Raccoon
Raccoon collects event data from mobile apps, websites, and services, then sends it to message queues for stream processing.
What Raccoon is
Raccoon collects event data from mobile apps, websites, and services, then sends it to message queues for stream processing. It accepts batches with different schemas and routes events to topics using event metadata. Clients can send data through WebSocket, REST, or gRPC; WebSocket and REST accept JSON and Protocol Buffers, while gRPC supports Protocol Buffers. Apache Kafka is a stable destination, and Google Cloud Pub/Sub and AWS Kinesis Data Streams are listed as alpha destinations. Raccoon acknowledges successful and failed deliveries, with documentation describing ways to augment delivery for zero-data-loss or at-least-once guarantees. Monitoring includes latency and active connections, with telemetry support for StatsD and Prometheus. Deployment guidance covers Docker and Kubernetes, including a Helm chart. The open-source software is free under the Apache 2.0 license and is available as an API or self-hosted service. Documented use cases include clickstream collection, adtech streams, IoT edge systems, and event sourcing. Client guides are available for Go, Python, JavaScript, and Java.
Good
- Accepts WebSocket, REST, and gRPC events.
- Routes batches using event metadata.
- Supports StatsD and Prometheus telemetry.
- Docker and Kubernetes deployment guidance is available.
- Free and open source under Apache 2.0.
Watch out
- No application-level HTTPS is provided.
- Authentication must be handled separately.
- Pub/Sub and Kinesis destinations are alpha.
Who it suits
Raccoon may suit teams building event pipelines for web or mobile collection, adtech, IoT, or event sourcing. It is intended for API or self-hosted deployments that publish events to supported message queues.
Verdict
Raccoon provides a flexible event-ingestion layer with several client protocols and queue destinations. Plan for separate HTTPS termination and authentication, and note that two listed destinations are alpha.
The facts
Each one read from Raccoon's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Client libraries
- The documentation provides client guides for Go, Python, JavaScript, and Java.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Delivery
- Raccoon sends acknowledgments indicating whether events were consumed successfully, and its documentation describes options for delivery guarantees.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Delivery acknowledgments
- The server acknowledges delivery successes and failures; the documentation says it can be augmented for zero-data-loss or at-least-once guarantees.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Deployment
- Raccoon can be deployed using its Docker image or on Kubernetes, and the deployment guide says a Helm chart is available.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Destinations
- Supported message queues are Apache Kafka (stable), Google Cloud Pub/Sub (alpha), and AWS Kinesis Data Streams (alpha).checked 4 Oct 2026
- Event handling
- Its event-agnostic API accepts batches of events with different schemas and routes them using event metadata.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Event routing
- Events are distributed to message queue topics based on event metadata.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Intended use
- Documented use cases include clickstream collection, adtech streams, IoT edge systems, and event sourcing.checked 4 Oct 2026
- License
- The project is licensed under Apache 2.0.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Message queues
- Supported destinations listed in the architecture guide are Apache Kafka, Google Cloud Pub/Sub, and AWS Kinesis Data Streams; Pub/Sub and Kinesis are marked alpha there.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Monitoring
- Raccoon reports metrics for server connections, publishers, resource usage, and event delivery through StatsD and Prometheus.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Performance
- Persistent WebSocket connections reduce connection setup overhead, and Protocol Buffers reduce payload sizes.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Protocols and formats
- Raccoon supports WebSocket, REST, and gRPC clients; WebSocket and REST support JSON and Protocol Buffers, while gRPC supports Protocol Buffers.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Raccoon is a high-throughput, low-latency service for ingesting clickstream and other events from mobile apps, websites, and services and publishing them to message queues.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Security
- Raccoon does not provide HTTPS or authentication itself; its deployment guide recommends terminating SSL at an API gateway and handling authentication with a separate service.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Security limitation
- Raccoon does not provide application-level HTTPS or authentication; the deployment guide suggests using an API gateway or separate authentication service.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Use cases
- The documentation lists adtech streams, clickstream collection, IoT edge systems, and event sourcing as potential use cases.checked 9 Oct 2026
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