risingwave
RisingWave is an open-source event streaming platform written in Rust that ingests data from databases, event streams, and webhooks, processes it continuously with sub-100ms freshness, and serves results via SQL. It aims to replace the traditional stack of separate tools (Debezium, Kafka, Flink, database) with a single unified system.
Key facts
Objective fields from the source. Values we can't verify are shown as “Unknown” rather than guessed.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Repository | risingwavelabs/risingwave |
| Owner | risingwavelabs |
| Primary language | Rust |
| License | Apache-2.0 — OSI-approved |
| Stars | 9.2k |
| Forks | 789 |
| Open issues | 1.6k |
| Latest release | v3.0.1 (2026-06-30) |
| Last updated | 2026-07-08 |
| Source | https://github.com/risingwavelabs/risingwave |
What risingwave is
RisingWave performs incremental computation over streaming data using materialized views, stores state in object storage (S3-compatible) for cost efficiency, and serves query results from an in-memory row store at 10–20ms p99 latency. It supports Apache Iceberg for durable, open-format storage, integrates via PostgreSQL wire protocol, and provides connectors for Kafka, Pulsar, Kinesis, webhooks, and CDC from PostgreSQL/MySQL.
Get the risingwave source
Clone the repository and explore it locally.
git clone https://github.com/risingwavelabs/risingwave.gitcd risingwave# follow the project's README for install & configurationNeed it deployed, integrated, or customized instead? DEV.co ships production installs.
Best use cases
Implementation considerations
- RisingWave requires object storage (S3 or compatible) for state durability; ensure your infrastructure supports this and plan for egress costs.
- Query latency depends on whether hot data fits in local disk cache; plan disk/SSD sizing for your workload's working set.
- Webhook ingestion and CDC connectors require stable, low-latency connections to upstream sources; network reliability directly affects end-to-end freshness.
- Apache Iceberg integration is built-in but requires an accessible REST catalog; plan for catalog availability and performance.
- Telemetry is enabled by default (anonymized); review documentation and disable if required by your compliance policies.
When to avoid it — and what to weigh
- Batch-only workloads — RisingWave is optimized for continuous, incremental processing. If your use case requires only scheduled batch ingestion and transformation, simpler, lighter-weight tools may be more cost-effective.
- Strict air-gapped or on-premise-only deployments — RisingWave's architecture relies on object storage (S3 or equivalent) for state. Air-gapped environments require careful planning and may require architectural workarounds.
- Sub-microsecond latency requirements — While sub-100ms freshness is excellent for most use cases, applications requiring microsecond-scale latency should evaluate specialized streaming systems.
- High-cardinality, unbounded state scenarios — Workloads with very large or unbounded state (e.g., unbounded windowed aggregations across millions of keys) may incur significant object storage I/O and cost.
License & commercial use
Apache License 2.0 (Apache-2.0). This is a permissive OSI-approved license allowing modification, distribution, and commercial use, subject to attribution and inclusion of the license text in distributions.
Apache License 2.0 permits commercial use without explicit permission, provided you retain attribution and include the license in derivative works or distributions. No vendor lock-in or commercial license required. However, review license compliance requirements for your specific deployment and derivative works.
DEV.co evaluation signals
Editorial assessment — not user reviews. Directional, with an explicit confidence level.
| Signal | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Maintenance | Active |
| Documentation | Adequate |
| License clarity | Clear |
| Deployment complexity | Moderate |
| DEV.co fit | Good |
| Assessment confidence | High |
No exploit details disclosed. Key considerations: (1) PostgreSQL wire protocol exposure requires network isolation and authentication controls; (2) object storage credentials must be managed securely; (3) webhook ingestion may accept untrusted inputs—validate and rate-limit upstream sources; (4) telemetry is enabled by default—review privacy requirements; (5) no explicit mention of encryption at rest or in transit in README—requires review of operational documentation; (6) standard OSS security: review commit history and dependencies for known vulnerabilities.
Alternatives to consider
Apache Flink
Mature, widely-adopted streaming framework with comprehensive operator ecosystem. Steeper operational overhead (cluster management, state backend configuration) but battle-tested at scale.
Kafka Streams / Spring Cloud Stream
Lightweight, library-based streaming for JVM applications. Suitable for event-driven microservices; less centralized than RisingWave and requires embedding in application code.
Databend / ClickHouse
OLAP databases with streaming ingestion support. Optimized for analytics at scale rather than incremental serving; different trade-off between freshness and analytical depth.
Build on risingwave with DEV.co software developers
RisingWave may be a strong fit if you need low-latency, continuously updated data serving, unified ingestion from multiple sources, or a simpler alternative to Kafka + Flink + database stacks. Start with the quick-start guide and benchmark your workload.
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risingwave FAQ
Does RisingWave replace Kafka?
How does RisingWave achieve sub-100ms freshness?
Is RisingWave suitable for small teams?
Can I query historical data from Iceberg while serving fresh results?
Custom software development services
From first prototype to production, DEV.co delivers software development services around tools like risingwave. Our software development agency staffs experienced software developers and web developers for custom software development, web development, integrations, and ongoing support across open-source databases and beyond.
Evaluate RisingWave for your streaming data pipeline
RisingWave may be a strong fit if you need low-latency, continuously updated data serving, unified ingestion from multiple sources, or a simpler alternative to Kafka + Flink + database stacks. Start with the quick-start guide and benchmark your workload.