prestodb/presto · error · PrestoException

HIVE_INVALID_ENCRYPTION_METADATA

HIVE_INVALID_ENCRYPTION_METADATA

Error message

Unknown encryptionMetadata type: 

What it means

EncryptionInformation.fromEncryptionMetadata wraps an encryptionMetadata object from the Hive client. It only understands DwrfEncryptionMetadata; any other implementation type causes a HIVE_INVALID_ENCRYPTION_METADATA 'Unknown encryptionMetadata type' error. The library throws this because it cannot map an unrecognized metadata class into its DWRF-specific reader model.

Source

Thrown at presto-hive/src/main/java/com/facebook/presto/hive/EncryptionInformation.java:57

    {
        this.dwrfEncryptionMetadata = requireNonNull(dwrfEncryptionMetadata, "dwrfEncryptionMetadata is null");
    }

    @JsonProperty
    public Optional<DwrfEncryptionMetadata> getDwrfEncryptionMetadata()
    {
        return dwrfEncryptionMetadata;
    }

    public static EncryptionInformation fromEncryptionMetadata(EncryptionMetadata encryptionMetadata)
    {
        requireNonNull(encryptionMetadata, "encryptionMetadata is null");

        if (encryptionMetadata instanceof DwrfEncryptionMetadata) {
            return new EncryptionInformation(Optional.of((DwrfEncryptionMetadata) encryptionMetadata));
        }

        throw new PrestoException(HIVE_INVALID_ENCRYPTION_METADATA, "Unknown encryptionMetadata type: " + encryptionMetadata.getClass());
    }

    @Override
    public int hashCode()
    {
        return hash(dwrfEncryptionMetadata);
    }

    @Override
    public boolean equals(Object obj)
    {
        if (obj == this) {
            return true;
        }

        if (obj == null || !this.getClass().equals(obj.getClass())) {
            return false;
        }

View on GitHub (pinned to 55bb57d202)

Solutions

1. Ensure the metadata object passed in is an instance of DwrfEncryptionMetadata (from presto-hive), not a foreign implementation
2. Align Presto and Hive client library versions so the same EncryptionMetadata classes are used
3. If a custom encryption metadata type is required, extend EncryptionInformation to handle it instead of routing through this factory
4. Check for duplicate/conflicting hive client jars on the classpath causing instanceof to fail

Example fix

// before
EncryptionInformation.fromEncryptionMetadata(myCustomMetadata);
// after
if (myCustomMetadata instanceof DwrfEncryptionMetadata) {
    EncryptionInformation.fromEncryptionMetadata(myCustomMetadata);
} else {
    throw new IllegalArgumentException("Only DWRF metadata supported: " + myCustomMetadata.getClass());
}

if (!(encryptionMetadata instanceof DwrfEncryptionMetadata)) {
    throw new IllegalArgumentException("Unsupported metadata type: " + encryptionMetadata.getClass());
}

boolean isDwrfMetadata(EncryptionMetadata m) {
    return m instanceof DwrfEncryptionMetadata;
}

try {
    EncryptionInformation info = EncryptionInformation.fromEncryptionMetadata(meta);
} catch (PrestoException e) {
    if (e.getMessage().startsWith("Unknown encryptionMetadata type:")) {
        // skip encryption handling or convert to DwrfEncryptionMetadata first
    }
    throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: A custom EncryptionMetadata implementation (or a metadata class from a different Hive/Presto version) is passed to fromEncryptionMetadata, e.g. when a storage-format plugin supplies its own encryption metadata type during a split read.

Common situations: Running a custom or patched Hive client that returns a new EncryptionMetadata subclass, version skew between Presto and the Hive metastore/client libraries, or classloader issues loading a different DwrfEncryptionMetadata class.

Related errors

• GENERIC_INTERNAL_ERROR
• HIVE_INVALID_ENCRYPTION_METADATA
• HIVE_INVALID_ENCRYPTION_METADATA
• Expected field to be %s, actual %s (field %s)
• HIVE_UNSUPPORTED_ENCRYPTION_OPERATION

AI-assisted analysis of prestodb/presto@55bb57d202 (2026-09-04). Data as JSON: /api/errors/0a5e16a330b065d7. Report an issue: GitHub.