# Debezium

> Open-source change data capture for databases

Debezium is an open-source CDC platform that streams row-level changes from databases such as PostgreSQL, MySQL, and MongoDB, typically via Kafka Connect.

Website: https://debezium.io

## Use it when

- You need CDC from many databases under one open-source roof: MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, SQL Server, Oracle, Db2, and Cassandra through one connector model.
- Kafka is already the backbone; Debezium deploys as Connect source connectors and lands ordered change events in topics.
- Downstream patterns vary: warehouse feeds, cache and index invalidation, and the outbox pattern for service integration are all established uses.
- You want the community default; most CDC platforms here either embed it or compete with it.

## Think twice when

- Nobody wants to run Kafka Connect; a Connect cluster is real operational surface (Debezium Server and the embedded engine avoid it at reduced scope, and Maxwell or Sequin are lighter for single-source cases).
- Exactly-once is assumed; delivery is at-least-once, and consumers must be idempotent.
- You want managed CDC with support; Debezium arrives via a vendor (Confluent, Red Hat, cloud connectors) rather than from the project.

## How it runs

Connectors read transaction logs (Postgres WAL, MySQL binlog, and equivalents) and publish change events through a Kafka Connect cluster; incremental snapshots backfill via signals, and a history topic records source DDL. Debezium Server targets Kinesis, Pub/Sub, Pulsar, and Redis without Kafka.

## Details

### General

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| License | Open source (permissive) |
| SPDX identifier | Apache-2.0 |
| Deployment | Self-hosted, Managed |
| Workload | Streaming |
| Operational complexity | High |
| Pricing | Free, Subscription |
| Language | Java |
| Repository | https://github.com/debezium/debezium |
| Documentation | https://debezium.io/documentation/reference/stable/ |
| Stars | 13.1k |

### Change Data Capture

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Sources | MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, SQL Server, Oracle, Db2, Cassandra |
| Source requirements | Per source: logical replication, ROW binlog, or CDC enabled |
| What you run | A Kafka Connect cluster; or Debezium Server, or the embedded engine |
| Initial snapshot | Initial snapshot; incremental snapshots via signals |
| End-to-end lag | Near real-time; connectors stream from the log continuously |
| Delivery guarantee | At-least-once |
| Schema drift | Schema change events; a history topic records source DDL |
| Transformations | Single Message Transforms: routing, outbox, filtering |
| Destinations | Kafka Connect; Debezium Server adds Kinesis, Pub/Sub, Pulsar, Redis |
| Billing unit | None for the project; managed connectors billed by the vendor |

## Capabilities

- [Change Data Capture](https://matca.io/capabilities/change-data-capture)

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Source: https://matca.io/debezium
Last updated: 2026-08-31T11:40:48.082Z