NATS is one of the most powerful messaging technologies available today. It is well known for its lightweight design, high performance, and low-latency communication, which make it ideal for real-time systems, microservices, and IoT applications. Yet, despite its strengths, NATS has not achieved the widespread adoption enjoyed by other data streaming technologies like Apache Kafka. Why is that?
There are multiple reasons for this. Kafka, for example, had the advantage of an earlier release, which became the go-to solution for event streaming in many enterprises. It also benefited from significant investments by Confluent, which built an ecosystem around Kafka and made it synonymous with streaming. However, we believe another crucial factor is limiting the big adoption of NATS: Connectors.
The Role of Connectors in Adoption
Connectors are the overlooked champions of every data streaming platform. They connect various technologies, allowing smooth integration with well-known databases, data lakes, and cloud platforms. For numerous organizations, the presence of connectors may be the key consideration when selecting a technology.
The Apache Kafka ecosystem features a vast array of managed connectors that allow easy integration with systems such as S3, PostgreSQL, Elasticsearch, and others. This ease of access has been a key factor in Kafka’s acceptance.
NATS has typically necessitated that developers create custom integrations, increasing complexity and hindering adoption.
The Challenge of Missing NATS Connectors
When a NATS connector is missing, data teams start building custom integrations to bridge the gap. This process typically involves writing and maintaining new code to handle message routing, data transformations, and error handling. While this might seem manageable for a single integration, it quickly becomes a bottleneck with more integrations needed.
Custom connectors also come with hidden costs. They demand ongoing maintenance to ensure compatibility with evolving systems, introduce potential points of failure, and require in-depth knowledge of both NATS and the target technology. For mid-sized companies, where engineering resources are often stretched thin, this effort can distract the teams from more strategic initiatives. In short, missing connectors create friction, slow down projects, and increase operational complexity.
Introducing Managed NATS Connectors
At GlassFlow, we’re huge fans of NATS and NATS JetStream. Thats why we believe it is time to change that. We’ve seen firsthand how its simplicity and performance can power modern, real-time applications. Thats why we are using it as backbone of our product and invested heavily in building connectors. The managed connectors for NATS that we have built should help data teams to unlock the full potential of real-time applications.
Our managed connectors enable seamless integration with popular technologies like:
- Amazon S3: Stream data effortlessly to and from cloud storage.
- ClickHouse: Leverage the power of this blazing-fast analytics database.
- PostgreSQL: Sync your messages with one of the world’s most popular relational databases.
- And many more: Check out our Integrations Page to see the growing list of connectors.
By offering managed connectors, we’re removing the friction that has historically limited NATS adoption. Organizations can now focus on building solutions instead of reinventing the wheel for every integration.
Giving Back to the NATS Community
We’re passionate about making NATS a first-class citizen in the streaming world. Whether you’re building real-time alerts, event-driven systems, or real-time data pipelines, these connectors will help you realize your use case faster and with less effort.
But we’re not stopping here. We’re committed to shipping new connectors regularly to support the technologies you rely on. If there’s a connector you need that isn’t yet available, we want to hear from you!
