Apache Kafka Series - Learn Apache Kafka for Beginners v3 from Udemy

Welcome to the Apache Kafka Series. Join a community of 130,000+ students learning Kafka.

Apache Kafka has become the leading distributed data streaming enterprise big data technology. Kafka is used in production by over 33% of the Fortune 500 companies such as Netflix, Airbnb, Uber, Walmart and LinkedIn.

To learn Kafka easily, step-by-step, you have come to the right place. No prior Kafka knowledge is required

If you look at the documentation, you can see that Apache Kafka is not easy to learn...

Thanks to my several years of experience in Kafka and Big Data, I wanted to make learning Kafka accessible to everyone.

We'll take a step-by-step approach to learn all the fundamentals of Apache Kafka. At the end of this course, you'll be productive and you'll know the following:

The Apache Kafka Ecosystem Architecture
The Kafka Core Concepts: Topics, Partitions, Brokers, Replicas, Producers, Consumers, and more.
Launch your own Kafka cluster in no time using native Kafka binaries – Windows / MacOS X / Linux
Learn and Practice using the Kafka Command Line Interface (CLI)
Code Producer and Consumers using the Java API
Real world project using Wikimedia as a source of data for a producer and OpenSearch as a sink for our consumer
Overview of Advanced APIs (Kafka Connect, Kafka Streams)
Real World Case Studies and Big Use cases
Overview of Advanced Kafka for Administrators
Advanced Topic Configurations

Note: The hands-on section is based on Java, which is the native Kafka programming language. But, good news. Your learning in Java will be completely applicable to other programming languages, such as Python, C#, Node.js or Scala, and Big Data frameworks such as Spark, NiFi or Akka

The Kafka for Beginners course is the best place to start your Kafka learning journey... Ask other students.

5 stars: "That's one of the most high-quality on-line courses I ever took" – Paul L.
5 stars: "This training was awesome and learned many things about KAFKA though having 0 years of experience in this technology" – Puneet G.
5 stars: "Outstanding on all fronts. I wish all courses were that well presented. I especially appreciate the hands-on sections. I was able to get everything up and running with ease. Highly recommend this course and this instructor. " – David G.

You can take this course risk-free and if you don't like it, you can get a refund anytime in the first 30 days.

Instructor

My name is Stéphane Maarek, I am passionate about Data Streaming & Cloud Computing, and I will be your instructor in this course. I teach about Apache Kafka, the Kafka ecosystem, and Kafka Certifications, focusing on helping my students improve their professional proficiencies. I am also the co-founder of Conduktor: an enterprise Apache Kafka platform & UI to help everyone use Kafka.

I have already taught

With Apache Kafka becoming much more than a buzzword out there, I've decided it's time for students to learn how to be Kafka professionals properly. So, let’s kick start the course. You are in good hands.

This Course Also Comes With:

Lifetime Access to All Future Updates
A responsive instructor in the Q&A Section
Links to interesting articles, and lots of good code to base your next applications onto
Udemy Certificate of Completion Ready for Download

This is the course that could improve your career.

Apache Kafka is a skill in high demand and there are not enough people to fulfill all the open positions. You can boost your income, take on new roles and fun challenges. Many of my students are now the Kafka experts of their companies. You can be the next.

I hope to see you inside the course.

Note: Looking for more advanced Kafka concepts? There are many volumes in the Apache Kafka Series:

Learn Kafka for Beginners v2 (great to start)
Kafka Connect Hands On Learning
Kafka Streams for Data Processing
KSQL on ksqlDB - Hands On.
Kafka Cluster Setup & Administration
Confluent Schema Registry & Kafka REST Proxy
Kafka Security (

What's inside

Learning objectives

Understand apache kafka ecosystem, architecture, core concepts and operations
Master concepts such as topics, partitions, brokers, producers, consumers
Start a personal kafka development environment
Learn major clis: kafka-topics, kafka-console-producer, kafka-console-consumer, kafka-consumer-groups, kafka-configs

Create your producers and consumers in java to interact with kafka
Program a real world twitter producer & elasticsearch consumer
Extended apis overview (kafka connect, kafka streams), case studies and big data architecture
Practice and understand log compaction

