Apr 20, 2026: Snowflake Connector for Kafka version 4.0 (General availability)

The Snowflake Connector for Kafka version 4.0 is now generally available. Version 4.0 is a ground-up rewrite built on Snowflake’s high-performance Snowpipe Streaming architecture, delivering up to 10 GB/s throughput per table with 5 to 10 second end-to-end latency, and exactly-once and ordered delivery semantics.

Key capabilities in the GA release:

  • Flat, throughput-based pricing based on the volume of data ingested (GB).

  • Server-side validation and schema evolution through PIPE objects, reducing connector resource usage and aligning with COPY and Snowpipe behavior.

  • In-flight transformations using COPY command syntax within user-defined PIPE objects.

  • Pre-clustering during ingestion when the target table has clustering keys defined.

  • Error Tables for capturing and inspecting invalid records with server-side validation.

  • Dead Letter Queue (DLQ) support for converter and client-side validation errors.

  • Iceberg table ingestion (auto-detected, no special configuration required).

Migration and compatibility features for upgrading from version 3.x:

  • Seamless migration from both Snowpipe mode and Snowpipe Streaming mode without gaps or duplicates when configured correctly.

  • Compatibility validator (snowflake.streaming.validate.compatibility.with.classic) that checks your configuration at startup and guides you through the required settings.

  • Offset migration from version 3.x Snowpipe Streaming channels (snowflake.streaming.classic.offset.migration).

  • Compatibility flags for table name sanitization, column identifier normalization, and schematization to reproduce version 3.x behavior during migration.

  • Downgrade support back to version 3.x with deduplication guidance using RECORD_METADATA.

For more information, see Snowflake Connector for Kafka. For migration guidance, see Migrate from Kafka connector v3 to v4.