AxonOps Schema Registry vs Cloudera Schema Registry
AxonOps Schema Registry
github.comCloudera Schema Registry
docs.cloudera.comSide by side
| Figure | AxonOps Schema Registry | Cloudera Schema Registry |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · Schema Registry Software | 8.6 (#2) | 7.3 (#14) |
| Deployment | The registry is a single statically linked binary of about 50 MB and can run as a Docker container or be built from source. | The Kubernetes Operator edition packages Cloudera Runtime Schema Registry as a Helm chart for deployment on Kubernetes. |
| Purpose | AxonOps Schema Registry is an API-compatible replacement for Confluent Schema Registry for managing schemas used with Apache Kafka. | Schema Registry centrally stores and manages schemas for streaming data so applications can validate their data. |
| Security | Built-in security includes Basic Auth, API keys, JWT, LDAP/AD, OIDC, mTLS, four RBAC roles, rate limiting, and TLS certificate auto-reload. | TLS can secure application, client, OAuth, and database traffic, and Cloudera recommends enabling it for all these categories. |
| Storage | It can store schemas in PostgreSQL, MySQL, or Cassandra and does not require Kafka as its storage backend. | Schema metadata storage supports MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Oracle; serializer and deserializer JAR storage supports local filesystems and HDFS, with the local filesystem as default. |
| Support | The project README says commercial support plans are offered by AxonOps; it also welcomes community issues and contributions. | Cloudera states that its cloud and on-premises offerings include enterprise-grade technical support and version, maintenance, and security updates. |
Plans
In their own words
AxonOps Schema Registry
AxonOps Schema Registry is a free, Apache 2.0-licensed service for managing Apache Kafka schemas as an API-compatible replacement for Confluent Schema Registry. It handles Avro, Protobuf, and JSON Schema, including references and seven compatibility modes. Schemas can be stored in PostgreSQL, MySQL, or Cassandra, without requiring Kafka as the storage backend. The project says existing Confluent serializers and Java, Go, and Python Kafka clients can connect by changing the registry URL. Security options include Basic Auth, API keys, JWT, LDAP/AD, OIDC, mTLS, four RBAC roles, rate limiting, and TLS certificate auto-reload. Audit events can go to stdout, files, syslog, or webhooks. Client-side field encryption supports DEK/KEK registries and HashiCorp Vault or OpenBao Transit. Data contracts add metadata and rules. A beta MCP server supports several AI clients. It runs self-hosted on Linux, as a Docker container, or from source.
Cloudera Schema Registry
Cloudera Schema Registry has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.