VerthLabs

Databricks Data Engineering

A real Azure Databricks workspace for self-directed practice — multi-node Spark, Unity Catalog and Lakeflow Jobs. Unlimited hours, and the cloud bill is ours.

See plans and pricing

  • PySpark
  • Delta Lake
  • Unity Catalog
  • Lakeflow Jobs
  • Declarative Pipelines
  • Structured Streaming
  • Auto Loader
  • Asset Bundles
  • Photon

What you can practice

This is an environment, not a course. We supply the workspace, the clusters and the catalog, and keep them running; what you build in it is up to you. There are no lessons, guided labs, grading or mentoring.

  • Spark on a real cluster — DataFrames, Spark SQL, and on Professional a driver plus worker so shuffles happen across executors and show in the Spark UI
  • Delta Lake tables: MERGE, time travel, schema evolution and enforcement, OPTIMIZE and liquid clustering
  • Unity Catalog: a catalog of your own that you own — create schemas and tables in it, and grant and revoke on it
  • Lakeflow Jobs with task DAGs and job clusters, Declarative Pipelines, Structured Streaming and Auto Loader
  • Cluster policies, the Spark UI, query profiles and system tables — the admin surface you meet at work
  • Asset Bundles and Git folders, so what you build leaves with you as a normal repo

What each tier gives you

Both tiers are the same workspace with unlimited hours, and both give you a Unity Catalog catalog of your own that nobody else can read. They differ in the compute you can start and the tooling around it.

Foundations

A single-node workspace, and a Unity Catalog catalog of your own.

Cluster
Single node, 4 vCPU / 16 GB, on-demand
Idle stop
15 minutes without activity; a running stream does not count as activity
Unity Catalog
Your own catalog — create, own, grant
SQL warehouse
Not included
Photon
Available, off by default
After it ends
Workspace kept 14 days

What you can practise

  • PySpark and Spark SQL on a single node
  • Delta Lake — ACID, MERGE, time travel, schema evolution
  • Owning a catalog: schemas, tables, views, lineage, grants
  • Ingestion with Auto Loader into your own catalog
  • The Spark UI on a single executor

Professional

The full platform: distributed compute, a SQL warehouse and production orchestration.

Cluster
Single node by default; switch to driver + 1 worker in one step
Idle stop
15 minutes single node, 10 minutes multi-node; a running stream does not count as activity
Unity Catalog
Your own catalog — create, own, grant
SQL warehouse
Serverless, 2X-Small, shared
Photon
Available, off by default
After it ends
Workspace kept 90 days

What you can practise

  • Shuffles, partitioning and skew across two executors, visible in the Spark UI
  • Broadcast, shuffle and sort-merge joins on a real cluster
  • Owning a Unity Catalog catalog: grants, lineage, row filters, column masks
  • Lakeflow Jobs, task DAGs, repair runs and Declarative Pipelines
  • Structured Streaming, watermarks, CDC and SCD Type 2
  • Serverless SQL, query profiles and system tables
  • Asset Bundles and CI/CD from a Git folder

What Free Edition can’t reach

Databricks Free Edition is real — and serverless-only. Distributed execution, catalog ownership and production job orchestration aren’t reachable on it. Here they are.

  • Notebooks, Repos and Spark

    Free Edition
    Yes:Yes
    VerthLabs
    Yes:Yes

  • Multi-node cluster you control

    Free Edition
    No:Serverless only
    VerthLabs
    Yes:Driver + worker, one switch away (Professional)

  • Watch a real shuffle across executors

    Free Edition
    No:Not possible
    VerthLabs
    Yes:Yes (Professional)

  • Own a Unity Catalog catalog, grant privileges

    Free Edition
    No:Not possible
    VerthLabs
    Yes:Your own catalog, both tiers

  • Job clusters, repair runs, task DAGs

    Free Edition
    No:Not possible
    VerthLabs
    Yes:Lakeflow Jobs

  • Cluster policies and admin surface

    Free Edition
    No:Not possible
    VerthLabs
    Yes:Read them, work under them

  • Compute quota

    Free Edition
    No:Daily fair-use cap
    VerthLabs
    Yes:Unlimited hours

  • Who pays the cloud bill

    Free Edition
    No:You, past the cap
    VerthLabs
    Yes:We do

Unlimited hours, and the bill is ours

Nobody practises well while watching a credit balance. There is no student cloud account, no consumption meter and no surprise bill — the Azure spend is ours, and we only stop what is idle.

Use it as long as you want

Unlimited hours, unlimited sessions, unlimited re-runs. No allowance to track, nothing to top up.

Idle stops itself

Your cluster stops after 15 minutes without activity, or 10 on the multi-node shape. A running stream does not keep it alive: 15 minutes without you and it stops — a stream checkpoints and resumes, so nothing is lost. A batch job that is still running is left to finish first.

The cloud spend is ours

You never open an Azure account or a Databricks account. The workspace is ours, the bill is ours, and nothing in it can charge you.

Nothing can run away

Cluster shapes are policy-bound, one cluster per person, and no cluster runs longer than 12 hours in one go, whatever it is doing.

Pricing

Pick what you need access to

Both tiers have unlimited hours and a catalog of your own. What changes is the compute you can start and the tooling around it.

Foundations

A single-node workspace, and a Unity Catalog catalog of your own.

₹13,999 for 3 months

₹4,666/month · you save ₹998

Start Foundations
  • Unlimited hours and sessions
  • Single-node cluster, 4 vCPU / 16 GB, Photon opt-in
  • Stops after 15 minutes without activity; start it again any time
  • Your own Unity Catalog catalog: create, own, grant
  • Your own catalog, private to you — nobody else can read it
  • Workspace kept 14 days after your access ends
Most picked

Professional

The full platform: distributed compute, a SQL warehouse and production orchestration.

₹28,999 for 3 months

₹9,666/month · you save ₹1,998

Start Professional

Everything in Foundations, plus

  • Multi-node when you want it: driver + 1 worker, one deliberate switch, shuffles across real executors
  • Serverless SQL warehouse for BI-style querying
  • Serverless SQL warehouse
  • Lakeflow Jobs, job clusters and Declarative Pipelines
  • Stops after 15 minutes without activity (10 on the multi-node shape)
  • Workspace kept 90 days after your access ends

All prices include GST. Cancel any time. Institute and bulk licensing →

Before you ask

Is this really Databricks, or a lookalike?
A real Azure Databricks Premium workspace in Central India. Same UI, same runtime, same Unity Catalog you would use at work.
What does unlimited actually mean?
No hour allowance and nothing to top up. Your cluster stops after 15 minutes without activity (10 on the multi-node shape), and a running stream does not count as activity — you start it again when you are back. Idle time is where the waste was in the first place.
Do I need my own Azure or Databricks account?
No. The workspace, the subscription and the bill are ours. You sign in with the email you enrol with; nothing in the environment can charge you.
Is there teaching, grading or support?
No. This is an environment for self-directed practice: we keep it running and keep it real, and what you do in it is up to you. Bring your own curriculum, course or book.
Is Photon available?
Yes. Clusters default to the standard engine because Photon bills roughly double per hour and most of a session is reading and typing, not executing. Switch it on whenever you want.
Do I need Foundations before Professional?
No. If you already write Spark at work, start at Professional — that is where the multi-node cluster, the SQL warehouse and Lakeflow are. Both tiers give you your own catalog; Foundations runs it on a single node.
Does the work stay mine?
Yes. Everything lives in your own Git folder and exports as a normal repo, so it leaves with you.

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Ready to practice on real infrastructure?

Enroll for access to Databricks Data Engineering, or contact sales for bulk and institute pricing.

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