Druid is designed for workflows where fast queries and ingest really matter. Druid excels at powering UIs, running operational (ad-hoc) queries, or handling high concurrency. Consider Druid as an open source alternative to data warehouses for a variety of use cases. The [design documentation](https://druid.apache.org/docs/latest/design/architecture.html) explains the key concepts.
You can get started with Druid with our [local](https://druid.apache.org/docs/latest/tutorials/quickstart.html) or [Docker](http://druid.apache.org/docs/latest/tutorials/docker.html) quickstart.
Druid provides a rich set of APIs (via HTTP and [JDBC](https://druid.apache.org/docs/latest/querying/sql.html#jdbc)) for loading, managing, and querying your data.
You can also interact with Druid via the [built-in console](https://druid.apache.org/docs/latest/operations/druid-console.html) (shown below).
Load [streaming](https://druid.apache.org/docs/latest/ingestion/index.html#streaming) and [batch](https://druid.apache.org/docs/latest/ingestion/index.html#batch) data using a point-and-click wizard to guide you through ingestion setup. Monitor one off tasks and ingestion supervisors.
Manage your cluster with ease. Get a view of your [datasources](https://druid.apache.org/docs/latest/design/architecture.html), [segments](https://druid.apache.org/docs/latest/design/segments.html), [ingestion tasks](https://druid.apache.org/docs/latest/ingestion/tasks.html), and [services](https://druid.apache.org/docs/latest/design/processes.html) from one convenient location. All powered by [SQL systems tables](https://druid.apache.org/docs/latest/querying/sql.html#metadata-tables), allowing you to see the underlying query for each view.
Use the built-in query workbench to prototype [DruidSQL](https://druid.apache.org/docs/latest/querying/sql.html) and [native](https://druid.apache.org/docs/latest/querying/querying.html) queries or connect one of the [many tools](https://druid.apache.org/libraries.html) that help you make the most out of Druid.
Chat with Druid committers and users in real-time on the `#druid` channel in the Apache Slack team. Please use [this invitation link to join the ASF Slack](https://s.apache.org/slack-invite), and once joined, go into the `#druid` channel.