Why Axual
Kafka for regulated industries,
without the vendor lock-in
Four reasons banks, grid operators, government agencies and healthcare networks run Kafka on Axual.
Real-time data platform for regulated Europe
Enterprise-grade Kafka under your control
Governed, self-service data streaming on open Apache Kafka. Run it on your own infrastructure or let us manage it in a European cloud, with no proprietary lock-in.
10+ yrs
Powering critical EU infra
EU
Owned and operated
100B+
Events processed daily
ISO 27001
certified
certified
AICPA
SOC 2 Type II
SOC 2 Type II
DORA
ready
ready
NIS2
ready
ready
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Enterprise Kafka
Trusted by enterprises that can't afford to get compliance wrong.
Event streaming for enterprise
Governance and compliance at scale
You need event streaming that handles data residency, supports your DORA, NIS2 and GDPR obligations, and passes audits without retrofitting. Axual gives your platform team control over schemas, access and data flows, with approvals and audit history built in from day one.
Scaling Kafka
Kafka is easy to deploy. Scale is what costs.
As more teams adopt Kafka, each one brings another cluster to isolate it, more requests for the platform team, and more to secure, monitor and audit.
Without Axual
Teams blocked at scale
Governance gaps stall adoption beyond the first few teams
Governance by ticket
Topic, access and schema requests queue up for the platform team
Compliance retrofitted
Access controls and audit trails added after the fact
With Axual
100B+ events daily
Proven at enterprise scale with governance built in
1 developer, 15 apps
PostNL built entire notification pipeline with KSML, no bottleneck
Zero-downtime migration
In-flight migration from DIY, Confluent, or hyperscalers without downtime
Kafka for regulated industries,
Axual platform features
Run, govern, and scale Kafka
Governance dashboard
Manage access, schemas, and data flows from one place.
Self-Service portal
Developers manage topics and schemas with full control.
Axual connectors
Connect Kafka to databases, applications, and enterprise systems.
KSML
Build streaming pipelines faster in YAML instead of Java.
MCP with Kafka
Connect AI workflows to Kafka through MCP server.
Kafka by sector
Event streaming for regulated industries
Discover why Europe's energy companies, financial services firms, and government agencies rely on Axual for mission-critical operations.
Banking/Finance
Real-time payment processing, fraud detection, and better customer experiences from a flexible, compliant data streaming architecture.
Energy
Grid stability, data exchange, and mission-critical reliability from a proven data streaming architecture that's trusted by leading TSOs, DSOs, and utility companies.
Axual Kafka MCP
Build a Kafka platform with AI
Connect AI assistants to Axual and execute Kafka operations through structured, governed workflows using natural language.
Frequently asked questions
What is Axual?
Axual is a European Kafka platform that helps organizations manage event streaming, governance, security, and access control from one platform. It supports on-premises, cloud, and hybrid deployments.
Why not just run open-source Kafka?
Open-source Kafka works well at the start. As adoption grows, governance, security, compliance, and operational complexity become harder to manage across teams and environments.
How does Axual help manage Kafka at scale?
Axual centralizes governance, access control, schema management, and operations so teams can scale Kafka without losing control.
What is the difference between Axual and Confluent?
Both are built on Apache Kafka; the difference is what sits around it. Axual has no proprietary core. It’s open Apache Kafka and Strimzi with governance, self-service and multi-tenancy included, so if you ever leave, you keep a standard Kafka cluster. You can run it yourself or have Axual manage it in a European cloud, and Axual is an independent company based in the Netherlands. See how Axual compares → Why Axual
Can I run Axual on-premises?
You can run Axual on-premises, in your own cloud account, across both, or as a managed service on a European cloud provider.
How does Axual support data sovereignty and regulated industries?
You choose where Axual runs and who operates it. Self-hosted, it runs on your own Kubernetes, on-premises or in your cloud account: no data passes through Axual and you hold the encryption keys. Managed, Axual runs it for you on a European cloud provider. Either way, your supplier, support and data stay within Europe. Banks, grid operators, government agencies and healthcare networks use Axual where this is a requirement.
Can I try Axual before deploying it?
Yes. Developers can run a complete Axual Platform locally using Docker Compose and test Kafka, governance, security, schemas, connectors, and self-service capabilities on their laptop.
How much does Axual cost?
Pricing depends on your deployment model, support requirements, and scale. Contact us for a tailored quote based on your Kafka environment and operational needs.