Kafka: The Definitive Guide

Chapter 2. Installing Kafka

This chapter describes how to get started with the Apache Kafka broker, including how to set up Apache Zookeeper, which is used by Kafka for storing metadata for the brokers. The chapter will also cover the basic configuration options for a Kafka deployment, as well as criteria for selecting the correct hardware to run the brokers on. Finally, we cover how to install multiple Kafka brokers as part of a single cluster and some specific concerns when using Kafka in a production environment.

First Things First

There are a few things that need to happen before using Apache Kafka. The following sections tell you what those things are.

Choosing an Operating System

Apache Kafka is a Java application, and can run on many operating systems. This includes Windows, MacOS, Linux, and others. The installation steps in this chapter will be focused on setting up and using Kafka in a Linux environment, as this is the most common OS on which it is installed. This is also the recommended OS for deploying Kafka for general use. For information on installing Kafka on Windows and MacOS, see Appendix A.

Installing Java

Prior to installing either Zookeeper or Kafka, you will need a Java environment set up and functioning. This should be a Java 8 version, and can be the version provided by your OS or one directly downloaded from java.com. Though Zookeeper and Kafka will work with a runtime edition of Java, it may be more convenient when developing tools and applications ...