Apache NiFi
Apache NiFi is a software project from the Apache Software Foundation designed to automate the flow of data between software systems. Leveraging the concept of Extract, transform, load, it is based on the "NiagaraFiles" software previously developed by the US National Security Agency (NSA), which is also the source of a part of its present name – NiFi. It was open-sourced as a part of NSA's technology transfer program in 2014.

The software design is based on the flow-based programming model and offers features which prominently include the ability to operate within clusters, security using TLS encryption, extensibility (users can write their own software to extend its abilities) and improved usability features like a portal which can be used to view and modify behaviour visually.

Software development and commercial support is currently offered by Hortonworks (now merged into Cloudera), who acquired NiFi's originator, Onyara Inc.

Components 

NiFi is a Java program that runs within a Java virtual machine running on a server. The prominent components of Nifi are

 Web Server - the HTTP-based component used to visually control the software and monitor the events happening within
 Flow Controller - serves as the brains of NiFi's behaviour. Controls the running of Nifi extensions and schedules allocation of resources for this to happen.
 Extensions - various plugins that allow Nifi to interact with various kinds of systems
 FlowFile repository - used by NiFi to maintain and track status of the currently active FlowFile Or the information that NiFi is helping move between systems.
 Content repository - the data in transit is maintained here
 Provenance repository -  data relating to the provenance of the data flowing through the system is maintained here.

Integration into commercial software 
 In February 2017, HPE's SecureData for Hadoop and IoT software became Industry's first commercial product to integrate NiFi

See also
 Hortonworks DataFlow
 List of Apache Software Foundation projects
 Flow Based Programming

References

External links 
 
 NiFi on Cloudera.com

Sub-projects 
 Apache NiFi Registry: A complementary application that provides a central location for storage and management of shared resources across one or more instances of NiFi and/or MiNiFi, such as Templates.
 MiNiFi: A complementary data collection approach that supplements the core tenets of NiFi in dataflow management, focusing on the collection of data at the source of its creation.
 Flow Design System (FDS): An atomic reusable platform for providing a common set of UI/UX components for Apache NiFi, Apache NiFi Registry, Apache NiFi MiNiFi, and any other open source web applications to consume.

National Security Agency
Apache Software Foundation projects
Java platform software