AWS Database Migration Service vs Confluent comparison

AWS Database Migration Service, also known as AWS DMS, is a cloud service that facilitates the migration of relational databases, NoSQL databases, data warehouses, and other types of data stores. The product can be used to migrate users' data into the AWS Cloud or between combinations of on-premises and cloud setups. The solution allows migration between a wide variety of sources and target endpoints; the only requirement is that one of the endpoints has to be an AWS service. AWS DMS cannot be used to migrate from an on-premises database to another on-premises database.

AWS Database Migration Service allows users to perform one-time migrations, as well as replications of ongoing changes to keep sources and targets in sync. Organizations can utilize the AWS Schema Conversion Tool to translate their database schema to a new platform and then use AWS DMS to migrate the data. The product offers cost efficiency as a part of the AWS Cloud, as well as speed to market, flexibility, and security.

The main use cases of AWS Database Migration Service include:

• Migrating from legacy or on-premises databases to managed cloud services through a simplified migration process.
  
  
• Reliable replication of backup files to minimize downtime and data loss.
  
  
• Improvement of integration through building of data lakes and performing real-time processing on change data from users' data stores.

AWS Database Migration Service Components

AWS Database Migration Service consists of various components which function together to achieve users’ data migration. A migration on AWS DMS is structured in three levels: a replication instance, source and target endpoints, and a replication task. The components include the following actions:

• Replication instance: AWS Database Migration Service provides users with a variety of replication instances, allowing them to select the optimal configuration for their use case. Depending on the instance class an organization selects, their replication instance provides a different amount of data storage.
  
  
• Endpoint: AWS DMS uses an endpoint to access users' source or target data stores. The connection information is different and depends on the specific data store, but it usually consists of the following information: endpoint type, engine type, server name, port, encryption, and credentials. This information can easily be managed through the AWS DMS console.
  
  
• Replication tasks: AWS Database Migration Service replication tasks can be used to move a set of data from the source endpoint to the target endpoint. The creation of a replication task is the last required step before starting a migration. Each replication task requires the following settings to be set: replication instance, source endpoint, target endpoint, and migration type options.
  
  
• Ongoing replication or change data capture (CDC): AWS DMS also has the capacity to capture ongoing changes to the source that is stored while users migrate their data to a target.
  
  
• Schema and code migration: The product requires assistance from tools such as MySQL Workbench, pgAdmin III, and Oracle SQL Developer to perform schema or code conversion, as it cannot do it on its own.

AWS Database Migration Service Benefits

AWS Database Migration Service offers its users a wide range of benefits. Among them are the following:

• The solution ensures minimal downtime, as it continuously replicates the changes to the user’s source database during migration.
  
  
• AWS DMS provides users with flexibility, as it supports many commonly used databases, including commercial and open-source ones.
  
  
• The product is user friendly, as it offers an easy set of tasks in the AWS Management Console.
  
  
• Users of Aurora, Redshift, DocumentDB, and DynamoDB can benefit from the free use of AWS DMS.
  
  
• AWS Database Migration Service is very reliable because it is a self-healing service that automatically restarts in cases of interruptions.
  
  
• The product supports both homogenous migrations and heterogenous migrations.
  
  
• AWS DMS accelerates business growth, as it scales businesses at an affordable price.

Reviews from Real Users

Vishal S., an infrastructure lead at a computer software company, likes AWS Database Migration Service because it is easy to use and set up.

Vinod K., a data analyst at AIMLEAP, describes AWS DMS as an easy solution to save and extract data.

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: 

1. A free, open-source streaming platform that makes it simple to start using real-time data streams
2. An enterprise-grade version of the product with more administrative, ops, and monitoring tools
3. A premium cloud-based version.

Confluent Advantage Features

Confluent has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:

• 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

• 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

• Streaming database
  
  
  • ksqlDB: Materialized views and real-time stream processing

• GUI management 
  
  
  • Control panel: GUI for scalable Kafka management and monitoring
  • Health+: Smart alerts and cloud-based control centers

• DevOps automation that is flexible
  
  
  • Confluent for Kubernetes: Complete API to deploy on Kubernetes
  • Automated Ansible deployment on non-containerized environments

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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.”