Confluent Kafka is a commercial distribution of Apache Kafka, which is an open-source distributed streaming platform that allows you to build real-time data pipelines and streaming apps. Confluent Kafka includes additional tools and services such as a schema registry, a REST proxy, and a KSQL, that makes it more enterprise-ready and easier to manage, monitor, and secure Kafka clusters.
What is Apache Kafka?
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Apache Kafka is a fast, scalable, durable, and fault-tolerant publish-subscribe messaging system. Kafka is used in use cases where high throughput, low latency, and guaranteed durability are required.
Kafka achieves high throughput by batching messages together into partitions and replicating those partitions across multiple brokers. Low latency is achieved by maintaining a small number of partitions per broker and by keeping message replication delay low. Durability is provided by replicating messages to multiple brokers and by storing them on disk.
Kafka’s key features include:
What are the different types of Kafka?
There are three types of Kafka: standard Apache Kafka, Confluent Platform, and Confluent Cloud. Standard Apache Kafka is the most basic form of Kafka. It contains the core components necessary to create and maintain a Kafka cluster. Confluent Platform adds additional features and tools on top of Apache Kafka, such as schema management and connectors for streaming data sources. Finally, Confluent Cloud is a managed service that takes care of all the infrastructure and maintenance required to run Apache Kafka in the cloud.
What is Confluent Kafka?
Confluent Kafka is a streaming platform that enables you to build distributed applications with better performance, availability, and fault tolerance. It is based on Apache Kafka and provides a higher-level abstraction called Streams that makes it easier to build Kafka-based applications. In addition, Confluent Kafka includes additional features such as schema registry and REST proxy that are not available in the open-source Apache Kafka project.
The Differences Between Apache Kafka and Confluent Kafka
Apache Kafka is an open-source, distributed streaming platform that allows you to build real-time data pipelines and streaming applications. It was developed by the Apache Software Foundation and is widely used for data streaming and processing.
Confluent Kafka is a commercial distribution of Apache Kafka, which is developed and maintained by Confluent, a company founded by the original developers of Apache Kafka. It includes additional features, tools and services that make it more enterprise-ready and easier to manage, monitor, and secure Kafka clusters.
One of the main differences between Apache Kafka and Confluent Kafka is that Confluent Kafka includes additional tools and services that provide additional functionality, such as:
- Confluent Control Center: A web-based GUI that provides a centralized view of your Kafka cluster and allows you to monitor and manage your Kafka topics, consumers, and producers.
- Confluent Schema Registry: A tool for managing and storing Avro schemas, which allows you to ensure that the data in your Kafka topics is consistent and compatible.
- Confluent REST Proxy: A tool that allows you to access your Kafka cluster via a RESTful API, making it easier to integrate with other systems and applications.
KSQL: A SQL-like query language for streaming data that allows you to perform real-time data processing and analytics on your Kafka data.
Additionally, Confluent also provides a Cloud version of Confluent Kafka, which is a fully managed service that allows you to easily deploy and run Confluent Kafka on the cloud.
It’s important to note that Confluent Kafka is not an entirely separate product, it’s an extension of Apache Kafka with additional features and tools, and it’s fully compatible with Apache Kafka, so you can still use all the existing Kafka’s features and tools, but with the additional features and tools provided by Confluent.
Is Confluent Kafka/Apache Kafka free or paid?
There are two main types of Kafka: Apache Kafka and Confluent Kafka. Both are open source projects, but Confluent is a commercial company that offers support and additional features on top of the open source Apache Kafka project.
So, what’s the difference between the two? For starters, Apache Kafka is designed to be a simple, scalable, and high-performance streaming platform. Confluent Kafka adds extra capabilities on top of that, including integrated storage and stream processing.
Confluent also offers a pay-as-you-go subscription model, whereas Apache Kafka is free to use. So if you need support or additional features, you’ll have to pay for them with Confluent.
Is Apache Kafka the best?
There is a great deal of debate in the world of data engineering as to whether or not Apache Kafka is the best solution for streaming data. The main arguments for and against Apache Kafka are as follows:
Arguments For:
- Apache Kafka has been around longer and is thus more battle-tested than Confluent Kafka.
- Apache Kafka has a more robust set of community support tools and resources.
- Confluent Kafka is more expensive than Apache Kafka.
Arguments Against:
- Confluent Kafka offers a better out-of-the-box monitoring solution than Apache Kafka.
- Confluent Kafka has better performance when it comes to message delivery guarantees.
- Confluent Kafka is easier to use and get started with than Apache Kafka.
Is Kafka an ETL tool?
Kafka is a distributed streaming platform that can be used for a variety of messaging use cases. Apache Kafka and Confluent Kafka are two popular open source implementations of the Kafka platform. While Confluent Kafka adds additional features and tools on top of Apache Kafka, at its core, Kafka is an ETL tool.
Kafka can be used to stream data from one application to another in real-time. This makes it an ideal tool for building data pipelines, as data can flow through the pipeline as soon as it is generated instead of having to be batch processed.
Kafka’s ability to handle high throughputs of data makes it a good choice for collecting large amounts of data from disparate sources and making it available for analysis and decision-making. For example, an organization might use Kafka to collect log data from multiple servers in order to gain insights into system performance or user behavior.
While Apache Kafka includes basic stream processing capabilities, Confluent Kafka adds extra features that make it easier to build robust and scalable streaming applications. For example, Confluent Schema Registry provides a central repository for Avro schemas that can be used by applications built on top of Confluent Kafka. This allows developers to easily evolve their schemas over time without having to redeploy their applications.
Confluent Control Center also provides an easy way to monitor and manage your Apache Kafka clusters from a single web-based UI. With Control Center, you can see which topics have the
Frequently asked questions about confluent kafka and apache kafka
What language is Apache Kafka written in?
Apache Kafka is written in Scala and Java. Confluent Kafka is written in Java.
Is Kafka Confluent open source?
Yes, Kafka Confluent is open source. Apache Kafka is a popular open source streaming platform that can be used to build Confluent Platform applications.
Is there a GUI for Kafka?
At the moment, there is no official GUI for Kafka. However, there are some third-party tools that allow you to manage and monitor Kafka clusters. These tools can be used to view topics, messages, offsets, and consumer groups. Some of these tools also allow you to manage ACLs and configure brokers.
Which cloud is best for Kafka?
It depends on your specific needs and budget. If you need the full suite of features offered by Confluent Kafka, then you’ll want to go with that option. However, if you don’t need all the bells and whistles, Apache Kafka may be a better choice for you.
Is Confluent Kafka different from Apache Kafka?
Confluent Kafka is a streaming platform that includes Apache Kafka and additional community and commercial features. Confluent Control Center provides an easy way to manage and monitor your Apache Kafka environment. It also includes additional features such as role-based access control, data retention policies, and advanced monitoring.
What is confluent kafka used for?
Confluent Kafka is used for streaming data from one application to another. It can be used to stream data from a database to a message queue, or from a message queue to an application. It is also used to stream data between two applications, or between two databases.
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