Managing event schemas across distributed applications just got easier. The Solace Schema Registry is now available for all Solace Brokers.
We recently released the Solace Schema Registry which can be deployed as a container and manage, govern and enforce schema rules for:
- Avro
- JSON
- XML
- Protobuf
What is a schema registry:
When applications send events through Solace (on topics or to queues), that data needs to be structured in a consistent format. Think of it like agreeing on a common language before having a conversation.
The Challenge: Each application could bundle its own copy of these data formats (called schemas), but this creates problems when schemas change or when you have lots of applications talking to each other.
The Solution: The Solace schema registry is a central place where you store and manage all your data formats. Instead of each application carrying its own copy, they all reference the same schemas from the Solace registry.
Benefits:
Flexibility - You can update publisher applications without breaking the applications that consume events, as long as the changes are compatible.
Visibility - Everyone can see what data formats are being used across your entire system in one place.
Documentation - The registry serves as living documentation, showing exactly what data structure each topic or queue expects.
Control - You get to manage how data formats evolve over time from a central location, preventing chaos as your system grows.
Think of it like a library catalog for your data formats: instead of every reader needing their own copy of every book, they can all reference the same catalog to know what’s available and how to use it.
In these video walkthrough of the schema registry we break down the process of setting up the schema registry locally on docker. We look at how to access the schema registry webUI and at how to add a simple schema to the registry.
Watch the setup walkthrough (5 min): Running Schema Registry locally with Docker, navigating the web UI, and registering your first schema: https://youtu.be/jPTLo4rvwKI
Applications using the Schema Registry:
The schema registry can be accessed via the webUI and will soon be connected to Solace Event Portal but how do applications access the Solace schema registry? The Schema registry can be accessed programmatically with REST. Another common approach is for messaging APIs to directly support Serializing and Deserializing (SERDES) with schema registry. Incorporating the schema registry functionality directly into the messaging API SDK provides a smooth and seamless experience for developers. Initially we are rolling out SERDES support for native Solace messaging APIs (SMF) followed by open source messaging protocols.
Now let’s see how this works in real applications. These videos walk through implementing schema-based serialization and deserialization in JCSMP:
Serialize events with Solace Java JCSMP: https://youtu.be/q2VmCybfH4U
Deserialize events with Solace Java JCSMP: https://youtu.be/070aXLzUPec
Follow along with the Codelab to try it yourself Introduction to Solace Schema Registry using the Solace Messaging API for Java (JCSMP) and REST Messaging
Ready to try it? Deploy the Schema Registry with Docker today and integrate it with your JCSMP applications. Questions or feedback? Drop them them below and look out for the release of our other SERDES.
Documentation:
- Jamieson