Micro-batch or True Streaming?

Spark Structured Streaming vs Flink The interviewer is testing whether you pick a framework based on requirements or based on resume keywords. "Streaming" is a spectrum, not a binary. On one end, Spark Structured Streaming processes data in small batches (micro-batches) with a latency floor around 100 milliseconds. On the other end, Apache Flink processes each event individually. Your answer should match the framework to the SLA, not to your personal preference. The trigger interval in Spark SS is the config the interviewer will probe. A 10-second trigger means your minimum end-to-end latency is 10 seconds plus processing time. You can lower it, but below 100ms you're fighting scheduler overhead and the batch paradigm breaks down. Say this - it shows you understand the framework's limits,