OpenCourser brand icon
Sign in
We may earn an affiliate commission when you visit our partners.

Apache Kafka Series - Learn Apache Kafka for Beginners v3

Packt - Course Instructors

In this course, you'll embark on a journey to master Apache Kafka, beginning with a solid introduction to its core concepts and architecture. You'll learn about essential topics such as producers, consumers, partitions, and offsets, all while understanding how they fit together within the broader Kafka ecosystem. Each theoretical section is paired with practical examples, ensuring that you not only understand the "what" but also the "how" of Kafka.

Read more

In this course, you'll embark on a journey to master Apache Kafka, beginning with a solid introduction to its core concepts and architecture. You'll learn about essential topics such as producers, consumers, partitions, and offsets, all while understanding how they fit together within the broader Kafka ecosystem. Each theoretical section is paired with practical examples, ensuring that you not only understand the "what" but also the "how" of Kafka.

As you progress, you'll delve into advanced Kafka operations, including starting Kafka without Zookeeper using KRaft mode and mastering the command line interface. The course also includes a thorough exploration of Kafka Java programming, where you'll learn to implement producers and consumers, handle callback functions, and manage consumer groups. By the end of this section, you'll be ready to tackle real-world Kafka projects, armed with the knowledge to implement efficient, scalable solutions.

The final modules focus on real-world insights and case studies, where you'll see how Kafka is applied in different industries, from big data ingestion to logging and metrics aggregation. You'll also explore Kafka's role in enterprise environments, focusing on cluster setup, security, and multi-cluster operations. Whether you're new to Kafka or looking to deepen your understanding, this course provides the tools and knowledge to excel in the world of data streaming.

This course is ideal for software developers, data engineers, and IT professionals who are new to Apache Kafka and wish to learn from the ground up. No prior experience with Kafka is required, though a basic understanding of distributed systems and Java programming is beneficial.

Enroll now

What's inside

Syllabus

Kafka Introduction
In this module, we will introduce you to the fundamentals of Apache Kafka. You will gain an understanding of the course’s scope, objectives, and the author's background. This will set the stage for your journey into Kafka’s architecture and functionality.
Read more
Kafka Theory
In this module, we will dive into the theoretical aspects of Kafka. You will explore the architecture and essential components, such as topics, partitions, and consumer groups, and learn about advanced topics like replication and Kafka KRaft. This foundation will be crucial as you move into more practical applications later in the course.
Starting Kafka
In this module, we will guide you through the practical steps needed to start Kafka on different platforms such as Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows. You'll learn how to overcome challenges during installation and start Kafka using multiple approaches, including Conduktor and Brew.
Starting Kafka without Zookeeper
In this module, we will focus on starting Kafka using the KRaft mode, which eliminates the need for Zookeeper. You'll learn how to configure and start Kafka Brokers in KRaft mode on Mac OS, Linux, and Windows, enabling a more streamlined Kafka setup.
Command Line Interface (CLI) 101
In this module, we will explore the essential Kafka command line interface (CLI) tools. You'll become proficient in managing Kafka topics, producing and consuming data, and handling consumer groups using the CLI, all crucial for efficient Kafka operations.
Kafka UI
In this module, we will introduce you to Kafka's graphical user interface tools, with a focus on Conduktor. You'll learn how to navigate Kafka's UI for efficient management and monitoring of Kafka clusters, simplifying the administration tasks.
Kafka Java Programming 101
In this module, we will cover the basics of programming with Kafka using Java. You'll learn how to create Kafka producers and consumers, handle message keys, and implement advanced features like graceful shutdowns and consumer group management in Java.
Kafka Real-World Project
In this module, we will guide you through a real-world Kafka project. You'll learn how to apply the Kafka concepts you've studied to design and implement a practical solution, providing you with hands-on experience in a realistic setting.
Kafka Wikimedia Producer and Advanced Configurations
In this module, we will dive into advanced Kafka producer configurations, focusing on optimizing performance and ensuring data durability. You'll work on a Wikimedia producer project, learning to fine-tune Kafka settings for different scenarios and data sources.
OpenSearch Consumer and Advanced Consumer Configurations
In this module, we will explore the integration of Kafka with OpenSearch, covering both the setup process and advanced consumer configurations. You'll learn how to implement strategies for effective data consumption, manage offsets, and ensure reliable data processing.
Kafka Extended APIs for Developers
In this module, we will introduce you to Kafka's extended APIs, including Kafka Connect, Streams, and Schema Registry. You'll gain hands-on experience with these APIs, learning how to leverage them for diverse data processing tasks and seamless integration with other systems.
Real-World Insights and Case Studies (Big Data / Fast Data)
In this module, we will review real-world case studies to showcase Kafka's application in various industries. You'll gain insights into the challenges and solutions in big data and fast data environments, helping you apply best practices in your own Kafka projects.
Kafka in the Enterprise for Admins
In this module, we will cover advanced topics related to managing Kafka in enterprise settings. You'll learn about Kafka cluster setup, monitoring, and security, as well as managing multi-cluster deployments and ensuring robust communication protocols.
Advanced Topics Configurations
In this module, we will focus on advanced Kafka configurations, including topic settings, log management, and handling large messages. You'll learn how to optimize Kafka for your specific needs, ensuring efficient and reliable data processing.
Next Steps
In this final module, we will guide you through the next steps in your Kafka learning journey. You'll receive recommendations on advanced topics and specialized areas to explore, along with resources to help you continue building your Kafka expertise.

