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AWS Glue Schema Registry

docs.aws.amazon.com

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Spec score 7.9 #10 of 22 in ETL and ELT Tools

What it is

AWS Glue Schema Registry is a free cloud service for centrally discovering, controlling, and evolving schemas used by streaming applications. It supplies serializers and deserializers so producers and consumers can share schema definitions during data exchange. Supported formats are Avro v1.11.4, JSON Schema Draft-04, Draft-06, and Draft-07, plus Protocol Buffers proto2 and proto3; Protobuf extensions and groups are not supported. Eight compatibility modes are available: NONE, DISABLED, BACKWARD, BACKWARD_ALL, FORWARD, FORWARD_ALL, FULL, and FULL_ALL. Features include automatic registration, metadata-based schema sourcing, IAM compatibility, and optional ZLIB compression. Documented integrations cover Apache Kafka, Amazon MSK, Kinesis Data Streams, Amazon Managed Service for Apache Flink, AWS Lambda, AWS Glue streaming, and Apache Kafka Streams. Client API traffic uses TLS over HTTPS, and schemas are encrypted at rest with an AWS KMS service-managed key. Registry ARNs organize permissions for schema operations.

Spec sheet

Purpose
Centrally discovers, controls, and evolves data stream schemas for streaming applications.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.aws.amazon.com
Integrations
The documentation describes integrations with Apache Kafka, Amazon MSK, Kinesis Data Streams, Amazon Managed Service for Apache Flink, AWS Lambda, AWS Glue streaming, and Apache Kafka Streams.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.aws.amazon.com
Security
Client API communication uses TLS encryption over HTTPS, and schemas are encrypted at rest with an AWS KMS service-managed key.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.aws.amazon.com
Access control
Registries support application access control, with registry ARNs used to organize different permissions for schema operations.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.aws.amazon.com
Automation
Supported features include schema auto-registration, schema sourcing via metadata, IAM compatibility, and optional ZLIB compression.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.aws.amazon.com
Formats
Supports Avro v1.11.4, JSON Schema Draft-04, Draft-06, and Draft-07, and Protocol Buffers proto2 and proto3; Protobuf extensions and groups are not supported.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.aws.amazon.com
Kinesis limitation
The documented Kinesis Producer Library and Kinesis Client Library integration supports Java and does not provide multi-language support.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.aws.amazon.com
Metadata quota
A schema version can have up to 10 metadata key-value pairs per AWS Region.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.aws.amazon.com
Regional availability
AWS Glue Schema Registry is not supported in the AWS Glue console in the Middle East (UAE) Region.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.aws.amazon.com
Registry quota
An account can have up to 100 registries per AWS Region.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.aws.amazon.com
Schema evolution
Supports eight compatibility modes: NONE, DISABLED, BACKWARD, BACKWARD_ALL, FORWARD, FORWARD_ALL, FULL, and FULL_ALL.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.aws.amazon.com
Serialization
Provides serializers and deserializers so producers and consumers can share schemas for data serialization and deserialization.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.aws.amazon.com
Version quota
An account can have up to 10,000 schema versions per AWS Region.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.aws.amazon.com

Plans and prices

AWS Glue Schema Registry Free No additional charge Free to use · Up to 100 registries per Region per account · Up to 10,000 schema versions per Region per account · Up to 10 metadata key-value pairs per schema version per Region Read 30 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com

Every AWS Glue Schema Registry plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Free with no additional charge
  • Supports Avro, JSON Schema, and Protobuf
  • Eight schema compatibility modes
  • Integrates with Kafka, Kinesis, Lambda, and Flink
  • TLS in transit and KMS encryption at rest

Limits

  • Kinesis library integration supports Java only
  • Protobuf extensions and groups are unsupported
  • Maximum 100 registries per Region
  • Not supported in UAE Glue console

Who it suits

It suits teams operating cloud streaming pipelines that need shared schemas, compatibility controls, and integrations with AWS or Kafka services. It is relevant when Avro, JSON Schema, or Protocol Buffers are part of the event flow.

Verdict

AWS Glue Schema Registry provides centralized schema governance without an additional service charge. Confirm format restrictions, regional availability, and account quotas for your deployment.

Where Specifiction places it

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