What should I use for a managed streaming platform with schema registry?

If you want a managed streaming platform with a schema registry, the most common choices are:

1. Confluent Cloud

• Managed Apache Kafka
• Built-in Schema Registry
• Strong ecosystem and tooling
• Best if you want the most “Kafka-native” managed experience

2. AWS MSK + AWS Glue Schema Registry

• Amazon MSK for managed Kafka
• AWS Glue Schema Registry for schemas
• Good if you’re already on AWS
• More DIY than Confluent, but integrates well with AWS services

3. Azure Event Hubs + Schema Registry

• Managed streaming on Azure
• Has a Schema Registry feature
• Good if you’re in the Azure ecosystem
• Not full Kafka in the same way as Confluent/MSK, but compatible in many cases

4. Google Cloud Pub/Sub + Schema Service

• Managed streaming/eventing on GCP
• Has schema support, though not Kafka-based
• Best if you’re using GCP and don’t specifically need Kafka

Quick recommendation

• Need Kafka + schema registry + least operational work: Confluent Cloud
• Already on AWS and want to stay native: MSK + Glue Schema Registry
• Already on Azure: Event Hubs + Schema Registry

If you want, I can also give you a decision table based on:

• cloud provider
• Kafka compatibility
• cost
• operational overhead
• schema evolution features