Real-time data 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.

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11+ yrs

Powering critical EU infra

Owned and operated

100B+

Events processed daily

ISO 27001
certified

AICPA
SOC 2 Type II

DORA
supported

NIS2
supported

Rated with a 4.5 from more than

13 G2 reviews

Enterprise Kafka

Trusted by enterprises that can't afford to get compliance wrong.

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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.

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Kafka for developers

Run the Axual platform on your laptop

One Docker Compose command, a local environment, and no dependencies on platform teams. Build streaming applications with Java, use Kafka Connectors, connect AI workflows via MCP, and test functionality faster.

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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

20-24 months

Estimated time to build a governed Kafka platform yourself at Logius
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With Axual

300+ teams

On governed self-service at Rabobank

4 months

To production, PTSB bank

Zero-downtime migration

In-flight migration from DIY, Confluent, or hyperscalers without downtime

Governance & security

Self-service for every team. Every access is approved by the data owner and audited.

Multi-tenancy

Stop buying isolation by the cluster. Every team gets its own governed space on one shared platform.

Open Kafka + Strimzi

Keep Kafka, change the platform around it. No proprietary core: if you leave, you keep standard Kafka.

Sovereignty

Sovereignty by architecture, not by region. Even our managed cloud runs on Scaleway, a European provider.

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.

Healthcare

Control and compliance healthcare demands for critical clinical systems integration, patient monitoring, health information exchange, and population health analytics.

Government

Axual bridges the gap between real-time services and complete governance with secure data streaming for modern government infrastructure.

Axual MCP server

Bring your own AI. Keep control of your data.

Connect the AI assistants and agents you already use to your live streaming data. Through the Axual MCP server, agents work with exactly your teams’ permissions, ownership and approvals. Choose an EU-hosted or self-hosted model, and your data never leaves your control.

Explore the MCP server

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We will migrate you for free

Move from Confluent, a cloud provider or self-managed Kafka to Axual, on your own infrastructure or on Axual Cloud on Scaleway. We handle the migration and consultancy, without disrupting production.

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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. If you're on Confluent today, we migrate you for free. See how Axual compares → Why Axual

How does Axual compare against running Kafka ourselves or DIY Kafka?

Running open-source Kafka yourself works well for a few teams. As more teams join, the work shifts from running clusters to governing them: managing access, schemas, ownership, approvals, and audit trails, often by hand through tickets. Axual adds that layer on top of the same open-source Kafka and Strimzi, so you keep full control without building and maintaining it yourself. Already running Strimzi? You can keep it and add Axual’s governance on top.

Is migrating to Axual really free?

Yes. Whether you’re moving from Confluent, MSK or another cloud provider, or from self-managed Kafka, we handle the migration and the consultancy around it at no cost. That includes planning, the move itself and a zero-downtime cutover, on your own infrastructure or on Axual Cloud on Scaleway. Check our migration services

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 Scaleway, 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 Scaleway, 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.

Is Axual only for regulated industries?

No, not at all. It’s built for the requirements of regulated organisations, which makes it a very strong fit anywhere many teams share Kafka and need control over access and data, including retail, manufacturing and logistics.

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.

Does Axual offer agentic AI?

Most of our customers don’t want a vendor’s AI acting on their production data. They want their own AI tools to work with live data, safely. Through the Axual MCP server, you connect the agents you already use, and they work under the same governance and EU-level control as the rest of the platform.

Which AI agents can I use with Axual?

Any assistant or agent that supports the Model Context Protocol, including EU-hosted and self-hosted models. Axual doesn't tie you to one AI vendor.

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Enterprise-grade Kafka under your control