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Avro is the data format that knows what it contains. Every Avro file embeds its schema — the structure definition that describes the data's fields, types, and organisation. This self-describing nature means any tool can read an Avro file without external documentation. Send someone an Avro file and they know exactly what's inside.
The format is row-based (unlike Parquet's columnar approach), which makes it ideal for write-heavy workloads: event streaming, message queues, and data ingestion. Apache Kafka's ecosystem is deeply integrated with Avro — the Schema Registry, Kafka Connect, and most Kafka producers/consumers use Avro serialisation by default.
Avro's schema evolution is its killer feature. You can add fields, remove fields, and change defaults without breaking existing consumers. Old readers skip unknown fields; new readers use defaults for missing fields. This forward and backward compatibility makes Avro essential in systems where producers and consumers evolve independently.