Debezium vs RisingWave for CDC: Which Should You Choose?
Debezium is a CDC connector that streams database changes to Kafka. RisingWave is a streaming database with native CDC that can ingest, process, and serve CDC data in a single system. Choose Debezium when you need Kafka as a central event bus or CDC from databases RisingWave doesn't support. Choose RisingWave when you want the simplest CDC pipeline with SQL processing and built-in serving.
Architecture Comparison
Debezium pipeline:
PostgreSQL → Debezium → Kafka → Flink/Consumer → PostgreSQL (serving)
5 components. Requires Kafka cluster, Kafka Connect, and a downstream processor.
RisingWave pipeline:
PostgreSQL → RisingWave → Query results directly
1 component. No Kafka, no middleware.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Debezium | RisingWave CDC |
| Source databases | PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, SQL Server, Oracle, Cassandra, Db2 | PostgreSQL, MySQL |
| Requires Kafka | Yes (Kafka Connect) | No |
| Processing | None (capture only) | Full SQL (joins, aggregations, windows) |
| Serving | None (needs downstream DB) | Built-in (PostgreSQL protocol) |
| Deployment | Kafka Connect cluster | RisingWave cluster |
| Complexity | High (Kafka + Connect + processing) | Low (single system) |
When to Choose
Debezium: You need CDC from MongoDB, SQL Server, or Oracle. You want Kafka as a durable event bus for multiple consumers. You already have Kafka infrastructure.
RisingWave: Your sources are PostgreSQL or MySQL. You want SQL transformations over CDC data. You want to query results directly without a separate serving database. You want the simplest possible CDC pipeline.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can RisingWave replace Debezium?
For PostgreSQL and MySQL CDC, yes. RisingWave's native CDC eliminates the need for Debezium, Kafka, and Kafka Connect. For databases RisingWave doesn't support (MongoDB, SQL Server, Oracle), Debezium remains necessary.
Can I use both together?
Yes. Use Debezium for databases RisingWave doesn't support, stream through Kafka, and use RisingWave as the Kafka consumer for SQL processing and serving.
