install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install maxwell

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%

sudo port install maxwell

MacPorts ports tree · sysutils/maxwell/Portfile · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Reads MySQL binlogs and writes row updates as JSON to Kafka

Project links

Commands and aliases

maxwell
maxwell-bootstrap

history

Project history and usage

Maxwell's Daemon is a MySQL change-data-capture tool from Zendesk that reads binlogs and emits row changes as JSON to Kafka and other streaming systems.

Project history

The official repository describes Maxwell as a CDC application that reads MySQL binlogs and writes data changes as JSON to Kafka, Kinesis, and other streaming platforms. Its changelog starts in March 2015 with a first possible release that included basic Kafka support and JSON output of binlog deltas.

Early 2015 releases quickly added Kafka command-line options, persisted binlog positions inside MySQL, primary-key capture, Kafka keys, MySQL 5.6 support, transaction IDs, and server-id fixes. Later releases extended producers, monitoring, high availability, MariaDB compatibility, MySQL 8 support, parser fixes, and security dependency updates.

Adoption history

Maxwell found a niche among teams that wanted MySQL CDC without running a full Kafka Connect stack. Its official README frames use cases as ETL, audit logs, cache invalidation, search indexing, and inter-service communication, and the GitHub project shows thousands of stars and many releases.

How it is used

Users run `bin/maxwell` with MySQL connection credentials and a producer target such as stdout, Kafka, Kinesis, NATS, Pub/Sub, BigQuery, RabbitMQ, Redis, SNS, or SQS. Configuration can be passed by command line, scoped environment variables, or a Java `config.properties` file, and secrets such as MySQL passwords commonly live in those configuration paths.

Why package nerds care

Maxwell is significant to data-package users because it turns a database replication stream into line-oriented JSON events that can be piped through standard streaming infrastructure. It is also a good example of a Java service packaged as a CLI daemon for operational use.

Timeline

2015-03-04: First possible Maxwell release with basic Kafka support and JSON binlog deltas.
2015-03-18: Maxwell begins storing last-written binlog position inside the MySQL master.
2015-04-06: Primary-key capture and single-topic output arrive.
2015-09-15: v0.11.0 adds transaction information in Kafka stream output.
2021: Releases add SNS, NATS, high availability, Docker multi-platform builds, and log4j security updates.
2024: Official changelog still records active parser and dependency maintenance.

Related projects

MySQL binlog, Apache Kafka, Amazon Kinesis, RabbitMQ, Redis, Google Pub/Sub, Debezium

Sources

security posture

Risk level: blue

broad file, network, media, or database tool signal.

Risk classifier

blue risk · medium confidence · tool

Why

broad file, network, media, or database tool signal

Signals

text:sql

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 1 platform targets.
Installs with 1 runtime dependencies.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

local files

Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.

Configuration files

Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.

Unix: config.properties

Credential files

Credential-bearing paths to review before unattended agent runs.

Unix: config.properties

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`maxwell`	cli	global executable
`maxwell-bootstrap`	cli	global executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-07-08

manager version1.45.0

manager updated2026-07-04

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://github.com/zendesk/maxwell

infoNo cached GitHub release or tag data was available.https://github.com/zendesk/maxwellnone confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:maxwell
Version	1.45.0
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/maxwell
Homepage	https://maxwells-daemon.io/
Repository	https://github.com/zendesk/maxwell
Upstream docs	https://maxwells-daemon.io/config
License	Apache-2.0
Source archive	https://github.com/zendesk/maxwell/releases/download/v1.45.0/maxwell-1.45.0.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-07-04T12:51:38Z
Pulse	updated
Dependencies	openjdk
Bottle	available (on all)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	maxwell
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

MacPorts95%

maxwell

sudo port install maxwell

normalized package name match
Matched by: Maxwell

MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: sysutils/maxwell/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub.

combined/maxwell.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
av.db category and tag curation
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated configuration and credential file locations
curated package history
external package-manager database matches
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment

Install maxwell with Homebrew, MacPorts