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IBM MQ VS Confluent

Compare IBM MQ VS Confluent and see what are their differences

IBM MQ logo IBM MQ

IBM MQ is messaging middleware that simplifies and accelerates the integration of diverse applications and data across multiple platforms.

Confluent logo Confluent

Confluent offers a real-time data platform built around Apache Kafka.
  • IBM MQ Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-03
  • Confluent Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-22

IBM MQ features and specs

  • Reliability
    IBM MQ is renowned for its high reliability, ensuring that your messages are delivered once and only once. This is critical for applications where message loss can result in significant operational issues.
  • Security
    It provides robust security features, including authentication, encryption, and authorization, which are essential for protecting sensitive data in transit.
  • Scalability
    IBM MQ can scale horizontally and vertically to meet the demands of growing applications and varying workloads, making it suitable for both small-scale and enterprise-level deployments.
  • Integrations
    It supports a wide range of platforms and programming languages, which makes it easier to integrate with existing systems and applications.
  • Transaction Support
    It offers comprehensive support for transactions, ensuring that multiple related messages are processed in a single unit of work, which can be rolled back if needed.
  • High Availability
    Features like queue manager clustering and multi-instance queue managers provide high availability and disaster recovery capabilities.

Possible disadvantages of IBM MQ

  • Cost
    IBM MQ is a premium product, which means it comes with a significant cost, especially for large-scale enterprise deployments.
  • Complexity
    Setting up and maintaining IBM MQ can be complex, requiring specialized knowledge and skills, which can be a barrier for smaller teams or organizations.
  • Resource Intensive
    It can be resource-intensive, requiring substantial computational resources for its full operation, which may not be ideal for lightweight or resource-constrained environments.
  • Dependency
    Using IBM MQ can create a dependency on IBM’s ecosystem, which might limit flexibility and increase the cost and complexity of switching to a different messaging solution in the future.
  • Learning Curve
    There is a steep learning curve associated with IBM MQ, particularly for new users who are not familiar with message queuing or IBM's specific implementation.
  • Licensing
    The licensing model can be complex and sometimes difficult to navigate, potentially leading to unexpected costs if not carefully managed.

Confluent features and specs

  • Scalability
    Confluent is built on Apache Kafka, which allows for smooth scalability to handle growing data needs without significant performance degradation.
  • Real-Time Data Processing
    Confluent enables real-time streaming data processing, which is beneficial for applications requiring immediate data insights and actions.
  • Comprehensive Ecosystem
    Confluent provides a rich set of tools and connectors that integrate seamlessly with various data sources and sinks, making it easier to build and manage data pipelines.
  • Ease of Use
    Confluent offers an intuitive user interface and comprehensive documentation, which simplifies the setup and management of Kafka clusters.
  • Managed Service Option
    Confluent Cloud provides a fully managed Kafka service, reducing the operational burden on the engineering team and allowing businesses to focus on developing applications.
  • Advanced Security Features
    Confluent offers robust security features including encryption, SSL, ACLs, and more, ensuring that data streams are protected.
  • Strong Customer Support
    Confluent offers professional support and consultancy services which can be very helpful for enterprises requiring 24/7 support and expertise.

Possible disadvantages of Confluent

  • Cost
    Confluent can be expensive, especially for small to medium-sized businesses. The costs can grow significantly with scale and additional enterprise features.
  • Complexity
    Despite its ease of use, the underlying system’s complexity can pose a challenge, particularly for teams who are new to Kafka or streaming data technologies.
  • Resource Intensive
    Running Confluent on-premises can be resource-intensive, requiring significant computational and storage resources to maintain optimal performance.
  • Learning Curve
    For those unfamiliar with Kafka and streaming technologies, there is a steep learning curve which can lead to longer implementation times.
  • Vendor Lock-In
    Utilizing Confluent’s proprietary tools and connectors can result in vendor lock-in, making it difficult to switch to alternative solutions without considerable effort and reconfiguration.
  • Dependency on Cloud Provider
    If using Confluent Cloud, dependency on the cloud provider’s infrastructure may introduce compliance and control limitations, particularly for businesses with strict data sovereignty requirements.

Analysis of IBM MQ

Overall verdict

  • Yes, IBM MQ is generally considered a good option for organizations that require dependable message queuing solutions. It offers a comprehensive set of features that cater to various enterprise-level messaging needs, and it has a proven track record in critical systems across industries.

