Multipart
> > > > > > Upload feature, ensuring exactly-once sink semantics.
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > 3. Offer a clean, self-contained dependency, drastically
> > > > > > simplifying
> > > > > > setup
> > > > > > and eliminating external dependencies.
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > A Phased Migration Path
> > > > > > To ensure a smooth transition, we could adopt a phased approach on
> > > > > > a
> > > > > > very
> > > > > > high level :
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > Phase 1:
> > > > > > Introduce the new native S3 filesystem as an optional, parallel
> > > > > > plugin.
> > > > > > This would allow for community testing and adoption without
> > > > > > breaking
> > > > > > existing setups.
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > Phase 2:
> > > > > > Once the native connector achieves feature parity and proven
> > > > > > stability,
> > > > > > we
> > > > > > will update the documentation to recommend it as the default choice
> > > > > > for
> > > > > > all
> > > > > > S3 use cases.
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > Phase 3:
> > > > > > In a future major release, the legacy flink-s3-fs-hadoop and
> > > > > > flink-s3-fs-presto connectors could be formally deprecated, with
> > > > > > clear
> > > > > > migration guides provided for users.
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > I would love to hear the community's thoughts on this.
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > A few questions to start the discussion:
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > 1. What are the biggest pain points with the current S3 filesystem?
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > 2. Are there any critical features from the Hadoop S3A client that
> > > > > > are
> > > > > > essential to replicate in a native implementation?
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > 3. Would a simplified, non-dependent S3 experience be a valuable
> > > > > > improvement for Flink use cases?
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > Cheers,
> > > > > > Samrat
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > [1]
> > 
> > https://github.com/apache/flink/tree/master/flink-filesystems/flink-s3-fs-hadoop
> > 
> > > > > > [2]
> > 
> > https://github.com/apache/flink/tree/master/flink-filesystems/flink-s3-fs-presto
> > 
> > > > > > [3] https://github.com/Samrat002/flink/pull/4
> > > > > > [4]
> > > > > > https://github.com/trinodb/trino/tree/master/lib/trino-filesystem-s3

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