Confluent vs webMethods Integration Server comparison

Confluent is an enterprise-ready, full-scale streaming platform that enhances Apache Kafka. 

Confluent has integrated cutting-edge features that are designed to enhance these tasks: 

• Speed up application development and connectivity
• Enable transformations through stream processing
• Streamline business operations at scale
• Adhere to strict architectural standards

Confluent is a more complete distribution of Kafka in that it enhances the integration possibilities of Kafka by introducing tools for managing and optimizing Kafka clusters while providing methods for making sure the streams are secure. Confluent supports publish-and-subscribe as well as the storing and processing of data within the streams. Kafka is easier to operate and build thanks to Confluent.

Confluent's software is available in three different varieties: 

1. A free, open-source streaming platform that makes it simple to start using real-time data streams
2. An enterprise-grade version of the product with more administrative, ops, and monitoring tools
3. A premium cloud-based version.

Confluent Advantage Features

Confluent has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:

• Multi-language
  
  
  • Clients: C++, Python, Go, and .NET
  • REST proxy: Can connect to Kafka from any connected network device
  • Admin REST APIs: RESTful interface for performing administrator operations

• Pre-built ecosystem
  
  
  • Connectors: More than 100 supported connectors, including S3, Elastic, HDFS, JDBC
  • MQTT proxy: Gain access to Kafka from MQTT gateways and devices
  • Schema registry: Centralized database to guarantee data compatibility

• Streaming database
  
  
  • ksqlDB: Materialized views and real-time stream processing

• GUI management 
  
  
  • Control panel: GUI for scalable Kafka management and monitoring
  • Health+: Smart alerts and cloud-based control centers

• DevOps automation that is flexible
  
  
  • Confluent for Kubernetes: Complete API to deploy on Kubernetes
  • Automated Ansible deployment on non-containerized environments

• Dynamic performance 
  
  
  • Self-balancing clusters: Automated partition re-balancing across brokers in the cluster
  • Tiered storage: Older Kafka data offloading to object storage with transparent access

• Security that is enterprise-grade 
  
  
  • Role-based access control: Granular user/group access authorization
  • Audit logs that are structured: Logs of user actions kept in dedicated Kafka topics
  • Secret protection: Sensitive information is encrypted

• Global resilience
  
  
  • Linking clusters: A real-time, highly reliable, and consistent bridge across on-premises and cloud environments
  • Multiple-region clusters: Single Kafka cluster with automated client failover distributed across multiple data centers
  • Replicator: Asynchronous replication that is based on the Kafka Connect framework

• Support
  
  
  • Round the clock enterprise support from Kafka experts

Reviews from Real Users

Confluent stands out among its competitors for a number of reasons. Two major ones are its robust enterprise support and its open source option. PeerSpot users take note of the advantages of these features in their reviews: 

Ravi B., a solutions architect at a tech services company, writes of the solution, “KSQL is a valuable feature, as is the Kafka Connect framework for connecting to the various source systems where you need not write the code. We get great support from Confluent because we're using the enterprise version and whenever there's a problem, they support us with fine-tuning and finding the root cause.”

Amit S., an IT consultant, notes, “The biggest benefit is that it is open source. You have the flexibility of opting or not opting for enterprise support, even though the tool itself is open source.” He adds, “The second benefit is it's very modern and built on Java and Scala. You can extend the features very well, and it doesn't take a lot of effort to do so.”

webMethods Integration Server is widely considered to be the best integration server available in the marketplace today. The solution can help users integrate everything and anything.

webMethods Integration Server allows organizations to display and integrate existing and new business activities. The solution offers components that help users create, test, and install new services. webMethods Integration Server can automate, organize, and construct various gathered services and traditional legacy systems into productive value-added processes. webMethods Integration Server works as a secure platform for distributing and running services. The solution obtains and translates user requests, recognizes and records the requested service, translates and moves the data in the necessary format, receives the information back, and returns the information to the user in the appropriate original format. webMethods is the primary solution used by enterprise organizations for integrating functional coordination with application servers, custom applications, and databases. webMethods makes it easy for enterprise organizations to share electronic documents seamlessly.

Users have several options to audit webMethods Integration Server processes using some of the component metrics below:

• Adapters: Using the SOA extension for webMethods, users can easily monitor the performance of every adapter users have deployed. Available metrics include Adapter Services, Adapter Connection Pools, and Adapter Notifications nodes.
  
  
• Business Processes: A business process is a process that uses a specific set of rules to perform tasks in a prescribed order. Many business processes depend on the successful integration of numerous systems, involving many people in varying roles. With the SOA extension for webMethods, users can easily monitor that workflow, ensuring that processes are being performed as defined.
  
  
• Java Services: This includes services created in Java or in languages coordinated with Java.
  
  
• WebServices: This includes services regarding webserver endpoints and performance.
  
  
• XSLT Services: This service will allow users to transform XML data into other formats and includes the transformation to other services.
  
  
• Thread Pools: This metric uses threads to conduct services, gather documents from the webMethods Broker, and initiate triggers. Documents can be published locally on the server or to the broker that will send the document out. A JMS trigger receives inbound messages and then processes those messages accordingly.

Reviews from Real Users:

“There are a few things about this product that we definitely like. It is very robust. If you build it nicely, you can't go wrong with it. It's rock solid. The development is very fast. If you know what you're doing, you can develop something very easy and very fast.” - Rohit S., Integration Lead at a wellness & fitness company

“One of the most important features is that it gives you the possibility to do low-level integration. We can meet any requirements through customizations, transformations, or the logic that needs to be put in. When clients come to me with any problem, in about 99% of cases, I say, "Yes, it is feasible to do through webMethods." It has reached such a level of flexibility and maturity. Most of the things are available out of the box, and even if something is not available out of the box, we can customize it and deliver it for a client's requirements.” - Sushant D., IT specialist at Accenture