Secure Kafka Data Sharing Without Replication
Give partners access to your data in minutes. Not weeks or months. No duplicated infrastructure, no compliance headaches. Real-time data sharing built for how business gets done today.
Trusted by platform engineers at
Traditional sharing requires replicating data to external dedicated clusters using tools like Kafka MirrorMaker. Managing multiple clusters and constant troubleshooting drains resources.
Replication delays hurt real-time use cases. By the time data reaches partners, it's no longer "real-time."
Duplicating infrastructure means doubling storage, compute, and operational expenses. Every partner multiplies your cost.
The traditional approach:
- Set up a separate Kafka cluster
- Configure MirrorMaker replication
- Manage network connectivity
- Monitor replication lag
- Troubleshoot sync issues
Result: Weeks of work before a partner sees their first message.
Replication introduces lag:
- MirrorMaker adds latency at each hop
- Network delays compound
- Batch processing creates gaps
- Partners receive stale data
For time-sensitive use cases, this defeats the purpose.
Cost multiplication:
- Separate cluster per partner
- Storage duplication
- Network egress fees
- Operations overhead
At scale, data sharing becomes prohibitively expensive.
Simplified Operations
Create dedicated, isolated environments for partners in minutes—reducing management overhead and complexity
Stronger Security
Control exactly who accesses your data, protecting sensitive information and ensuring regulatory compliance
Lower Costs
Eliminate duplicate clusters and replication, saving on infrastructure and operational expenses
Built-in Governance
Enforce traffic control policies, control data access, and easily filter, mask, transform, or encrypt data
Real-Time Access
Partners connect to your existing Kafka cluster—no replication lag, no stale data
Instant Onboarding
New partners get secure access in minutes, not weeks—accelerating time to value
Partner Zones
Create isolated spaces for each partner with their own credentials and access policies. Full separation without separate clusters.
Data Masking
Share what partners need, mask what they don't. Apply transformations, filtering, and encryption per partner.
Audit Trails
Track every access, every message, every partner interaction. Complete visibility for compliance.
Access Controls
Define exactly which topics partners can access. Revoke access instantly when partnerships end.
Native Kafka Protocol
Partners connect using standard Kafka clients. No special SDKs or integration work required.
Chargeback Ready
Track data usage per partner for billing and cost allocation.
How Data Sharing Works
Share data with external partners in four steps.
Define the zone name, service account, and partner details. Each partner gets an isolated environment.
Select which Kafka topics to expose. Partners only see what you explicitly share.
Configure masking, encryption, and access controls. Different partners can see different views of the same data.
Create and share secure credentials. Partners connect immediately using standard Kafka clients.
Webinar
Unlock Real-Time Data Sharing with Conduktor
See how to securely share Kafka data with external partners without replication.
Read more customer stories
Secure partner access to Kafka — without the workarounds
Conduktor enables BMW Group to give external partners secure, native access to its Kafka clusters—something that wasn't possible before.
The initial use case, originating from the HR team, connects a SaaS solution directly to the Confluent Kafka infrastructure using the standard Kafka protocol.
The result: Eliminated costly workarounds, improved data timeliness, and gave the business more agility in integrating modern tools—all while meeting strict compliance and security requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is this different from Kafka MirrorMaker?
MirrorMaker replicates data to a separate cluster, doubling infrastructure and introducing latency. Conduktor Exchange provides access to your existing cluster through isolated partner zones—no replication, no duplication.
Do partners need special Kafka clients?
No. Partners connect using standard Kafka clients (librdkafka, Java client, etc.). They point to Conduktor instead of directly to your cluster. No SDK changes required.
Can I share only specific fields from a topic?
Yes. Conduktor can filter, mask, or transform data per partner. Share customer IDs but mask email addresses. Share order totals but not payment details.
How do I revoke partner access?
Delete the partner zone or credentials. Access is revoked immediately. No data cleanup required since no data was replicated.
What about compliance requirements?
Conduktor maintains complete audit logs of all partner access. You control exactly what data partners see, and every interaction is logged for compliance evidence.
Can partners produce data back to my cluster?
Yes. You can configure bidirectional access where partners both consume and produce. Apply the same policies and transformations in both directions.
Sharing Kafka data with partners?
Whether you're enabling B2B data exchange, connecting SaaS integrations, or monetizing your data streams, our team can help you design a secure data sharing architecture.