FIND-20260402-010 · 2026-04-02 · Innovation Veille
Redpanda Connect: new Apache Iceberg output — Zero-ETL streaming to lakehouse without pipeline code
tool
HIGH
Redpanda Connect (formerly Benthos) now supports Apache Iceberg as an output target. This enables a true Zero-ETL path: stream events from Redpanda topics directly into Iceberg tables for instant lakehouse-ready analytics, with full transformation support via Connect's 300+ processors. No intermediate ETL pipeline code required. Iceberg provides ACID transactions, schema evolution, time travel, and partition pruning — making it a production-grade alternative to ClickHouse for analytical workloads. The integration works with any Iceberg-compatible catalog (Nessie, Hive, AWS Glue). Directly relevant to ODS's Zero-ETL architecture pillar.
Source
https://www.redpanda.com/blog/redpanda-connect-apache-iceberg-output
ODS Impact
ODS Data Platform uses Redpanda → Debezium → ClickHouse for Zero-ETL analytics. The new Iceberg output in Redpanda Connect offers an alternative or complementary path: Redpanda → Connect (Iceberg output) → Iceberg table → query engine (DuckDB, Trino, Spark). This could replace or augment Debezium CDC for simpler event streams where CDC overhead is unnecessary. Evaluate for ClickHouse P2 phase: Iceberg tables could serve as a data lake layer below ClickHouse for archival and cross-service analytics. Low operational overhead vs Debezium.
Security Review
License: Apache-2.0 | Maintenance: ACTIVE | Risk: LOW | Recommendation: SAFE_TO_USE
Tags
tool
redpanda
zero-etl
iceberg
lakehouse
data-platform
streaming
analytics