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Maxwell's Daemon

Maxwell's Daemon reads MySQL binary logs and writes database changes as JSON to streaming platforms.

Place
#18 of 23
Score
5.6
Maxwell's Daemon's website

What Maxwell's Daemon is

Maxwell's Daemon reads MySQL binary logs and writes database changes as JSON to streaming platforms. The project lists ETL, database change auditing, cache building or expiration, search indexing, and inter-service communication as uses. Documented output producers include Kafka, Kinesis, SQS, SNS, NATS, Google Cloud Pub/Sub, BigQuery, RabbitMQ, and Redis. Events can be filtered by database, table, and column values, with JavaScript filters for custom row filtering and data changes. Maxwell supports schema evolution and an initial snapshot. Metrics can be exposed through logging, JMX, HTTP, or Datadog; HTTP endpoints include metrics, Prometheus, health checks, ping, and diagnostics. It is free and open source, and the documented deployment model is self-hosted on Linux. The quick start describes command-line and Docker operation, plus a binary distribution and Homebrew installation command. Requirements include JRE 11 or later and MySQL 5.1, 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, or 8; Kafka 0.8.2 or later is required when using Kafka. With MySQL's MINIMAL row image setting, UPDATE and DELETE output may be incomplete, and INSERT output omits column default values. High availability is described as experimental and alpha quality, with at least three nodes needed for leader elections.

Good

  • Free and open source.
  • Supports numerous documented output destinations.
  • Includes database, table, and column filtering.
  • Supports schema evolution and an initial snapshot.

Watch out

  • MINIMAL row images can produce incomplete UPDATE and DELETE output.
  • High availability is experimental and alpha quality.
  • Leader elections require at least three Maxwell nodes.

Who it suits

Maxwell's Daemon suits teams that want to stream MySQL changes into supported messaging or data systems and can operate self-hosted software. It is relevant for ETL, auditing, indexing, cache, and service-communication use cases.

Verdict

Maxwell's Daemon provides log-based MySQL change streaming with filtering and a broad list of documented producers. Review its MySQL row-image caveat and alpha-quality high availability before relying on those behaviors.

Plans and prices

From Maxwell's Daemon's own pricing page, checked 3 Oct 2026.

All about pricing
PlanPriceWhat it gives you
FreeFreeNo paid plans or usage limits stated on the opened pages

The facts

Each one read from Maxwell's Daemon's own pages, with the date it was checked.

What it does

Deployment
The quick start documents running Maxwell from the command line or Docker and provides a binary distribution and Homebrew installation command.checked 3 Oct 2026
Encryption
When enabled, Maxwell encrypts messages with AES/CBC/PKCS5PADDING using a user-provided key, then base64-encodes values.checked 3 Oct 2026
Filtering
Maxwell can filter by database, table, and column values, and supports JavaScript filters for custom row filtering and data changes.checked 3 Oct 2026
High availability
The documentation describes client-side high availability as experimental and alpha quality, and says at least three Maxwell nodes are needed for leader elections.checked 3 Oct 2026
Monitoring
Metrics can be exposed through logging, JMX, HTTP, or Datadog, and HTTP endpoints include metrics, Prometheus, health check, ping, and diagnostics.checked 3 Oct 2026
Notable limitation
With binlog_row_image=MINIMAL, UPDATE and DELETE output may be incomplete, and INSERT output omits column default values.checked 3 Oct 2026
Output integrations
Documented producers include Kafka, Kinesis, SQS, SNS, NATS, Google Cloud Pub/Sub, BigQuery, RabbitMQ, and Redis.checked 3 Oct 2026
Requirements
The compatibility page lists JRE 11 or above, MySQL 5.1, 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, or 8, and Kafka 0.8.2 or greater when using Kafka.checked 3 Oct 2026
Support and source
The quick start directs users to GitHub for source code and bug tracking.checked 3 Oct 2026
Use cases
The site lists ETL, database change auditing, cache building or expiring, search indexing, and inter-service communication as use cases.checked 3 Oct 2026
What it does
Maxwell reads MySQL binlogs and writes database changes as JSON to Kafka, Kinesis, and other streaming platforms.checked 3 Oct 2026

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