Firefly Analytics 
Firefly Analytics is a reference implementation built by Databricks to showcase the Partner Well-Architected Framework in action. It demonstrates how to build a modern analytics platform on Databricks using the SSO-SPN (Single Sign-On to Service Principal) architecture — where users authenticate via your identity provider (Okta, Azure AD, Auth0) and all Databricks operations use organization-specific Service Principals.
What is Firefly?
Firefly is an analytics platform built on Databricks that sits between your end users and Databricks, acting as an intelligent proxy that handles authentication, authorization, and request orchestration. Users interact with Firefly's modern web interface while all Databricks operations happen behind the scenes using Service Principals — meaning no Databricks accounts are required for end users.
For Partners, Firefly Serves As:
- A learning resource — Real-world implementation of the architectural patterns documented in this guide
- A reference implementation — Study the codebase to understand specific PWAF patterns like multi-tenant authentication, workspace isolation, or embedded analytics
- AI-assisted development — Point your AI tools (Claude, Cursor, Copilot) at the Firefly codebase to accelerate your development
Explore Firefly Live | Read the Architecture Docs
Architecture Patterns Demonstrated
Firefly demonstrates real-world implementations of key patterns documented throughout the Partner Well-Architected Framework:
| PWAF Pattern | Firefly Implementation |
|---|---|
| Security & Isolation | SSO-SPN authentication, Databricks identity, workspace-catalog binding |
| Cost Management | Cluster tagging strategies, compute policies, system tables integration |
| Scalability | Application tier auto-scaling, Serverless SQL, workspace isolation |
| Workspace Models | Hybrid tenancy with organization management |
| Onboarding | Organization onboarding, user onboarding |
Solutions Demonstrated
Firefly showcases six key solutions that Built On Databricks partners commonly build:
| Solution | Description |
|---|---|
| Embedding Databricks Apps | Technical implementation of the Go proxy architecture for embedding Databricks Apps without exposing Databricks login flows — includes token encryption, WebSocket support, and iframe embedding |
| Notebook Editor | Interactive Python notebooks powered by Marimo with reactive execution and rich outputs |
| Code Editor | VS Code-style development environment with terminal access, Git integration, and LSP support |
| SQL Editor | Native SQL query interface with warehouse integration, streaming results, and catalog autocomplete |
| Data Catalog | Hierarchical Unity Catalog browser with lazy loading, metadata display, and BYOD support |
| Pipeline Editor | Visual node-based pipeline designer with drag-and-drop nodes and Delta Live Tables execution |
Technology Stack
Frontend: Next.js 15, React 19, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, shadcn/ui, TanStack Query
Backend: Next.js API Routes, PostgreSQL with Drizzle ORM, Better-Auth
Databricks: Unity Catalog, SQL Warehouses, DBFS, Volumes, Databricks Apps
Deployment: Vercel (frontend), Docker/VM/Serverless (proxy)
View complete tech stack details →
Getting Started
Live Demo: Visit www.firefly-analytics.com to explore the application and test authentication flows.
Source Code: Coming soon - the complete source code will be available on GitHub
Documentation: Comprehensive architecture documentation is available at www.firefly-analytics.com/docs
Support
Firefly is a reference implementation provided for learning and exploration. For technical questions or issues, please refer to the Firefly documentation or reach out to your Databricks partner team.