Kafka Connect
This reference introduces the Kafka Connect component, how it differs from the Axual Connect component it replaces, and the pages that cover its concepts, deployment, chart values and diagnosis.
Type |
Reference |
Goal |
Find the Kafka Connect page that covers the concept, procedure or value you need. |
Audience |
Platform Operators and Tenant Admins who deploy or register Kafka Connect clusters. |
When to use |
Use this guide as the entry point to the Kafka Connect documentation. |
What Kafka Connect gives each tenant
Kafka Connect gives every tenant its own Apache Kafka Connect cluster, deployed and managed by the Strimzi operator and driven from Axual Self-Service. Each cluster runs its own worker pods, its own internal topics and its own connector credentials, so the connectors of one tenant cannot affect the throughput or stability of another.
It replaces Axual Connect, which gives all tenants on an instance a single shared cluster. Axual Connect is deprecated (see Why Kafka Connect replaces Axual Connect for the timeline), so new installations use Kafka Connect. To move an existing installation across, follow Migrating from Axual Connect to Kafka Connect.
Where to go next
The pages below cover the component from concepts through to deployment, diagnosis and removal:
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Kafka Connect: Concepts and Architecture explains the structure, the four roles involved, and why the key constraints exist.
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How to Prepare the Kafka Broker for Kafka Connect creates the internal topics and grants the worker its Access Control Lists. It is the first prerequisite of the deployment.
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How to Set Up the Connector Vault for Kafka Connect creates the worker read policy, its AppRole and the credentials Secret. It is the second prerequisite of the deployment.
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How to Deploy a Kafka Connect Cluster is the operator procedure: the values file, the chart install and the handoff to the Tenant Admin.
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How to Enable Kafka Connect Log Reading surfaces connector logs in Self-Service. It is deployed once per Kubernetes cluster.
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Enable Kafka Connect for an Instance covers registering a cluster against an instance in Self-Service.
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Kafka Connect Chart Values Reference adds the value constraints, Self-Service field mapping and corrected defaults the Helm Readme doesn’t cover.
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Kafka Connect Helm Readme is the chart’s own README: install, the full values table and worked examples.
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Kafka Connect Changelog lists what changed in each chart release.
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Troubleshoot a Kafka Connect Deployment lists the observable failure states, their causes and their fixes.
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How to Decommission a Kafka Connect Cluster removes a cluster and the state that outlives its Helm release.
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Migrating from Axual Connect to Kafka Connect moves an existing installation off the shared Axual Connect cluster.