Key advantages
Native Apache Kafka
Runs native Apache Kafka — not a compatibility layer. Use any standard Kafka client, tool, or ecosystem without modification.
Up to 95% Lower Cost
Leaderless architecture with compute/storage separation eliminates cross-AZ replication fees. Data writes directly to object storage.
Lakehouse-Native
Every topic is simultaneously an Iceberg or Delta Lake table. Zero-copy streaming into your lakehouse with no connectors or ETL.
Zero Operations
Fully managed. No brokers to provision, no ZooKeeper to manage, no partitions to rebalance. Auto-scaling handles the rest.
Coming from an existing Kafka deployment?
From Amazon MSK
Lower cost with lakehouse-native storage. No cross-AZ replication fees. Same Kafka APIs.
From Confluent
Open formats, no vendor lock-in. Data stored in Iceberg and Delta Lake on your object storage.
From Self-Managed
Zero operational overhead. Auto-scaling, managed infrastructure, and enterprise-grade security.
Deployment options
StreamNative Kafka Service is available in multiple deployment configurations:| Option | Description | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Serverless | Fully managed, pay-per-use | Development, testing, small workloads |
| Dedicated | Dedicated infrastructure, predictable performance | Production workloads |
| BYOC | Runs in your cloud account, managed by StreamNative | Data sovereignty, compliance |
| BYOC Pro | Advanced BYOC with custom networking and DNS | Enterprise, regulated industries |
How it works
StreamNative Kafka Service runs on the Ursa Engine, a cloud-native storage engine at the heart of the Lakestream architecture.- Stateless brokers: Kafka brokers are stateless and leaderless. Any broker can handle produce or fetch requests for any partition.
- Object storage: Data writes directly to S3, GCS, or Azure Blob Storage. No local disks, no inter-broker replication.
- Lakehouse-native: Data is stored in open table formats (Iceberg, Delta Lake) on your object storage, queryable by any analytics engine.
Get started
Quick Start
Create a Kafka cluster and produce your first message in under 5 minutes.
Migration Guide
Migrate from MSK, Confluent, or self-managed Kafka with zero code changes.
Kafka Compatibility
Check supported Kafka APIs, client versions, and feature compatibility.
Choose Kafka or Pulsar
Not sure which protocol fits your workload? Compare Kafka and Pulsar side by side.