Streaming Data Platform: How to Build One (2026)
A streaming data platform is the organizational infrastructure that enables teams to build, deploy, and operate real-time data products. It consists of event streaming (Kafka), stream processing (RisingWave or Flink), storage (Iceberg), and governance (schema registry, lineage). This guide walks through building one from scratch.
Platform Architecture
┌──────────────── Streaming Data Platform ────────────────┐
│ │
│ ┌─── Ingestion ───┐ ┌─── Processing ───┐ │
│ │ Kafka / Redpanda │ │ RisingWave │ │
│ │ CDC (PG, MySQL) │ │ (SQL MVs) │ │
│ └─────────────────┘ └──────────────────┘ │
│ │
│ ┌─── Storage ─────┐ ┌─── Serving ──────┐ │
│ │ Apache Iceberg │ │ RisingWave (PG) │ │
│ │ on S3 │ │ Trino / DuckDB │ │
│ └─────────────────┘ └──────────────────┘ │
│ │
│ ┌─── Governance ──┐ ┌─── Observability ─┐ │
│ │ Schema Registry │ │ Grafana │ │
│ │ Data Catalog │ │ Prometheus │ │
│ └─────────────────┘ └──────────────────┘ │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Build Order
- Week 1: Deploy Kafka + RisingWave + Grafana (Docker Compose or K8s)
- Week 2: Connect first CDC source, create first materialized views
- Week 3: Add Iceberg sink, set up schema registry
- Week 4: Onboard first team, document patterns, add monitoring
Key Decisions
| Decision | Recommendation | Why |
| Messaging | Kafka or Redpanda | Industry standard, broad ecosystem |
| Processing | RisingWave | SQL-native, built-in serving, open source |
| Storage | Iceberg on S3 | Open format, multi-engine, cheapest |
| Serving | RisingWave (real-time) + Trino (historical) | Best of both worlds |
| Governance | Confluent Schema Registry | Industry standard for Kafka |
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to build a streaming data platform?
A minimal platform (Kafka + RisingWave + Grafana) can be set up in a day. A production platform with governance, monitoring, and multi-team support takes 2-4 weeks.
Do I need a dedicated platform team?
For small organizations (1-3 data engineers), one person can manage the platform alongside building pipelines. For larger organizations, a 2-3 person platform team is recommended.