Good to know

Know what's good
, what to watch for
, and possible dealbreakers
Begins with a solid introduction to core concepts and architecture, which builds a strong foundation for beginners in data streaming and distributed systems
Includes a thorough exploration of Kafka Java programming, which allows learners to implement producers and consumers, handle callback functions, and manage consumer groups
Explores Kafka's role in enterprise environments, focusing on cluster setup, security, and multi-cluster operations, which is useful for those looking to implement Kafka in larger organizations
Teaches how to start Kafka without Zookeeper using KRaft mode, which reflects current trends in simplifying Kafka deployments and reducing operational overhead
Requires a basic understanding of distributed systems and Java programming, which may require additional preparation for learners without this background
Uses command line interface (CLI) tools, which may be challenging for learners who prefer graphical user interfaces or have limited experience with command-line tools

Save this course

Save Apache Kafka Series - Learn Apache Kafka for Beginners v3 to your list so you can find it easily later:
Save

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Apache Kafka Series - Learn Apache Kafka for Beginners v3 with these activities:
Review Distributed Systems Concepts
Reinforce your understanding of distributed systems principles, which are fundamental to Kafka's architecture and operation.
Browse courses on Distributed Systems
Show steps
  • Review key concepts like CAP theorem and consensus algorithms.
  • Study examples of distributed systems in practice.
  • Complete practice questions on distributed systems design.
Review 'Kafka: The Definitive Guide'
Deepen your understanding of Kafka concepts and best practices by reading a comprehensive guide.
View Kafka: The Definitive Guide: Real-Time Data and... on Amazon
Show steps
  • Read the chapters relevant to the current course module.
  • Take notes on key concepts and configurations.
  • Experiment with the examples provided in the book.
Practice Kafka CLI Commands
Solidify your understanding of Kafka's command-line interface by practicing common commands.
Show steps
  • Create, list, and delete Kafka topics using the CLI.
  • Produce and consume messages using the CLI tools.
  • Inspect consumer group offsets and configurations.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Build a Simple Kafka Producer/Consumer Application
Apply your knowledge by building a basic application that produces and consumes messages using the Kafka Java API.
Show steps
  • Set up a Kafka development environment with Java.
  • Implement a producer to send messages to a Kafka topic.
  • Implement a consumer to read messages from the topic.
  • Test the application and handle potential errors.
Write a Blog Post on a Kafka Use Case
Reinforce your understanding by researching and writing about a real-world use case of Apache Kafka.
Show steps
  • Research different Kafka use cases in various industries.
  • Choose a specific use case and gather relevant information.
  • Write a blog post explaining the use case and its benefits.
  • Publish the blog post on a personal blog or platform like Medium.
Review 'Designing Data-Intensive Applications'
Gain a broader understanding of data-intensive applications and the role of messaging systems like Kafka.
View Secret Colors on Amazon
Show steps
  • Read the sections on distributed systems and messaging queues.
  • Relate the concepts to Kafka's architecture and functionality.
  • Consider how these principles apply to real-world Kafka deployments.
Contribute to a Kafka Open Source Project
Deepen your understanding of Kafka by contributing to an open-source project related to Kafka.
Show steps
  • Identify a Kafka-related open-source project on GitHub.
  • Explore the project's codebase and documentation.
  • Find a bug or feature to work on.
  • Submit a pull request with your changes.

