Confluent, a provider of a streaming platform based on Apache Kafka, is rolling out Confluent Cloud, a fully managed streaming data service aimed at helping developers to focus on building streaming applications with Apache Kafka, rather than Kafka operations.
Currently available via an early access program, the Confluent Cloud service will initially be available in Amazon Web Services, with support for Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud to be added in the future.
Confluent Platform is a distribution of Apache Kafka that expands Kafka’s integration capabilities, while adding tools to optimize and manage Kafka clusters, and methods to ensure the streams are secure. With the introduction of Confluent Cloud, the company says, developers now have the option to build and run applications in the cloud knowing that the team who created Kafka are maintaining and managing their Kafka cluster.
Calling Confluent Cloud “a major milestone” in the company’s journey of increasing the reach of a Kafka-based streaming platform for developers both on-premises or in the cloud, said Neha Narkhede, co-founder and CTO at Confluent, who noted that the new offering will enable developers to focus on building applications and driving business value from streaming, instead of worrying about service continuity.
According to Confluent, the service offers the same open source Apache Kafka APIs that developers are familiar with so they can leverage clients, connectors, and tools supported by the Kafka and Confluent communities. In addition, the company says, Confluent Cloud is vendor-agnostic, allowing users to “lift and shift” their Kafka infrastructure from any location into — or out of — any cloud.
To join the early access program or sign up for updates, visit www.confluent.io/confluent-cloud.