A Kafka Schema Registry provides centralized schema management for streaming data, ensuring consistency and evolution control across your Kafka ecosystem.

Core functionality:

• Central repository for storing and managing schemas used in Kafka events
• Ensures data sent to Kafka conforms to specified schemas and handles schema evolution over time
• Supports multiple schema formats including Avro, JSON Schema, and Protocol Buffers

Schema validation process:

• Before publishing events to Kafka, messages are validated against schemas stored in the registry
• Ensures messages match the defined structure and data types
• Provides immediate feedback on schema violations before data enters the streaming pipeline

Evolution and compatibility:

• Manages schema changes in a versioned way with mechanisms for backward and forward compatibility
• Enables consumers to handle schema changes without service interruption
• Supports gradual rollout of schema changes across distributed systems

Snowplow's structured event approach works excellently with Schema Registry, providing additional validation layers for comprehensive data quality assurance.