Career center

Learners who complete Apache Kafka Series - Learn Apache Kafka for Beginners v3 will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Data Engineer
A Data Engineer designs, builds, and maintains data pipelines that enable organizations to use their data effectively. This role involves leveraging tools like Apache Kafka for real-time data ingestion and stream processing. This course provides a comprehensive understanding of Kafka's architecture, components, and operation, including hands-on experience with producers and consumers which are key activities for any data engineer working with streaming data. The course teaches how to implement these components within Java, allowing data engineers to build robust systems. The course's exploration of cluster setups, security, and multi-cluster operations also contributes to success as they are often required of a data engineer.
See salaries and explore the career path for Data Engineer
Software Developer
A Software Developer creates applications and systems, often integrating various technologies to achieve specific functionalities. This course in Apache Kafka provides practical skills in setting up and managing data streams, a critical capability for many modern applications. Through the course, software developers learn to use the Kafka command line interface and the Kafka Java programming. Furthermore, this course allows software developers to understand Kafka's architecture for implementing efficient and scalable solutions. The real-world projects included in the syllabus further prepare software developers to take on projects that utilize Kafka in their professional roles.
See salaries and explore the career path for Software Developer
Data Architect
A Data Architect designs and oversees the implementation of data management systems for an organization, ensuring data is accessible, secure, and reliable. This course on Apache Kafka helps a data architect by providing a deep understanding of stream processing technologies. The course covers essential Kafka topics, including its architecture, operations, and integration with other technologies, so that the data architect will be equipped to make decisions about streaming data. Furthermore, topics such as cluster setup, security, and multi-cluster operations are essential for a data architect to understand.
See salaries and explore the career path for Data Architect
Backend Engineer
A Backend Engineer is responsible for building and maintaining the server-side logic and databases that power applications. A course on Apache Kafka is highly relevant for a backend engineer as Kafka is often used for message queuing and handling real-time data streams. The course gives hands-on experience with Kafka's command line and Java API, useful for building backend systems. The course also teaches about setting up clusters and managing them. This will allow a backend engineer to build server applications that depend on Kafka's features. The course’s focus on real world applications makes it especially useful.
See salaries and explore the career path for Backend Engineer
Systems Engineer
A Systems Engineer manages and optimizes an organization’s technology infrastructure, ensuring systems are reliable and efficient. This course is very relevant to a systems engineer because Apache Kafka is a key component in many modern systems architectures. This course provides practical skills in setting up and managing Kafka clusters, including using different modes such as KRaft. The course also covers vital aspects of Kafka like security and multi-cluster operations, which are critical for a systems engineer, plus CLI proficiency, a valued skill. All of this work will translate to success in setting up and managing complex systems.
See salaries and explore the career path for Systems Engineer
Solutions Architect
A Solutions Architect designs comprehensive technical solutions to business problems and guides their implementation. This course on Apache Kafka is useful to a solutions architect as Kafka is a key technology for data streaming, messaging, and microservices, all concepts that a solutions architect must be familiar with. The course provides a comprehensive understanding of Kafka, including both its theory and practical applications like producers and consumers. This course’s exploration of Kafka’s role in enterprise environments along with the course’s real-world case studies are particularly valuable for a solutions architect.
See salaries and explore the career path for Solutions Architect
Cloud Engineer
A Cloud Engineer is responsible for the design, deployment, and management of cloud-based systems. This course in Apache Kafka is beneficial for a cloud engineer as Kafka often operates in the cloud for real time data processing. The course provides a hands-on understanding of Kafka, such as how to manage clusters, use the CLI, and manage data streams allowing a cloud engineer to integrate Kafka into their systems. The course's coverage of enterprise setups and managing multiple clusters will translate directly to work that a cloud engineer does.
See salaries and explore the career path for Cloud Engineer
Application Integration Specialist
