AWS Glue 5.1 Enhances Data Integration with Upgraded Core Engines and Expanded Security Controls

AWS Glue 5.1 introduced updated Apache Spark and language versions alongside broader open table format support and expanded fine-grained access control.

By Maya Bennett · Editorial pseudonym · 2026-04-28 · 1 min read

AI-ASSISTED REPORTING · RETROSPECTIVE ARCHIVE

Retrospective edition: 2026-04-28. Source published: 2026-04-28. Added to this archive: 2026-11-03. This briefing was prepared later from the linked announcement; it was not published on this website on the historical edition date.

AWS Glue 5.1 rolled out notably in Asia Pacific (New Zealand) and AWS GovCloud regions, upgrading its core engines to Apache Spark 3.5.6, Python 3.11, and Scala 2.12.18. This enhanced performance and security and added support for Apache Hudi 1.0.2, Apache Iceberg 1.10.0, and Delta Lake 3.3.2, including Iceberg format version 3.0 features like default column values and row lineage tracking.

Crucially, AWS Glue 5.1 extended Lake Formation fine-grained access control to write operations for Spark DataFrames and Spark SQL, whereas previously it applied only to read operations. Full-table access control now also covers Apache Hudi and Delta Lake tables, broadening comprehensive security options across all supported AWS regions.

Source & further reading

AWS Glue 5.1 is now available in all AWS Commercial and AWS GovCloud (US) Regions ↗

Source published 2026-04-28. This report was prepared with AI assistance from the linked primary-source material. Claims and limitations should be checked against the original announcement or research.