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SPECIFICTION
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Google Cloud Datastream

cloud.google.com

From $0.40/mo Free plan WebAPI
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Spec score 8.2 #6 of 23 in Change Data Capture Software

What it is

Google Cloud Datastream is a serverless change data capture and replication service for synchronizing data. Streams can capture ongoing updates and backfill historical records, while the service scales automatically without resources for users to provision or manage. Supported destinations include BigQuery, Cloud Storage, and Apache Iceberg tables. Documented sources include Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL, AlloyDB, SQL Server, MongoDB, Spanner, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Workday, and Microsoft Dataverse; some sources are marked as preview. Datastream can work with Dataflow templates to load data from Cloud Storage into destinations including BigQuery, Cloud SQL, and Spanner. Connectivity options include IP allowlisting, a forward SSH tunnel, and private connectivity over VPC peering. Processing is charged, idle streams incur no cost, and other Google Cloud resources are billed separately. The free tier includes 100 GiB of eligible CDC data per month per billing account. Events are delivered at least once, but ordering is not guaranteed. Datastream is administered through the Google Cloud console, CLI, or REST API.

Spec sheet

Purpose
Datastream is a serverless change data capture and replication service for synchronizing data with minimal latency.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Integrations
Datastream integrates with Dataflow templates to load data from Cloud Storage into destinations including BigQuery, Cloud SQL, and Spanner.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Administration
Datastream can be administered through the Google Cloud console, Google Cloud CLI, and REST API.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Connectivity
Connectivity options include IP allowlisting, a forward SSH tunnel, and private connectivity over VPC peering.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Credentials
User metadata is encrypted in transit and at rest, and access to it is tracked and audited.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Destinations
Supported destinations are BigQuery, Cloud Storage, and Apache Iceberg tables.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Encryption
Buffered data is encrypted at rest, and replicated data is encrypted by default using destination security controls.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Event delivery
Events are delivered at least once and their order is not guaranteed.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Event size limits
The documented event size limit is 20 MB for BigQuery destinations and 100 MB for Cloud Storage destinations.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Processing costs
Datastream charges for processed data; idle streams incur no cost, and other Google Cloud resources used are billed separately.Read 30 Sep 2026 · cloud.google.com
Replication modes
A stream can capture ongoing changes and backfill historical data from its source.Read 30 Sep 2026 · cloud.google.com
Serverless
Datastream requires no resources to provision or manage and scales up or down automatically.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Sources
Documented sources include Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL, AlloyDB, SQL Server, MongoDB, Spanner, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Workday, and Microsoft Dataverse, with some listed as preview.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Use cases
Google identifies analytics, database replication, migration, synchronization, and event-driven architectures as Datastream use cases.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com

Plans and prices

Datastream Free Tier Free 100 GiB of CDC data per month per billing account AlloyDB and Spanner sources to BigQuery · 100 GiB shared across eligible streams per billing account Read 30 Sep 2026 · cloud.google.com
Datastream backfill $0.40 a month Per gibibyte processed, per month, per account First 500 GiB each month free · listed rate applies above 500 GiB · Iowa (us-central1) pricing Read 30 Sep 2026 · cloud.google.com
Datastream CDC $2 a month Per gibibyte processed, per month, per account; tiered pricing 0–2,500 GiB at listed rate · higher tiers have lower per-GiB rates · pricing beyond 10 TB: contact sales Read 30 Sep 2026 · cloud.google.com

Every Google Cloud Datastream plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Captures ongoing changes and historical backfills.
  • Scales without user-managed resources.
  • Offers several connectivity options, including private VPC peering.
  • Free tier covers 100 GiB monthly for eligible data.

Limits

  • Events may arrive out of order.
  • Processing charges apply; other cloud resources cost separately.
  • Some documented sources are listed as preview.

Who it suits

Datastream suits teams capturing changes from supported data sources and sending them to BigQuery, Cloud Storage, or Apache Iceberg. It can also support backfills, migration, synchronization, and analytics workflows.

Verdict

Datastream combines ongoing change capture with historical backfill and automatic scaling. Account for processed-data charges and the lack of guaranteed event ordering when planning a stream.

Where Specifiction places it

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