Change data capture · Zendesk (open-source project)
Maxwell's Daemon
Open-source application that reads MySQL binlogs and writes each change as JSON to Kafka, Kinesis or similar streams.
Maxwell's Daemon is a lightweight, open-source CDC tool focused on a single database: it tails the MySQL binary log and emits every insert, update and delete as a JSON event to a destination such as Kafka, Kinesis, Google Cloud Pub/Sub, or a file. Originally built and open-sourced by Zendesk, it requires nothing beyond a MySQL instance and a place to write to, with no separate coordination service needed, and supports automatic position recovery after a master failover. Typical uses include feeding ETL and analytics pipelines, invalidating or rebuilding caches, updating search indexes, and propagating changes between services. Partitioning of output events by database, table, primary key or column gives downstream consumers control over ordering guarantees. It remains actively maintained on GitHub under the Apache-2.0 license, with releases continuing years after its original 2015 launch, though it is scoped to MySQL only rather than the broader multi-database support offered by tools like Debezium.
At a glance
| Vendor | Zendesk (open-source project) |
|---|---|
| Pricing model | Open source + paid options |
| Free tier | Yes |
| Deployment | Self-hosted |
| Open source | Yes (Apache-2.0) |
| Best for | Teams needing simple, self-hosted CDC from MySQL without adopting a broader streaming platform. |
Pricing
Free, open-source Java application with no hosted product or pricing page.
Pricing has not been verified yet — see the vendor's site.
Features
- Reads MySQL binlogs and emits JSON change events
- Outputs to Kafka, Kinesis, Google Pub/Sub or files
- Automatic binlog position recovery after failover
- Flexible Kafka partitioning by database, table, key or column
- Low operational overhead: just MySQL and an output target
- No separate coordination service required
Integrations
Profile last reviewed September 21, 2026