CDC best practices

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This guide provides best practices for configuring and using Change Data Capture (CDC) with Airbyte. While configuration explanations are included in the docs for each connector, this guide focuses on how to optimize these settings based on your data size, activity patterns, and sync requirements.

note

This guide assumes basic familiarity with CDC concepts. For an introduction to how CDC works in Airbyte, see CDC documentation.

Source configuration

Initial Waiting Time

What it does:

• During the snapshot phase: Sets the time limit for building the schema structure and capturing baseline data
• During CDC incremental: Determines how long Airbyte waits for new change events, helping to capture delayed changes before timing out

Configuration range: varies by source (check your source configuration page).

Best practices:

Scenario	Recommendation	Reasoning
Default use case	Start with the default value	Adjust only if experiencing timeouts
High-activity databases	Keep default	Changes arrive frequently, shorter waits are sufficient
Low-activity databases	Increase by 300 s minimum	Longer waits help capture infrequent changes
Many schemas/tables	Increase value during snapshot and CDC phases	Gives Debezium more time to process changes across schemas
Simple schemas	Default values work well	No adjustment needed

tip

For high-activity databases with many schemas/tables, you may still need to increase this value despite frequent changes . Schema complexity affects processing time independently of data volume.

Invalid CDC Position Behavior

What it does:

Determines how Airbyte responds when the CDC position becomes invalid (typically due to WAL recycling or extended gaps between syncs).

Available options:

Method	Re-sync Data (Automatic Recovery)	Fail Sync (Manual Intervention)
Behavior	Automatically triggers a full refresh, re-snapshotting the entire database when CDC position is lost.	Stops the sync and marks it as failed. No automatic action is taken.
Pros	• Fully automated • Ensures data consistency	• Allows investigation and controlled resolution • Prevents unexpected resource consumption and costs
Cons	• Time-consuming for large datasets • Resource-intensive • Can lead to unexpected costs (compute, database load, writes, transfer)	• Requires manual restart after resolving the issue • Potential data gaps until resolved
Best for	Small datasets, development environments	Production environments, large databases

Recommended approach:

Environment	Recommendation	Rationale
Production	Fail Sync	Better error handling, prevents surprise costs
Large databases	Fail Sync	Avoids expensive automatic re-snapshots
Development	Either option	Lower stakes, both approaches work
Small datasets	Either option	Re-sync is quick and inexpensive

Queue Size

What it does:

Controls the internal buffer size for change events. Determines how many CDC records can be queued in memory before processing.

Impact:

• Larger queue: Handles burst changes efficiently but uses more memory
• Smaller queue: Lower memory usage, but may reduce sync efficiency

Best practice:

Critical

Keep this at the default value (10,000). Improper sizing impacts memory consumption, sync efficiency, and system stability. Only modify this parameter if you have a specific technical reason or have been instructed to do so by Airbyte support.

Initial Load Timeout

What it does:

Sets the maximum duration for the snapshot phase. Once this time limit is reached or the snapshot completes (whichever comes first), Airbyte captures the current LSN and switches to CDC streaming mode. The maximum allowed value is 24 hours.

Best practices:

Database Size	Recommended Timeout	Notes
Small to medium	8 hours (default)	Sufficient for most databases
Large databases	12-24 hours	Allows a complete snapshot before CDC streaming
Very large databases (> 50 GB)	24 hours	Adjust based on observed snapshot duration

tip

Monitor your first sync's snapshot duration to determine if you need to adjust this value.

General Airbyte configuration

Sync Frequency

Choose sync frequency based on your use case, data velocity, and WAL retention period.

Key considerations:

• Sync frequency must be shorter than WAL retention period
  • If retention is 3 days, sync at least every 2 days
  • Prevents LSN loss and sync failures
• Balance data volume and sync overhead
  • Avoid accumulating millions of records between syncs
  • Minimize empty syncs (no changes to capture)
  • Find the middle ground for your change volume
• Near real-time requirements
  • High-velocity data: Sync multiple times per day
  • Standard updates: Daily syncs often sufficient
  • Low activity: Match sync frequency to change patterns

Recommended configurations:

Use Case	Sync Frequency	Retention Period	Notes
Near real-time replication	Every 1-4 hours	7 days (recommended), 3 days minimum if data is highly active	Only sync this frequently if you have active data changes to avoid empty syncs
Daily business reporting	Once daily	7 days (recommended), 3 days minimum if data is highly active	Standard configuration for most use cases
Weekly analytics	2-3 times per week	7 days minimum	Longer retention required for less frequent syncs

tip

While 7-day retention is recommended for all scenarios, you may use shorter retention periods (3+ days) if your database is highly active and you're confident your sync frequency will remain consistent. However, 7 days provides the best buffer against unexpected delays or maintenance windows.

Database-level CDC configuration

WAL Retention Period

The WAL retention period determines how long transaction logs are stored before recycling. This is configured in your database, not in Airbyte.

Recommended configuration:

Priority	Retention Period	Rationale
Optimal	7 days	Covers weekend maintenance, most data movement scenarios
Minimum	Longer than sync frequency	Prevents LSN loss between syncs

Example scenarios:

• Syncing every 6 hours: Minimum 1-2 days retention (7 days recommended)
• Syncing daily: Minimum 2-3 days retention (7 days recommended)
• Syncing every 3 days: Minimum 4-5 days retention (7 days recommended)

Important

While Airbyte syncs can operate efficiently with short retention periods (when paired with appropriate sync frequency), 7-day retention provides the best buffer against unexpected delays or maintenance windows.