ksqlDB Overview¶

ksqlDB is a database purpose-built to help developers create stream processing applications on top of Apache Kafka®.

ksqlDB quick start¶

Try ksqlDB Standalone with Docker images.
Get started with hosted ksqlDB in Confluent Cloud in the: Quick Start for Apache Kafka using Confluent Cloud.
Run ksqlDB locally with Confluent Platform in the Confluent Quick Start.

These are the ksqlDB distributions:

ksqlDB Standalone: ksqlDB Standalone is an open-source project that’s licensed under the Confluent Community License. You can install it by using the ksqldb-server and ksqldb-cli Docker images. For more information, see Install ksqlDB in the ksqlDB Standalone documentation.
ksqlDB for Confluent Platform: ksqlDB for Confluent Platform is packaged as part of Confluent Platform. This is a commercial component of Confluent Platform. ksqlDB for Confluent Platform includes enterprise features, like role-based access control, and is available in Confluent Cloud. You can install it by using the cp-ksqldb-cli and cp-ksqldb-server Docker images or by using TAR, ZIP, or Systemd deployments. For more information, see On-Premises Deployments.

The following table summarizes the distributions.

	Project Type	License		Docker Images	TAR, ZIP, Systemd deployment
ksqlDB Standalone	Open source	Confluent Community License		ksqldb-server ksqldb-cli For more information, see Install ksqlDB.	n/a
ksqlDB for Confluent Platform	Packaged with Confluent Platform	This is a commercial component of Confluent Platform.		cp-ksqldb-server cp-ksqldb-cli For more information, see Docker Image Reference for Confluent Platform.	On-Premises Deployments