An Application Integration Specialist focuses on connecting different software applications and systems, ensuring they work together effectively. Apache Kafka is a key technology for this role, used for messaging and data streaming. This course in Apache Kafka is ideal for this role as it teaches the student how to use Kafka for real-time data integration. This course provides hands-on experience with producing and consuming data, consumer group management, and integrating Kafka with other systems using its extended APIs, which are skills used by application integration specialists in their day to day work.
See salaries and explore the career path for Application Integration Specialist
DevOps Engineer
A DevOps Engineer is responsible for automating and optimizing the software development lifecycle. This course in Apache Kafka may be useful for a DevOps Engineer as Kafka can play a crucial part in monitoring and managing systems. The course provides practical knowledge of Kafka's operations, including cluster setups, command line usage, and Java programming for producer and consumer implementation, which allows a DevOps engineer to build automated systems, monitor log files, and generally support their team’s software. Kafka's role in enterprise environments and managing multi-cluster deployments can be of particular interest to a DevOps engineer.
See salaries and explore the career path for DevOps Engineer
Big Data Engineer
A Big Data Engineer specializes in building and managing systems for processing large datasets. This Apache Kafka course may be useful to a big data engineer because Kafka is often used for real-time data ingestion in big data systems. The course introduces the core architecture of Kafka, how to manage streams of data, and how to handle different configurations. This provides the big data engineer with practical knowledge when they work with large streams of data. The course’s inclusion of real-world case studies will be particularly helpful.
See salaries and explore the career path for Big Data Engineer
Database Administrator
A Database Administrator is responsible for the performance, integrity, and security of databases. While not a database itself, Apache Kafka is often used in conjunction with databases and other data stores. This course may be useful to a database administrator as it will help them understand data streaming. This course allows them to learn how data streams are formed using Kafka, how to manage the data, and how to integrate it with other systems. Understanding this will help a database administrator manage and support a database in a large system.
See salaries and explore the career path for Database Administrator
Machine Learning Engineer
A Machine Learning Engineer develops and deploys machine learning models. This course in Apache Kafka may be useful to a machine learning engineer as Kafka can be used to manage and process the data used in these models. The course provides an understanding of data streams and how they can be handled. This course will provide hands on experience with command line interfaces, consumer groups, as well as implementing producers and consumers within Java. All of these skills provide practical knowledge to a machine learning engineer using Kafka.
See salaries and explore the career path for Machine Learning Engineer
Technical Support Specialist
A Technical Support Specialist provides technical assistance to users and maintains systems. This course in Apache Kafka may be useful for a technical support specialist due to the growing use of Kafka in many systems and technologies. The course provides hands on experience with the Kafka CLI and how messages flow through the system, which are both useful to a technical support specialist trying to understand the system. The course also covers how to use Kafka in enterprise applications, as well as how it can be used for logging and metrics which is often a part of a support specialist's role.
See salaries and explore the career path for Technical Support Specialist
Business Intelligence Analyst
A Business Intelligence Analyst analyzes data to provide insights and support business decisions. This course on Apache Kafka may be useful as it will provide the analyst with a deeper understanding of how data is streaming through their systems, which is useful context for analysis. The course teaches the fundamentals of data streams, how data is consumed, and how it is integrated with other technologies. The course's included projects may provide the analyst with some practical experience in this realm. While not a primary tool, Kafka can sometimes be present in data pipelines used by business intelligence analysts.
See salaries and explore the career path for Business Intelligence Analyst
Technical Writer
A Technical Writer creates documentation for technical products and processes. This course on Apache Kafka may be useful to a technical writer because it will provide a deeper technical understanding of Kafka, which may be useful for documentation. The course teaches fundamental concepts, how to use the command line interface, and provides a deep understanding of the underlying architecture, including cluster setup. Although not directly related to documentation, this technical knowledge will help a technical writer document Kafka effectively.
See salaries and explore the career path for Technical Writer

