Drive Real-Time Data Innovation with Confluent on Azure

Confluent Cloud on Azure is a fully managed, cloud-native data streaming platform powered by Apache Kafka®. It enables real-time data processing and integration across Microsoft Azure services without the operational overhead of managing Kafka infrastructure. By leveraging Azure's global infrastructure, Confluent Cloud provides a scalable and reliable streaming solution that integrates seamlessly with your existing Azure environment.

Learn more about Confluent Cloud on Azure

Confluent Cloud offers seamless integration with various Azure services through fully managed connectors. You can connect to services like Azure Blob Storage, Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2, Azure Event Hubs, Azure Functions, and Azure Synapse Analytics. These integrations enable you to build robust data pipelines and streaming applications that interact directly with Azure resources.

Explore Azure integrations with Confluent Cloud

Yes, when you deploy Confluent Cloud on Azure, it runs on Microsoft's cloud infrastructure, utilizing Azure's global network, security features, and compliance standards. This ensures a reliable and scalable data streaming service that integrates seamlessly with your Azure environment.

Learn about Confluent Cloud deployment options

Using Confluent Cloud on Azure offers several benefits:

• Fully Managed Service: Offload operational tasks like provisioning, scaling, and maintenance to Confluent.
• Seamless Azure Integration: Leverage fully managed connectors to integrate with Azure services.
• Scalability: Automatically scale resources based on workload.
• Enhanced Security: Benefit from built-in security features and compliance certifications.
• Cost Efficiency: Pay-as-you-go pricing reduces upfront costs.

Discover the benefits of Confluent Cloud

To set up Confluent Cloud on Azure:

1. Sign Up: Create a Confluent Cloud account.
2. Select Azure: Choose Microsoft Azure as your cloud provider during cluster creation.
3. Configure Cluster: Select the desired Azure region and cluster specifications.
4. Connect Applications: Use the provided bootstrap servers and credentials to connect your producers and consumers.

Follow the step-by-step guide to set up Confluent Cloud on Azure

Confluent Cloud offers several fully managed connectors for Microsoft Azure services:

• Azure Blob Storage Sink Connector: Stream data from Kafka topics to Azure Blob Storage.
• Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 Sink Connector: Sink data to Data Lake Storage for big data analytics.
• Azure Event Hubs Source Connector: Ingest data from Event Hubs into Kafka topics.
• Azure Functions Sink Connector: Trigger serverless functions based on Kafka events.
• Azure Synapse Analytics Sink Connector: Stream data into Synapse Analytics for advanced analytics.
• Azure Cosmos DB Sink Connector: Write data to Cosmos DB for scalable NoSQL storage.

View the list of Confluent Cloud connectors

Confluent Cloud provides an Azure Event Hubs Source Connector that allows you to ingest data from Event Hubs into Kafka topics. This enables you to bridge data between Azure's event streaming service and Confluent Cloud for unified data processing.

Learn how to set up the Event Hubs Source Connector

Yes, you can integrate Confluent Cloud with Azure Functions using the Azure Functions Sink Connector. This allows you to trigger serverless functions in response to Kafka events, enabling real-time processing and event-driven architectures.

Set up the Azure Functions Sink Connector

Confluent Cloud enables real-time data streaming by providing a high-throughput, low-latency platform for ingesting and processing streaming data. With integrations to Azure services like Blob Storage and Synapse Analytics, you can build end-to-end real-time data pipelines and applications on Azure.

Understand real-time data streaming with Confluent Cloud

Confluent Cloud offers robust security features:

• Encryption in Transit and at Rest: All data is encrypted using TLS for data in transit and AES encryption for data at rest.
• Authentication: Support for API keys and OAuth with OpenID Connect.
• Access Control: Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) for granular permissions.
• Private Networking: Use VNet peering or Private Link to establish private connections.

Learn more about security in Confluent Cloud

Yes, you can deploy your Kafka clients and applications on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) and connect them to Confluent Cloud clusters. This allows you to build scalable, containerized applications that leverage Confluent Cloud for data streaming.

