Abstract: Software for a distributed streaming platform launches an application that runs on a streaming platform, in real time or near real time rather than offline. The application is structured as a directed acyclic graph (DAG) with instances of operators as nodes and streams as edges between nodes. The software receives an indication that a first instance of an operator is I/O bound. A stream connects the first instance of an operator to a second instance of another operator in a single container provided by the streaming platform. The software then transmits the indication to the application and receives a request to combine the first instance with the second instance into a single third instance of an operator. The software creates the third instance and re-initiates the stream using a recovery policy.