[ARROW-7912] [Format] C data interface

• Type: Improvement
• Status: Resolved
• Priority: Major
• Resolution: Fixed
• Affects Version/s: 0.17.0
• Fix Version/s: 0.17.0
• Component/s: Format
• Labels: pull-request-available
• External issue URL: https://github.com/apache/arrow/issues/24133
• Assignee: Antoine Pitrou
• Reporter: Neal Richardson
• Created: 21/Feb/20 17:25
• Updated: 11/Jan/23 07:56
• Resolved: 21/Feb/20 17:32

Description

Apache Arrow is designed to be a universal in-memory format for the representation
of tabular ("columnar") data. However, some projects may face a difficult
choice between either depending on a fast-evolving project such as the
Arrow C++ library, or having to reimplement adapters for data interchange,
which may require significant, redundant development effort.

The Arrow C data interface defines a very small, stable set of C definitions
that can be easily copied in any project's source code and used for columnar
data interchange in the Arrow format. For non-C/C++ languages and runtimes,
it should be almost as easy to translate the C definitions into the
corresponding C FFI declarations.

Applications and libraries can therefore work with Arrow memory without
necessarily using Arrow libraries or reinventing the wheel. Developers can
choose between tight integration
with the Arrow software project (benefitting from the growing array of
facilities exposed by e.g. the C++ or Java implementations of Apache Arrow,
but with the cost of a dependency) or minimal integration with the Arrow
format only.

Issue Links

• links to: GitHub Pull Request #6040