Read about connecting clients from Kubernetes to Confluent Cloud

While both Confluent Cloud and Azure Event Hubs are data streaming services, Confluent Cloud offers a complete data streaming platform powered by Apache Kafka. Key differences include:

• Ecosystem: Confluent Cloud provides features like ksqlDB, Schema Registry, and a rich set of connectors.
• Compatibility: Confluent Cloud is fully compatible with the Apache Kafka ecosystem and clients.
• Stream Processing: Advanced stream processing capabilities with ksqlDB.
• Data Retention: Confluent Cloud allows long-term data retention with configurable policies.

You can migrate to Confluent Cloud using tools like Confluent Replicator or MirrorMaker 2.0. These tools allow you to replicate data from your self-managed Kafka clusters to Confluent Cloud with minimal downtime.

Learn how to migrate to Confluent Cloud

Yes, Confluent Cloud supports multi-zone and multi-region deployments on Azure to enhance availability and resilience. You can deploy clusters across multiple Azure regions and configure Cluster Linking for data replication.

Understand multi-region deployments

Yes, you can integrate Confluent Cloud with Azure Logic Apps and Azure Data Factory using REST APIs or custom connectors. This enables you to automate workflows and orchestrate data movement between Confluent Cloud and Azure services.

Confluent Cloud offers a fully managed Schema Registry that allows you to manage and enforce data schemas across your Kafka topics. This ensures data compatibility and reduces errors in data processing.

Learn about Schema Registry in Confluent Cloud

Confluent Cloud uses a consumption-based pricing model, charging based on:

• Data Ingress/Egress: Volume of data streamed.
• Storage: Amount of data stored in Kafka topics.
• Additional Services: Usage of connectors, ksqlDB, and Schema Registry.

You can also opt for committed usage plans for discounted rates.

View Confluent Cloud pricing details

You can monitor your Confluent Cloud clusters using:

• Confluent Cloud UI: Provides real-time metrics and cluster health.
• Metrics API: Access metrics programmatically.
• Integration with Monitoring Tools: Use tools like Azure Monitor or Datadog for advanced monitoring.

Learn about monitoring Confluent Cloud

Yes, Confluent Cloud adheres to various compliance standards, including SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, GDPR, and HIPAA (with a BAA). It leverages Azure's compliance certifications to ensure data is handled securely.

View Confluent's compliance certifications

Yes, Confluent Cloud supports private networking options on Azure:

• VNet Peering: Establish a private connection between your Virtual Network (VNet) and Confluent Cloud.
• Azure Private Link: Use Azure Private Link to connect privately to Confluent Cloud services.

Set up private networking with Confluent Cloud

Confluent Cloud automatically scales Kafka clusters based on workload. It provides features like Auto Scaling to handle varying data volumes without manual intervention, ensuring your data architecture remains robust and scalable.

Understand scaling in Confluent Cloud

To optimize performance:

• Configure Partitions: Adjust topic partitions for parallelism.
• Use Efficient Serialization: Employ formats like Avro with Schema Registry.
• Monitor Resources: Utilize Confluent's monitoring tools.
• Network Configuration: Ensure low-latency network connections via private networking options.

Performance tuning guidelines

Yes, by streaming data through Confluent Cloud, you can feed real-time data into Azure's AI and machine learning services like Azure Machine Learning for advanced analytics and predictive modeling.

Confluent Cloud enables hybrid and multi-cloud deployments through features like Cluster Linking. This allows you to replicate data across clusters in different regions or cloud providers, including on-premises environments.

Confluent offers various support plans, including Developer, Business, and Premier Support tiers. These provide access to Kafka experts, technical support, and SLAs to ensure your streaming applications run smoothly.

View Confluent Support options

Confluent Cloud offers a free trial with usage credits to help you get started. You can sign up and begin deploying your streaming applications on Azure without initial costs.

Sign up for a free trial

Yes, using the Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 Sink Connector, you can stream data from Kafka topics into Azure Data Lake Storage for big data analytics and processing.

Set up the Data Lake Storage Sink Connector

Confluent Cloud offers features like Multi-Zone Clusters and Cluster Linking to ensure high availability and disaster recovery. Data is replicated across availability zones and regions to prevent data loss.

Learn about disaster recovery in Confluent Cloud

Yes, Confluent Cloud offers fully managed ksqlDB for stream processing using SQL syntax. You can perform real-time data transformations and analytics without managing additional infrastructure.

