22-25 April 2026 
Writes, 3 ways: Postgres, Apache Kafka® and Apache Iceberg™
Proposed session for SQLBits 2026TL; DR
Postgres, Kafka and Iceberg: all three of them are data services, but "data services" is a broad term. In this talk we'll go through the write paths for all 3 to compare and contrast, learning more about the different priorities they're designed for.
Session Details
The world of data services is evolving rapidly, with adoption of open table formats like Apache Iceberg™ picking up steam quickly. But “data services” is a pretty broad category, and none of these services is quite like the other.
In this talk we’ll take a step back to look at three data services: Postgres, Apache Kafka and Apache Iceberg, and how they each handle writes. In doing so, we’ll trace a history through how data services have evolved in the world of distributed systems and big data. We’ll understand the key differences and similarities between these services. Finally, we’ll take a look at what’s coming next in the world of open source data, from Postgres and beyond.
In this talk we’ll take a step back to look at three data services: Postgres, Apache Kafka and Apache Iceberg, and how they each handle writes. In doing so, we’ll trace a history through how data services have evolved in the world of distributed systems and big data. We’ll understand the key differences and similarities between these services. Finally, we’ll take a look at what’s coming next in the world of open source data, from Postgres and beyond.
3 things you'll get out of this session
The goal is to introduce data engineers familiar with one of these systems to the other in an organized, high level fashion. Data engineers will learn how these systems are related and the ways in which they're different.