Interactive Queries is a new feature in Apache Kafka that enhances stream processing by allowing developers to query the state of a streaming application directly, acting as an embedded database within the stream processing layer. This feature eliminates the need for external databases to materialize state, providing high availability and fault tolerance by leveraging Kafka’s Streams API. Inspired by the concept of materialized views in traditional databases, Interactive Queries simplifies the architecture by integrating processing and storage, making stream processing more accessible as a mainstream application development model. This approach is exemplified in real-time applications, such as financial risk management, where maintaining and querying state efficiently is crucial. By using embedded databases like RocksDB, developers can avoid the inefficiencies of maintaining separate clusters, as seen in the transition from Lambda to Kappa architecture. While the Interactive Queries are read-only to maintain state consistency, they facilitate real-time data consumption for applications like dashboards and microservices, without the overhead of external storage. The implementation of Interactive Queries supports greater flexibility and performance, with the ability to interactively access streaming data, thus bridging the gap between data processing and interactive analytics.