Changelog Interviews From open source to acquired
Jan 23, 2025
Ashley Jeffs shares his journey with Benthos, an open-source stream processor acquired by Redpanda. He discusses the evolution of data streaming technologies and the challenges he faced while growing the project. The conversation delves into the decision between bootstrapping and seeking venture capital, as well as the emotional complexities of having a project acquired. Jeffs reflects on the balance of open-source ideals with the need for financial sustainability, and offers insights into the future of open-source work in the rapidly changing tech landscape.
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Early Data Streaming Challenges
- Ash Jeffs's initial work involved enriching social media firehose data.
- Early challenges included inconsistent delivery guarantees and evolving microservice architectures.
Benthos's Origin
- Jeffs created Benthos to simplify stream processing 'plumbing' tasks.
- He prioritized operational ease, metrics, and delivery guarantees, drawing inspiration from Logstash.
Disk Buffer
- Benthos included a disk buffer as a bridging mechanism and to replace an existing service.
- Jeffs aimed to demonstrate resilience without the buffer, simplifying the architecture.