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Apache Kafka Series - Learn Apache Kafka for Beginners v3.
Cover image
Kafka: The Definitive Guide
Save
Provides a comprehensive overview of Kafka, covering everything from basic concepts to advanced topics like Kafka Streams and Kafka Connect. It serves as an excellent reference for understanding Kafka's architecture, configuration, and best practices. It is commonly used by industry professionals and in academic settings. This book adds more depth to the course by exploring advanced features and real-world use cases.
Kafka: The Definitive Guide: Real-Time Data and...
Paperback
$$
Kafka: The Definitive Guide
Kindle Edition
$$
Cover image
Secret Colors
Save
Provides a broad understanding of the principles behind data-intensive applications, including messaging systems like Kafka. While not Kafka-specific, it offers valuable context on distributed systems, data storage, and data processing. This book is more valuable as additional reading than as a current reference. It is commonly used as a textbook at academic institutions.
Secret Colors
Paperback
Check
Secret Colors
Kindle Edition
Check

Share

Help others find this course page by sharing it with your friends and followers:
Facebook
LinkedIn
Reddit
X
Link
Email

Similar courses

Similar courses are unavailable at this time. Please try again later.
Level
Intermediate
Via
Coursera
Institution
Packt
Instructor
Packt - Course Instructors
Session
January 27, 2025 - May 19, 2025
Language
English
Good to know
Begins with a solid introduction to core concepts and architecture, which builds a strong foundation for beginners in data streaming and distributed systems
Includes a thorough exploration of Kafka Java programming, which allows learners to implement producers and consumers, handle callback functions, and manage consumer groups
Explores Kafka's role in enterprise environments, focusing on cluster setup, security, and multi-cluster operations, which is useful for those looking to implement Kafka in larger organizations
Teaches how to start Kafka without Zookeeper using KRaft mode, which reflects current trends in simplifying Kafka deployments and reducing operational overhead
Requires a basic understanding of distributed systems and Java programming, which may require additional preparation for learners without this background
Uses command line interface (CLI) tools, which may be challenging for learners who prefer graphical user interfaces or have limited experience with command-line tools
Share and help others discover this course.
Facebook LinkedIn X Reddit Link Email
Don't miss out
Enroll today to gain access to this course
Enroll in this course
Our mission

OpenCourser helps millions of learners each year. People visit us to learn workspace skills, ace their exams, and nurture their curiosity.

Our extensive catalog contains over 50,000 courses and twice as many books. Browse by search, by topic, or even by career interests. We'll match you to the right resources quickly.

Find this site helpful? Tell a friend about us.

Affiliate disclosure

We're supported by our community of learners. When you purchase or subscribe to courses and programs or purchase books, we may earn a commission from our partners.

Your purchases help us maintain our catalog and keep our servers humming without ads.

Thank you for supporting OpenCourser.

© 2016 - 2025 OpenCourser