ingester

An ingester is a device or system designed to take in material, data, or information for processing or transformation. The term derives from ingest, meaning to take in something for consumption or use. Ingester components are used across industries to introduce inputs into a reactor, a data pipeline, or a storage system.

In industrial processes, ingesters are equipment that introduce solids or slurries into vessels such as reactors, digesters, or grinding mills. They are designed to handle abrasive or high-density materials, control feed rate, prevent segregation, and maintain homogeneity. Examples include ingesters used in pulp and paper to blend fiber with chemicals, and in cement or mineral processing to feed raw materials.

In information technology, an ingester is a component that collects data from sources and delivers it into a data lake, data warehouse, or processing system. They can operate in batch or streaming modes, and may perform light transformation, normalization, or routing. Common patterns include log ingestion, metrics collection, and event streaming; technologies include message brokers, collectors, and connectors.

In biology, an ingester can refer to an organism that ingests food, or more generally to the process of ingestion. The term is more commonly used to describe function rather than a device.

The concept of an ingester is domain-dependent, but it generally emphasizes reliable input capture, appropriate handling of inputs, and smooth integration with downstream processes.