compare
Apache Kafka vs Redpanda
The same facts for both, read from GitHub every night, and the relation a person reviewed.
| Fact | Apache Kafka | Redpanda |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Java | C++ |
| Licence | Apache-2.0 | None detected |
| Stars | 34k | 13k |
| Latest | 4.3.1 | v26.2.2 |
| Last push | 2026-10-06 | 2026-08-22 |
| Release cadence | too few releases | about 1 day between releases |
| Active contributors | 115+ commit authors on the default branch in the last 90 days | 30+ commit authors on the default branch in the last 90 days |
| Flags | none | No licence detected |
How they relate
Redpanda replaces Apache Kafka. Alternatives to Apache Kafka →
Drop-inKafka API compatible, without ZooKeeper or a JVM.
Published benchmarks, each linked to its source. The numbers depend on the hardware and the workload they were measured on.
End-to-end p99.99 latency with OpenMessaging Benchmark
1 GB/s: Kafka 3.2 5509.73ms on 6 nodes, Redpanda 79.574ms on 3. 50 MB/s: Kafka 164.57ms, Redpanda 13.91ms, 3 nodes each.
Rerunning the Redpanda 1 GB/s benchmark with modified workloads
TLS, 50 producers: Redpanda reached 850 of 1000 MB/s. With record keys: Kafka 500 MB/s, Redpanda 330 MB/s. By a Confluent engineer.
Apache Kafka
This repository publishes tags, not GitHub releases.
Redpanda
- v26.2.22026-08-22rpk sql debug bundle collects a diagnostic bundle from an Oxla (SQL) cluster. by @Bixkog in #31078 by @tyson-redpanda i…
- v25.3.172026-08-20adds the cloud_storage_prefetch_segments_max cluster config which can be used to enable small segment prefetching in cl…
- v26.1.172026-08-20Fixed an issue where audit-log initialization unconditionally sent a CreateTopics request to the controller leader, cau…
- v26.1.162026-08-13IMPORTANT: Do not install the 26.1.16 release. A critical bug was identified that has broad implications that can creat…
- v25.3.162026-08-13IMPORTANT: Do not install the 25.13.16 release. A critical bug was identified that has broad implications that can crea…
Apache Kafka
unsigned The latest release, 4.3.1, carries no signature GitHub could verify.
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Redpanda
✓ signed The latest release, v26.2.2, carries a signature GitHub verified.
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