generated: '2026-09-05'
method: searched
source:
- https://docs.confluent.io/cloud/current/get-started/free-trial.html
- https://www.confluent.io/confluent-cloud/tryfree/
- https://www.confluent.io/pricing/
- https://docs.confluent.io/confluent-cli/current/overview.html
docs: https://docs.confluent.io/cloud/current/get-started/free-trial.html
shape: >-
  Confluent has NO test-mode/live-mode key separation and no magic test values — there
  is no sandbox environment distinct from production. What it offers instead is a
  credited free trial on the real platform plus a local single-node runtime. Recorded
  as it is, rather than forced into the test-card shape this artifact usually takes.
test_live_separation:
  present: false
  key_prefixes: []
  note: >-
    Cloud API keys are the same shape in every environment. Isolation is achieved by
    creating a separate Confluent Cloud ENVIRONMENT (env-*) and scoping API keys to its
    clusters, not by a test mode. There is no equivalent of a sk_test_ prefix, so no
    client-side check can tell a staging key from a production one.
free_trial:
  credit_usd: 400
  duration_days: 30
  terminates_on: whichever comes first — 30 days elapsed or the $400 credit consumed
  included:
  - Basic Kafka clusters (100 MB/s throughput, 5 TB storage)
  - Connectors
  - Schema Registry
  - Apache Flink
  signup: https://www.confluent.io/confluent-cloud/tryfree/
  docs: https://docs.confluent.io/cloud/current/get-started/free-trial.html
free_tier:
  present: true
  description: >-
    Beyond the trial, the Basic cluster type carries a standing free allowance — the
    pricing page states "First eCKU free, then $0.14" per eCKU-hour, with an estimated
    monthly starting cost of $0/month.
  source: https://www.confluent.io/pricing/
marketplace_credits:
  note: >-
    AWS and Azure marketplace listings advertise $1,000 in credits ($400 instantly plus
    $600 by promo code). Recorded as a marketplace offer, not a Confluent-published
    sandbox term.
startups:
  program: Confluent for Startups
  credit_usd_up_to: 20000
local_runtime:
  command: confluent local
  description: >-
    The CLI runs a local Confluent Platform for development against localhost:9092 and
    a local Schema Registry on :8081, which is the closest thing to an offline sandbox.
    The open-source MCP server ships ready-to-use local configs for exactly this
    (sample_configs/ in confluentinc/mcp-confluent).
  docs: https://docs.confluent.io/confluent-cli/current/overview.html
test_values:
  cards: []
  identifiers: []
  note: >-
    None published, and none invented. A payments-style magic-value table does not
    exist for this provider.