Understand apache kafka ecosystem, architecture, core concepts and operations
Master concepts such as topics, partitions, brokers, producers, consumers
Start a personal kafka development environment
Learn major clis: kafka-topics, kafka-console-producer, kafka-console-consumer, kafka-consumer-groups, kafka-configs
Create your producers and consumers in java to interact with kafka
Program a real world twitter producer & elasticsearch consumer
Extended apis overview (kafka connect, kafka streams), case studies and big data architecture
Practice and understand log compaction

Syllabus

Kafka Introduction

Course Introduction

Apache Kafka in 5 minutes

Course Objectives

Traffic lights

Read about what's good

what should give you pause

and possible dealbreakers

Develops skills such as working knowledge of Kafka and related technologies, which is standard in industry

Taught by Stephane Maarek, a recognized expert in Kafka

Covers fundamentals and advanced topics, providing a solid foundation for beginners and intermediate learners

Offers hands-on projects, giving learners practical experience with Kafka

Prerequisites, such as a basic understanding of Java, may limit accessibility for some learners

Focuses on Java programming, assuming learners have prior knowledge

Reviews summary

Beginner-friendly apache kafka introduction

according to learners, this course provides a clear and comprehensive introduction to Apache Kafka, making it an excellent starting point for beginners with no prior knowledge. Students frequently highlight the quality of the explanations and the hands-on labs and projects as particularly helpful. While some reviewers mention challenges with the initial environment setup, the overall consensus is overwhelmingly positive, preparing students well for real-world applications and further learning in the Kafka ecosystem.

Provides a solid base for advanced topics.

"The course lays a solid foundation of core concepts that makes diving into more advanced topics feel much less daunting."

"I feel well-prepared to explore other parts of the Kafka ecosystem now."

"It covered all the necessary fundamentals needed to build basic Kafka applications."

Great course for absolute beginners.

"Having zero prior experience with Kafka, this course was exactly what I needed to get started."

"Perfect introduction for anyone looking to understand Kafka fundamentals from scratch."

"I recommend this course to anyone starting their Kafka journey."

Practical labs and projects reinforce learning.

"The hands-on sections were the most valuable part for me; being able to code along solidified my understanding."

"I loved the real-world project with Wikimedia and OpenSearch, it tied everything together nicely."

"Practicing with the CLI and Java API in guided labs was very effective."

Concepts are explained effectively for beginners.

"The explanations provided for core concepts were exceptionally clear and easy to follow, even for someone brand new to Kafka."

"I really appreciated how the instructor broke down complex topics into digestible parts."

"Everything is explained crystal clear and demonstrated very well."

Environment setup can be tricky for some.

"Setting up the local environment required some troubleshooting, which took extra time."

"Had a bit of difficulty getting Zookeeper and Kafka running initially, though the course provided tips."

"The setup part might require some basic familiarity with command line and system paths."

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:

Kafka Ecosystem Overview

Show steps

Reviewing this material will help you more fully understand the course.

Show steps

Read the Kafka Documentation
Watch YouTube videos on Kafka
Read the Kafka blog

Review Java programming basics

Show steps

Ensure you have a solid foundation in Java.

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Go through Java tutorials or documentation.
Practice writing simple Java programs.
Review Java concepts like data types, loops, and methods.

Kafka: The Definitive Guide

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Gain a comprehensive theoretical understanding of Kafka.

View Kafka: The Definitive Guide: Real-Time Data and... on Amazon

Show steps

Read through the chapters in order.
Take notes on the key concepts.
Complete the practice exercises.

Show all three activities

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

Data Engineers are in charge of designing, implementing, maintaining, and servicing big data pipelines. This course can help a Data Engineer get up to speed on Kafka, so they can use it to ingest, store, and distribute large amounts of streaming data. Apache Kafka is a massively scalable, high throughput, low-latency platform for handling real-time data feeds. Data Engineers can leverage the skills taught in this course to maximize the value of streaming data in the organization.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Engineer

Data Architect

Data Architects design and build data architectures to meet the needs of an organization. This includes designing data models, selecting and implementing data storage technologies, and developing data integration and processing solutions. Apache Kafka is a popular technology for building real-time data architectures. By taking this course, Data Architects can gain the skills and knowledge they need to design and implement Kafka-based solutions.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Architect

Data Scientist

Data Scientists use data to solve business problems and improve decision-making. Apache Kafka is a powerful tool for collecting, storing, and processing large amounts of data. This course can help Data Scientists learn how to use Kafka to build data pipelines and develop real-time data applications.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Scientist

Software Engineer

Software Engineers design, develop, and maintain software systems. This course can benefit Software Engineers who want to learn about Apache Kafka, a popular platform for building real-time data applications. Kafka is used by many large organizations to process billions of events per day. Software Engineers who take this course will learn how to use Kafka to build scalable, reliable, and high-performance data applications.

