Esper vs RisingWave

Esper is a language, compiler, and runtime for complex event processing and streaming analytics in Java and .NET. Its Event Processing Language extends SQL with expressions over events and time. The compiler turns EPL into bytecode that can be packaged in JAR files. Esper and NEsper embed inside Java or .NET processes rather than running as standalone servers. The in-memory runtime is described as memory-efficient and low-latency and does not require external storage or services. Adapters handle CSV, JMS, HTTP, Kafka, database, and socket input and output, with JMX metrics exposure. Queries can join event streams with web services and relational databases through SQL-query or method-invocation joins. Esper Enterprise Edition adds scale-out architecture with elastic scaling, load balancing, fault tolerance, and multi-datacenter support using Apache Kafka and Apache Zookeeper. Listed uses include business-process monitoring, financial applications such as fraud detection, network and application monitoring, and sensor networks. Esper 9.0.0 is listed under GNU GPL (GPL v2); commercial redistribution licenses are available. Production support has Bronze, Silver, and Gold levels, plus a Developer Seat for how-to questions.

RisingWave is a distributed SQL platform for ingesting, transforming, and serving real-time data. Its SQL interface is wire-compatible with PostgreSQL, so PostgreSQL clients, drivers, and tools can connect. New events incrementally refresh materialized views. Barrier-based checkpointing and consistent snapshots support exactly-once processing, while data is persisted in S3-compatible object storage and connector offsets are checkpointed for delivery durability. RisingWave lists 31+ native connectors, including Kafka, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Iceberg, Snowflake, BigQuery, S3, Redis, and Elasticsearch. Self-managed deployments are Apache 2.0 open source, with Docker, Kubernetes, cloud VM, and on-premises options. The hosted Basic plan is $0.23 a month, pay-as-you-go, limited to 64 cores and available in select regions; a free plan and 7-day trial are also listed. Basic includes standard support. Premium 24x7 support can be purchased with Pro, while self-managed deployments offer premium support with an SLA and quarterly success reviews. Listed platforms include API, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, and web.