ksqlDB Overview

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

ksqlDB Quick Start

ksqlDB Distributions

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 n/a
ksqlDB for Confluent Platform Packaged with Confluent Platform This is a commercial component of Confluent Platform. On-Premises Deployments for Confluent Platform