Get started with ksqlDB on Confluent Cloud

Confluent's Stream Governance suite ensures data quality and compliance across streaming applications. It integrates with Azure services by:

• Schema Management: Enforcing schemas with Schema Registry.
• Data Lineage: Tracking data flow for compliance and auditing.
• Visibility: Providing insights into data streams.

Learn about Stream Governance

Best practices include:

• Use Managed Connectors: Leverage Confluent's connectors for seamless integration.
• Implement Security Measures: Use encryption, authentication, and private networking.
• Monitor Performance: Utilize Confluent's monitoring tools.
• Optimize Resources: Configure partitions and replication factors appropriately.
• Manage Schemas: Use Schema Registry for data consistency.

Read the best practices guide

Confluent Cloud ensures high availability through:

• Multi-Zone Deployment: Clusters span multiple availability zones.
• Automated Failover: Rapid recovery from node failures.
• Data Replication: Across brokers and regions.

Learn about high availability in Confluent Cloud

Yes, you can integrate Confluent Cloud with Azure Active Directory for Single Sign-On (SSO) using SAML. This allows you to manage user access centrally.

Set up SSO with Azure AD

Confluent Cloud is fully compatible with Apache Kafka clients. You can use existing Kafka producers and consumers to connect to your Confluent Cloud clusters on Azure with minimal configuration changes.

Connect your clients to Confluent Cloud

You need:

• Confluent Cloud Account: To create Kafka clusters on Azure.
• Azure Resources: Access to Microsoft Azure services you wish to integrate with.
• Managed Connectors: For seamless integration with Azure services.
• Application Code: Develop Kafka producers and consumers as needed.

Get started with Confluent Cloud

Confluent Cloud can be integrated with Azure Databricks to build scalable data analytics and machine learning pipelines. Use the Kafka connector within Databricks to read from or write to Confluent Cloud.

Learn about integrating Confluent Cloud with Databricks

Yes, Confluent Cloud enables event-driven architectures by integrating with Azure services like Azure Functions, Event Hubs, and Logic Apps. You can build responsive applications that react to real-time data events.

Explore event-driven architectures with Confluent

Yes, using the Azure Synapse Analytics Sink Connector, you can stream data from Kafka topics into Azure Synapse Analytics for advanced analytics and data warehousing.

Set up the Synapse Analytics Sink Connector

Confluent Cloud can integrate with Azure SQL Database using JDBC Sink and Source connectors. This allows you to read data from or write data to Azure SQL databases.

Use JDBC connectors with Confluent Cloud

Confluent Cloud offers a 99.95% uptime SLA for Standard clusters and higher on Azure, ensuring reliable streaming services for your critical applications.

Review Confluent Cloud's SLA

Confluent Cloud provides Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) to manage permissions for users and service accounts. You can define granular roles and policies to secure your Kafka resources.

Learn about RBAC in Confluent Cloud

Yes, you can use Apache Flink with Confluent Cloud by configuring Flink connectors to consume from or produce to Kafka topics in Confluent Cloud.

Confluent Cloud encrypts data both in transit and at rest:

• In Transit: Data is encrypted using TLS 1.2+ protocols.
• At Rest: Data is encrypted using AES-256 encryption standards.

Learn about data encryption in Confluent Cloud

Yes, you can use the Confluent Terraform Provider to manage Confluent Cloud resources programmatically, including clusters, topics, and service accounts.

Manage Confluent Cloud with Terraform

Yes, you can integrate Confluent Cloud logs and metrics with Azure Monitor and Azure Log Analytics using the Metrics API and configuring appropriate exporters.

Monitor Confluent Cloud

You can contact Confluent Support through the Confluent Cloud interface or by accessing the Support Portal. Support levels vary based on your subscription plan.

Access Confluent Support

While Confluent Cloud doesn't directly integrate with Azure IAM for resource access, you can use Single Sign-On (SSO) with Azure Active Directory. Access within Confluent Cloud is managed using RBAC.

Set up SSO with Azure AD

Yes, you can find tutorials and examples on Confluent Developer that guide you through building applications with Confluent Cloud on Azure.

Explore Confluent Developer resources

Confluent Cloud is a fully managed service, and Confluent handles all updates, patches, and maintenance activities with minimal impact to customers. Updates are rolled out seamlessly without downtime.

Learn about Confluent Cloud's managed service