How to Create a Databricks Community Edition Account for Free: A Step-by-Step Guide

How to Create a Databricks Community Edition Account for Free: A Step-by-Step Guide

In this blog, I'll guide you through the process of creating a Databricks Community Edition account for free. This step-by-step guide with supporting screenshots, will make it easy for you to get started with your Apache Spark learning journey.

Introduction:

Apache Spark is revolutionizing the world of data analytics, and Databricks provides a powerful platform to leverage its capabilities. Are you looking to get started with Databricks, the Apache Spark-based unified analytics platform, but don't have the budget for a paid account? Don't worry, Create the Databricks Community Edition, a free offering that allows you to experiment, learn, and build Spark applications without any cost.

Creating Your Databricks Community Edition Account:

Step 1: 

Open your browser and head over to the Databricks website, https://www.databricks.com/ and Click on the "Try Databricks" button that will be in the top right corner or navigate to https://www.databricks.com/try-databricks directly.

Step 2: 

Fill in all the requested details: Provide your First name, Last name, valid email address, company and desired job title, mobile number (optional) and country. once after entering all the details click on "Continue" to proceed.

Step 3: 

In the next screen, you will be prompted to choose your cloud provider, GCP or AWS or Azure. Databricks provides 14 days free trail and post that you will be charged based on the usage. After selecting the preferred cloud provider, such as AWS or Azure or GCP, it will request you to fill in the details in your cloud platform. 

If you are a beginner and interested in Databricks CE alone, then Choosing cloud provider step can be skipped by click on the the "Get Started with Community Edition" in the bottom of the form. I have highlighted the button in the screenshot below for your understanding.

If you prefer not to use cloud storage, you can still utilize Databricks CE with its limited local storage. However, keep in mind that your data will not be persisted after the cluster is terminated. This is suitable for small, temporary projects.

Once the form is completed and submitted, you will get the confirmation message as shown in the below screenshot.

Step 4: 

Verify your email address - Check your mail box for a welcome email from Databricks as shown in the below screenshot and click the verification link provided. This activates your account and opens up a page in browser .

Step 5: 

Set a password - You'll be prompted to setup password and confirm the same. Create a strong password for your Databricks account and click on submit button.

Congratulations! You're in!

Your Databricks Community Edition workspace is now ready to use. Explore the platform, create cluster, notebooks, and start your data journey!

Since, this Databricks CE workspace is free to use, it comes with limited access to the available resources like, only single node cluster can be created, Workflow cannot be accessed etc., We will cover these in our next blog. Stay tuned.

Conclusion:

Creating a Databricks Community Edition account is a quick and easy process that unlocks a world of possibilities for data exploration and analysis. With its free tier, Databricks CE allows you to learn valuable skills, experiment with different tools, and build small-scale projects without any financial risk. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced developer, Databricks CE is a valuable resource for anyone looking to advance their data skills.

Happy Learning!!!