Athena is a lightweight Change Data Capture (CDC) solution that streams changes from Microsoft SQL Server to Apache Kafka. Built in Golang, it supports SASL-authenticated Kafka brokers and provides a straightforward setup experience. Unlike alternatives such as Debezium, which can be complex to configure and manage. Athena offers greater simplicity and operational ease. It automatically manages CDC setups, publishes database changes to a single Kafka topic, and delivers a clean, intuitive event format that is easy for downstream consumers to understand and process.