What is capacity superstep?

Capacity superstep refers to a computing model used in Apache Flink, which is a distributed computing system. It is designed to reduce the number of coordination steps required during the execution of a data processing job on a large-scale distributed system. The capacity superstep model is based on the concept of grouping multiple tasks into a single superstep, which reduces coordination overhead and improves resource utilization.

In this model, multiple tasks are executed simultaneously within a superstep, and each task may produce multiple output records. These records are then buffered and exchanged within the distributed system during the next superstep. This reduces the number of communication and synchronization operations required, which can significantly improve the overall performance of the system.

The capacity superstep model is useful for large-scale, complex data processing jobs, where the number of tasks and the size of the data may be too large for traditional computing models. By reducing overhead and improving utilization of resources, the capacity superstep model can help to improve the efficiency and scalability of data processing on distributed systems.