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Tech riderRev. 2 Oct 2026

Karapace

Ch 126.9of 24 Schema Registry Software
  1. 1Runs onAPI, Linux, self-hosted
  2. 2CostsFree plan · paid from $35/mo
  3. 3Schema formatsAvro, Protobuf, JSON Schema
  4. 4Compatibility modesNONE, BACKWARD, BACKWARD TRANSITIVE, FORWARD, FORWARD TRANSITIVE, FULL, FULL TRANSITIVE
  5. 5Validation scopeevent
  6. 6Deployment optionshybrid
6 lines stated Written from the maker's own pages: aiven.io
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Overview

Karapace is ranked #12 of 24 in schema registry software on Specifiction. It runs on API, Linux, Self-hosted. There is a free plan. Paid plans start at $35/mo.

Karapace plans and pricing

All plans
Free Free $0/month Up to 250 KiB/s throughput · retention up to 3 days · up to 5 topics, each with two partitions · Schema Registry and REST proxy included aiven.io · 2 Oct 2026
Developer $35/mo $35/month; $0.04/hour Up to 1 MB/s throughput · retention up to 3 days · up to 20 topics (max 100 partitions) · Schema Registry and REST proxy included aiven.io · 2 Oct 2026

Compared on schema registry software

Schema formats
Avro, Protobuf, JSON Schemaaiven.io
Compatibility modes
NONE, BACKWARD, BACKWARD_TRANSITIVE, FORWARD, FORWARD_TRANSITIVE, FULL, FULL_TRANSITIVEaiven.io
Validation scope
eventaiven.io
Deployment options
hybridaiven.io

Facts

What it does
Karapace is an Aiven-built open-source Schema Registry and REST Proxy for Aiven for Apache Kafka.aiven.io · 2 Oct 2026
Schema management
The Schema Registry stores and versions schemas and can check compatibility before changes are published.aiven.io · 2 Oct 2026
Supported formats
Karapace supports Avro, Protobuf, and JSON Schema registration; schema references are supported for Avro and Protobuf.aiven.io · 2 Oct 2026
HTTP access
The REST Proxy exposes APIs for producing and consuming Kafka events over HTTP, including use from scripts, curl, and HTTP-based services.aiven.io · 2 Oct 2026
Authentication
Karapace supports OAuth 2.0/OIDC authentication for Schema Registry and the REST Proxy.aiven.io · 2 Oct 2026
Authorization
Schema Registry authorization uses access control lists, and OIDC role-based authorization can restrict operations by HTTP method.aiven.io · 2 Oct 2026
Identity providers
The OAuth/OIDC setup documentation lists Auth0, Okta, Google Identity Platform, and Azure as example compliant providers.aiven.io · 2 Oct 2026
Integrations
The Aiven Terraform Provider supports managing Karapace Schema Registry authorization ACL entries.aiven.io · 2 Oct 2026
Deployment
The project documents Docker-based setup and installation from source with pip.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
Compatibility
The project states that Karapace is compatible with Schema Registry 6.1.1 at the API level and supports all operations in that API.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
Notable limit
Karapace’s built-in schema backup functionality was removed in version 6.0.0 and is no longer maintained in the project.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
Free tier scope
Aiven’s Kafka free tier includes Karapace Schema Registry and is described as intended for learning, prototyping, and evaluation.aiven.io · 2 Oct 2026

Company

Company headquarters
Aiven says it is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland.aiven.io · 2 Oct 2026
Founded
2016aiven.io · 28 Sept 2026
Headquarters
Helsinki, Finlandaiven.io · 28 Sept 2026

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Where it ranks on Specifiction

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