Why this product is good

  • IBM MQ is widely regarded as a reliable and robust messaging middleware solution. It provides secure and efficient message queuing services, ensuring that messages between applications are delivered reliably and in the correct order. Its features include high availability, transaction support, scalability, and integration capabilities with a wide range of systems. Additionally, its long-standing presence in the industry means it's backed by substantial support and a wealth of documentation.

Recommended for

  • Large enterprises requiring robust message queuing
  • Organizations dealing with sensitive or mission-critical data
  • Businesses that need to integrate multiple and diverse systems
  • Companies looking for high availability and disaster recovery solutions
  • Industries like finance, healthcare, and logistics where reliable communication is crucial

IBM MQ videos

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More videos:

  • Review - IBM Blockchain Platform - 2019 Review - All You Need to Know
  • Review - IBM Watson Virtual Agent _ (Part 01)
  • Review - IBM MQ Clustering - Tom Dunlap
  • Review - IBM Blockchain Platform Community Call – Next Generation Platform Tour + Q&A
  • Review - IBM MQ V9 Open Source Monitoring
  • Review - IBM Db2 Analytics Accelerator – IDAA Afternoon Show 2019 08 28
  • Review - The next generation of the IBM Blockchain Platform

Confluent videos

1. Intro | Monitoring Kafka in Confluent Control Center

More videos:

  • Review - Jason Gustafson, Confluent: Revisiting Exactly One Semantics (EOS) | Bay Area Apache Kafka® Meetup
  • Review - CLEARER SKIN AFTER 1 USE‼️| Ancient Cosmetics Update✨| CONFLUENT & RETICULATED PAPILLOMATOSIS CURE?😩

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to IBM MQ and Confluent)
Data Integration
100 100%
0% 0
Stream Processing
0 0%
100% 100
Cloud Computing
100 100%
0% 0
Big Data
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare IBM MQ and Confluent

IBM MQ Reviews

6 Best Kafka Alternatives: 2022’s Must-know List
IBM MQ is one of the best Kafka Alternatives which has an easy-to-use Interface and High Reliability and Data Security. It also facilitates the interoperability between various applications, either within or outside the organization. IBM MQ allows developers to focus on critical issues and manage any changes to transaction volumes asynchronously due to its simple structure.
Source: hevodata.com
Top 15 Alternatives to RabbitMQ In 2021
IBM MQ is an official message middleware which shortens the integration of varied applications and data spread throughout numerous platforms. It employs a message queue to share the info and offers a distinct messaging service for cloud systems, IoT gadgets, and mobile environments. By linking every element virtually from modest device to most complicated industrial...
Source: gokicker.com
Top 15 Kafka Alternatives Popular In 2021
IBM MQ is an easily usable interface with a great deal of reliability and security. Support is readily available in case needed anytime. It looks at handling the interoperability between various applications, be it within the organization or outside. It has asynchronous competencies and offers message integrity and relentless delivery. Because of its simplistic nature, it...

Confluent Reviews

We have no reviews of Confluent yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Confluent seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 1 time since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

IBM MQ mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of IBM MQ yet. Tracking of IBM MQ recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Confluent mentions (1)

  • Spring Boot Event Streaming with Kafka
    We’re going to setup a Kafka cluster using confluent.io, create a producer and consumer as well as enhance our behavior driven tests to include the new interface. We’re going to update our helm chart so that the updates are seamless to Kubernetes and we’re going to leverage our observability stack to propagate the traces in the published messages. Source: over 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing IBM MQ and Confluent, you can also consider the following products

RabbitMQ - RabbitMQ is an open source message broker software.

Amazon Kinesis - Amazon Kinesis services make it easy to work with real-time streaming data in the AWS cloud.

Ethereum - Ethereum is a decentralized platform for applications that run exactly as programmed without any chance of fraud, censorship or third-party interference.

Apache Flink - Flink is a streaming dataflow engine that provides data distribution, communication, and fault tolerance for distributed computations.

Hyperledger - Hyperledger is a multi-project open source collaborative effort hosted by The Linux Foundation, created to advance cross-industry blockchain technologies.

PieSync - Seamless two-way sync between your CRM, marketing apps and Google in no time