Comparing GoldenGate Kafka Handlers

GoldenGate is the only differentiated product in the market to have 3 different types of adapters to Kafka. The three different connectors to Kafka are: 

1) Kafka Generic Handler (Pub/Sub)

2) Kafka Connect Handler

3) Kafka REST Proxy Handler

Each of these interfaces has its own advantages and disadvantages. The table below compares and contrasts the differences between the above three handlers:

FUNCTIONAL AREA	KAFKA HANDLER (PUB/SUB)	KAFKA CONNECT HANDLER	KAFKA REST PROXY HANDLER
Available in Opensource Apache version	Yes	Yes	No*
Schema Registry Integration	No	Yes*	Yes
Formatting to JSON	Yes, with GoldenGate Formatter	Yes, with Kafka Connect Framework	Yes
Formatting to Avro	Yes, with GoldenGate Formatter	Yes*	Yes*
Designed for high volume throughput	Yes	Yes	No
Transactions and Operations	Yes, Both Note: transactions have specific challenges, hence not recommended	Operations only	Operations only
Run-time mapping of Key and Topic	Yes	Yes	Yes
Connect Protocol	Kafka Producer API	Kafka Producer API	HTTPS, REST
Web Proxy Support	No	No	Yes
Synchronous(also known as Blocking Mode) and Asynchronous Mode of operation	Yes, both Note: Synchronous has very low throughput	No, Asynchronous only	No, Asynchronous only
Kafka Interceptor support	Yes	Yes	No

* Available with Confluent Community License and Enterprise License

For detailed information refer to GoldenGate for Big Data Documentation:

• Using GoldenGate for Big Data 19.1 Kafka Handler
• Using GoldenGate for Big Data 19.1 Kafka Connect Handler
• Using GoldenGate for Big Data 19.1 Kafka REST Proxy Handler