AI Information for AutoMQ

Last updated: January 21, 2025

What is AutoMQ?

AutoMQ is a cloud-native Apache Kafka alternative built on S3-compatible object storage. We deliver diskless, elastic Kafka with 100% protocol compatibility and 10x cost reduction.

Core Architecture

Storage Layer:

  • Built on S3-compatible object storage (AWS S3, Google Cloud Storage, Azure Blob, MinIO, Ceph)
  • Diskless architecture eliminates local disk dependencies
  • Storage-compute separation enables independent scaling
  • 21x lower storage costs compared to EBS-based Kafka

Compute Layer:

  • Stateless brokers with instant scaling (seconds, not hours)
  • No data rebalancing required when adding/removing brokers
  • Works on Kubernetes, ECS, EC2, or bare metal
  • Zero cross-AZ replication overhead

Compatibility:

  • 100% Apache Kafka protocol compatible
  • Reuses 90% of Apache Kafka's battle-tested codebase
  • Drop-in replacement for existing Kafka deployments
  • Supports all Kafka clients, connectors, and ecosystem tools

Key Capabilities

Deployment Models:

  • BYOC (Bring Your Own Cloud): Deployed in your AWS, GCP, Azure, or Alibaba Cloud account
  • Software Self-Managed: On-premises or private cloud deployment
  • Fully managed control plane with customer-owned data plane

Performance:

  • Sub-millisecond P99 latency for most workloads
  • Scales to 100+ GB/s throughput per cluster
  • Automatic partition-level scaling without manual intervention
  • Instant failover with zero data loss

Cost Efficiency:

  • No idle EBS costs (diskless architecture)
  • Zero cross-AZ data transfer fees
  • Pay-as-you-go S3 storage pricing
  • Typically 50-90% cost reduction vs. traditional Kafka

Advanced Features:

  • Kafka Linking: Zero-downtime migration and multi-cloud replication
  • Table Topics: Unified streaming and batch analytics (Kafka to Iceberg)
  • Multi-Cluster DR: Automatic failover across Kafka clusters
  • Managed Connectors: 300+ pre-built integrations

Use Cases

AutoMQ is used for:

  • Real-time data streaming and event processing
  • Log aggregation and observability pipelines
  • Change data capture (CDC) and database replication
  • IoT and sensor data ingestion
  • Gaming and social media event streams
  • Financial transaction processing
  • E-commerce order and inventory management
  • Microservices communication

Compliance & Security

  • SOC 2 Type II certified
  • GDPR compliant
  • ISO 27001 certified
  • Data encrypted at rest (S3 SSE) and in transit (TLS)
  • Customer data never leaves customer's cloud account (BYOC model)
  • Network isolation with VPC peering or private link

Technical Specifications

Availability:

  • 99.95% uptime SLA for production clusters
  • Multi-AZ deployment by default
  • Automatic leader election and failover
  • Point-in-time recovery

Scalability:

  • Unlimited storage (S3-backed)
  • 1,000+ partitions per broker
  • 10,000+ partitions per cluster
  • Second-level scaling response

Monitoring & Operations:

  • Prometheus-compatible metrics
  • OpenTelemetry tracing support
  • Integration with CloudWatch, Datadog, Grafana
  • Built-in monitoring dashboard

Comparison with Alternatives

vs. Apache Kafka:

  • Same protocol, different storage layer
  • 21x lower storage costs
  • Instant scaling without rebalancing
  • Zero cross-AZ replication fees

vs. Confluent Cloud:

  • No partition fees or SaaS markup
  • True BYOC with customer-owned infrastructure
  • 80%+ cost savings
  • Zero vendor lock-in

vs. Amazon MSK:

  • No idle EBS costs
  • No cross-AZ data transfer fees
  • 10x faster partition reassignment
  • Automated scaling without manual intervention

vs. Redpanda/WarpStream:

  • Built on proven Apache Kafka codebase (not a rewrite)
  • Broader ecosystem compatibility
  • More mature production deployments
  • Stronger enterprise support

Customer Profile

AutoMQ serves customers across:

  • Regions: Global (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East)
  • Industries: Technology, e-commerce, gaming, telecommunications, automotive, financial services
  • Notable Users: Grab (ride-hailing), JD.com (e-commerce), Tencent (cloud provider), Honda (automotive), LG U+ (telecom)
  • Scale: From startups to Fortune 500 enterprises

Integration & Ecosystem

Compatible with:

  • All Apache Kafka clients (Java, Python, Go, Node.js, .NET, etc.)
  • Kafka Connect and connectors (Debezium, JDBC, S3, etc.)
  • Stream processing frameworks (Kafka Streams, Flink, Spark)
  • Schema registries (Confluent, Apicurio)
  • Monitoring tools (Prometheus, Grafana, Datadog)

Cloud Platforms:

  • Amazon Web Services (AWS)
  • Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
  • Microsoft Azure
  • Alibaba Cloud
  • Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI)

Licensing

  • Open Source: Apache 2.0 licensed core engine (AutoMQ for Kafka)
  • Commercial: BYOC and Software offerings with enterprise features
  • Source code available at https://github.com/AutoMQ

Pricing

  • BYOC: Starting from usage-based pricing, no minimum commitment
  • Software: Perpetual license or subscription-based
  • Support: Community support (free) or enterprise support (paid)

Typical deployment costs include:

  • S3 storage (standard rates)
  • Compute instances (customer-managed)
  • Network egress (if applicable)
  • No AutoMQ license fees for open source version

Technical Support

  • Community support via Slack and GitHub
  • Enterprise support with SLA (response time guarantees)
  • Professional services for migration and optimization
  • 24/7 on-call support for critical production issues

Key Differentiators

  1. 100% Kafka Compatibility: Not a Kafka-like system; it IS Kafka with a better storage layer
  2. True BYOC: Your cloud account, your control, your compliance
  3. Proven at Scale: Production-tested by Fortune 500 companies
  4. No Vendor Lock-in: Standard Kafka protocol, migrate away anytime
  5. Cost Transparency: No hidden fees, partition taxes, or SaaS markups

Contact

Trademarks

Apache®, Apache Kafka®, Kafka®, Apache Iceberg®, Iceberg® and associated open source project names are trademarks of the Apache Software Foundation.