AWS Glue DataBrew
AWS Glue DataBrew is a visual tool for preparing data for analytics and machine learning without writing code.
What AWS Glue DataBrew is
AWS Glue DataBrew is a visual tool for preparing data for analytics and machine learning without writing code. Data analysts and data scientists can use more than 250 built-in transformations to filter anomalies, standardize formats, and correct invalid values. Data profiling helps users examine quality, patterns, and anomalies, while visual lineage maps sources and transformation steps. Saved transformations can be applied to incoming data as it arrives. DataBrew datasets can draw on files, Amazon S3, supported JDBC sources, or the AWS Glue Data Catalog. AWS says the service can prepare terabytes and petabytes of data from data lakes, warehouses, and databases. It is available through web and API, with cloud deployment. First-time users get 40 interactive sessions free through an AWS Free Tier account. After that, interactive sessions cost $1.00 per 30-minute session, while jobs are billed at $0.48 per node-hour in AWS pricing examples; charges can vary by region. AWS recommends IAM controls, TLS, CloudTrail logging, and its encryption solutions for security.
Good
- Provides over 250 built-in transformations
- Profiles data quality, patterns, and anomalies
- Visually maps data lineage
- Saved transformations can process incoming data
Watch out
- No free plan is listed
- Interactive sessions cost $1.00 per 30 minutes
- Jobs are billed per node-hour
Who it suits
It suits data analysts and data scientists preparing data for analytics or machine learning, especially those who want visual transformations instead of writing code. It can also serve teams working with large datasets across data lakes, warehouses, and databases.
Verdict
DataBrew combines visual preparation, profiling, lineage, and reusable transformations for analytics and machine learning workflows. The first 40 interactive sessions are free for first-time users, but subsequent sessions and jobs are billed separately.
Plans and prices
From AWS Glue DataBrew's own pricing page, checked 20 Sep 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| DataBrew jobs | $0.48 a month | Recipe jobs · Profile jobs · DataBrew jobs are billed by node-hour; AWS pricing examples use $0.48 per node hour. |
| DataBrew interactive sessions | $1, paid once | Interactive project sessions · Regional pricing may vary · Each 30-minute interactive session |
| Pay-as-you-go | Priced on request | Pricing can vary by AWS Region · billed for sessions and job runtime · Interactive sessions: $1.00 per 30-minute session; jobs: $0.48 per DataBrew node-hour. |
The facts
Each one read from AWS Glue DataBrew's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Access requirements
- Initial setup requires an AWS account, IAM policies, users or groups and a role that can access the data on the user's behalf.checked 15 Oct 2026
- API
- AWS provides an API reference for AWS Glue DataBrew operations.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Automation
- Saved transformations can be applied to new data as it arrives in a source system.checked 3 Oct 2026
- AWS integrations
- Supported AWS integrations include CloudFront, CloudFormation, CloudTrail, CloudWatch, Step Functions, Lake Formation and S3.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Compliance
- AWS says third-party auditors assess DataBrew within compliance programs including SOC, PCI, FedRAMP and HIPAA.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Core objects
- The documented model includes projects, datasets, recipes, jobs, data lineage and data profiles.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Data profiling
- Users can profile data to evaluate its quality, understand patterns, and detect anomalies.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Documentation depth
- The developer guide covers concepts, setup, datasets, integrations, security, quotas, jobs, recipes, profiles and troubleshooting topics.checked 15 Oct 2026
- File formats
- Supported uploads include CSV, Excel, JSON, ORC and Parquet, while outputs include CSV/TSV, Parquet, Avro, ORC, XML and JSON Lines variants.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Infrastructure as code
- CloudFormation exposes Dataset, Job, Project, Recipe, Ruleset and Schedule resource types for DataBrew.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Input connections
- Datasets can use Amazon S3, the Glue Data Catalog, AWS Data Exchange or JDBC connections.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- DataBrew datasets can use files, Amazon S3, supported JDBC data sources, or the AWS Glue Data Catalog.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- AWS identifies data analysts and data scientists who prepare data for analytics and machine learning as DataBrew’s primary users.checked 3 Oct 2026
- JDBC sources
- The documented JDBC sources are Amazon Redshift, SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL and Snowflake.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Job pricing
- DataBrew jobs are priced at $0.48 per node-hour in the pricing example on the AWS Glue pricing page.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Launch date
- AWS announced Glue DataBrew on 11 November 2020 as a visual preparation tool for cleaning and normalizing data.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: complexity
- Reviewers report that setup, debugging and permissions become difficult, particularly for complex workflows.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: performance
- G2 review-topic summaries include slow performance among AWS Glue complaints.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: transformation scope
- Some reviewers describe the tool as too simplistic for complex transformations and say customization is constrained by prebuilt templates.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Lineage
- DataBrew visually maps data lineage across data sources and transformation steps.checked 3 Oct 2026
Money
- Free usage
- First-time DataBrew users receive 40 free interactive sessions through the AWS Free Tier.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: cost
- Reviewers complain that AWS Glue costs can become expensive as performance and data volume requirements rise.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: support and billing
- Trustpilot reviewers frequently describe difficulty reaching human support and report unexpected or continuing charges.checked 15 Oct 2026
The company
- Maker company
- Amazon Web Services (AWS) is listed by LinkedIn as a public IT-services company headquartered in Seattle, with more than 10,001 employees and founded in 2006.checked 15 Oct 2026
Alternatives to AWS Glue DataBrew
- 1
Redpanda
Free planWebAPILinuxmacOS7.4Free plan - 2
Confluent Cloud
Free planWebAPILinux7.1From $385 a month - 3
Lenses
Free planWebAPILinuxmacOS7.1From $4 a year - 4
AxonOps Schema Registry
Free planOpen sourceAPILinuxSelf-hosted7.0Free plan - 5
Google Cloud Pub/Sub
Free planWebAPI6.9$40 usage-based - 6
Buf Schema Registry
Free planWebAPISelf-hosted6.7From $0.50 a month