Confluent is an enterprise-ready, full-scale streaming platform that enhances Apache Kafka.
Confluent has integrated cutting-edge features that are designed to enhance these tasks:
- Speed up application development and connectivity
- Enable transformations through stream processing
- Streamline business operations at scale
- Adhere to strict architectural standards
Confluent is a more complete distribution of Kafka in that it enhances the integration possibilities of Kafka by introducing tools for managing and optimizing Kafka clusters while providing methods for making sure the streams are secure. Confluent supports publish-and-subscribe as well as the storing and processing of data within the streams. Kafka is easier to operate and build thanks to Confluent.
Confluent's software is available in three different varieties:
- A free, open-source streaming platform that makes it simple to start using real-time data streams
- An enterprise-grade version of the product with more administrative, ops, and monitoring tools
- A premium cloud-based version.
Confluent Advantage Features
Confluent has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:
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Multi-language
- Clients: C++, Python, Go, and .NET
- REST proxy: Can connect to Kafka from any connected network device
- Admin REST APIs: RESTful interface for performing administrator operations
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Pre-built ecosystem
- Connectors: More than 100 supported connectors, including S3, Elastic, HDFS, JDBC
- MQTT proxy: Gain access to Kafka from MQTT gateways and devices
- Schema registry: Centralized database to guarantee data compatibility
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Streaming database
- ksqlDB: Materialized views and real-time stream processing
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GUI management
- Control panel: GUI for scalable Kafka management and monitoring
- Health+: Smart alerts and cloud-based control centers
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DevOps automation that is flexible
- Confluent for Kubernetes: Complete API to deploy on Kubernetes
- Automated Ansible deployment on non-containerized environments
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Dynamic performance
- Self-balancing clusters: Automated partition re-balancing across brokers in the cluster
- Tiered storage: Older Kafka data offloading to object storage with transparent access
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Security that is enterprise-grade
- Role-based access control: Granular user/group access authorization
- Audit logs that are structured: Logs of user actions kept in dedicated Kafka topics
- Secret protection: Sensitive information is encrypted
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Global resilience
- Linking clusters: A real-time, highly reliable, and consistent bridge across on-premises and cloud environments
- Multiple-region clusters: Single Kafka cluster with automated client failover distributed across multiple data centers
- Replicator: Asynchronous replication that is based on the Kafka Connect framework
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Support
- Round the clock enterprise support from Kafka experts
Reviews from Real Users
Confluent stands out among its competitors for a number of reasons. Two major ones are its robust enterprise support and its open source option. PeerSpot users take note of the advantages of these features in their reviews:
Ravi B., a solutions architect at a tech services company, writes of the solution, “KSQL is a valuable feature, as is the Kafka Connect framework for connecting to the various source systems where you need not write the code. We get great support from Confluent because we're using the enterprise version and whenever there's a problem, they support us with fine-tuning and finding the root cause.”
Amit S., an IT consultant, notes, “The biggest benefit is that it is open source. You have the flexibility of opting or not opting for enterprise support, even though the tool itself is open source.” He adds, “The second benefit is it's very modern and built on Java and Scala. You can extend the features very well, and it doesn't take a lot of effort to do so.”
Mule Anypoint Platform is a high-ranking solution that creates a communication layer between disparate systems to eliminate integration problems. The product retrieves and stores data streams from any source type, device, or application, both in the cloud and locally. Mule Anypoint Platform solves the most challenging connectivity problems across Software as a Service (SaaS), service-oriented architecture (SOA), and application programming interfaces (APIs) through connectivity, control, and composability. The unified hybrid integration platform achieves this by creating an application network of data, apps, and devices with API-led connectivity.
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Utilizing APIs for application delivery: Specialists can use Mule Anypoint Platform to jumpstart application development and take advantage of pre-built assets or utilize APIs built anywhere using their CI/CD pipelines. Companies can build APIs from scratch in diverse protocols and test them with built-in support for Maven and Jenkins.
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Mule Anypoint Platform Features
Mule Anypoint Platform consists of features for APIs and integrations that are separated into three categories: API management, integration, and deployment and monitoring. These features include:
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Anypoint Flex Gateway: This feature is designed to manage and secure APIs running across any environment.
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Anypoint API Governance: This feature ensures consistent API security and quality with self-service tools.
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Anypoint API Designer: API Designer offers a visual or code-based guided process for designing, documenting, and testing APIs in any language.
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Anypoint Studio: Through this feature, users can accelerate implementation with prebuilt modules for common integration requirements.
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Anypoint Connectors: This capacity of the solution allows system integration using a web interface or a desktop-integrated development environment (IDE).
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Anypoint Code Builder: This is a new feature of the product that is made for developers to design, develop, and deploy APIs, integrations, and automations from a single environment, utilizing an innovative IDE.
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CloudHub: This is the Platform as a Service (PaaS) component of Mule Anypoint Platform.
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Anypoint Security: This feature offers advanced defense for users' APIs and integrations.
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Reviews from Real Users
Michael S., a senior enterprise architect at a tech services company, gives Mule Anypoint Platform a high rating and states that the product is constantly improving to help connect applications, data, and devices.
A senior technical architect at a tech services company likes Mule Anypoint Platform for the good stability with an easy setup and good technical support that the product provides.