See salaries and explore the career path for Software Engineer

Cloud Engineer

Cloud Engineers design, build, and maintain cloud-based systems. This course can benefit Cloud Engineers who want to learn about Apache Kafka, a popular platform for building real-time data applications in the cloud. Kafka is used by many large organizations to process billions of events per day. Cloud Engineers who take this course will learn how to use Kafka to build scalable, reliable, and high-performance data applications in the cloud.

See salaries and explore the career path for Cloud Engineer

Big Data Architect

Big Data Architects design and build big data architectures to meet the needs of an organization. This includes designing data models, selecting and implementing data storage technologies, and developing data integration and processing solutions. Apache Kafka is a popular technology for building real-time big data architectures. By taking this course, Big Data Architects can gain the skills and knowledge they need to design and implement Kafka-based solutions.

See salaries and explore the career path for Big Data Architect

Data Analyst

Data Analysts collect, analyze, and interpret data to help businesses make informed decisions. Apache Kafka is a powerful tool for collecting, storing, and processing large amounts of data. This course can help Data Analysts learn how to use Kafka to build data pipelines and develop real-time data applications.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Analyst

DevOps Engineer

DevOps Engineers work to bridge the gap between development and operations teams. This includes automating build, test, and deployment processes, as well as monitoring and managing production systems. Apache Kafka is a popular platform for building real-time data applications. This course can help DevOps Engineers learn how to use Kafka to build and manage scalable, reliable, and high-performance data applications.

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Systems Engineer

Systems Engineers design, implement, and maintain computer systems. This course can benefit Systems Engineers who want to learn about Apache Kafka, a popular platform for building real-time data applications. Kafka is used by many large organizations to process billions of events per day. Systems Engineers who take this course will learn how to use Kafka to build scalable, reliable, and high-performance data applications.

See salaries and explore the career path for Systems Engineer

Database Administrator

Database Administrators manage and maintain databases. This course can benefit Database Administrators who want to learn about Apache Kafka, a popular platform for building real-time data applications. Kafka is used by many large organizations to process billions of events per day. Database Administrators who take this course will learn how to use Kafka to build scalable, reliable, and high-performance data applications.

See salaries and explore the career path for Database Administrator

Information Security Analyst

Information Security Analysts design and implement security measures to protect an organization's data and systems. This course can benefit Information Security Analysts who want to learn about Apache Kafka, a popular platform for building real-time data applications. Kafka is used by many large organizations to process billions of events per day. Information Security Analysts who take this course will learn how to use Kafka to build secure and reliable data applications.

See salaries and explore the career path for Information Security Analyst

Data Warehouse Architect

Data Warehouse Architects design and build data warehouses to meet the needs of an organization. This includes designing data models, selecting and implementing data storage technologies, and developing data integration and processing solutions. Apache Kafka is a popular technology for building real-time data warehouses. By taking this course, Data Warehouse Architects can gain the skills and knowledge they need to design and implement Kafka-based solutions.

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Machine Learning Engineer

Machine Learning Engineers design and build machine learning models to solve business problems. Apache Kafka is a powerful tool for collecting, storing, and processing large amounts of data. This course can help Machine Learning Engineers learn how to use Kafka to build data pipelines and develop real-time machine learning applications.

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Technical Architect

Technical Architects design and build software systems to meet the needs of an organization. This includes designing system architectures, selecting and implementing technologies, and developing software solutions. Apache Kafka is a popular platform for building real-time data applications. This course can help Technical Architects learn how to use Kafka to build scalable, reliable, and high-performance data applications.

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Enterprise Architect

Enterprise Architects design and build enterprise-wide software systems. This includes designing system architectures, selecting and implementing technologies, and developing software solutions. Apache Kafka is a popular platform for building real-time enterprise-wide data applications. This course can help Enterprise Architects learn how to use Kafka to build scalable, reliable, and high-performance data applications.

See salaries and explore the career path for Enterprise Architect