Apache Kafka

Introduction

Apache Kafka is an open-source, distributed, and scalable platform for building real-time data pipelines and streaming applications. It was originally developed by LinkedIn, and is now maintained by the Apache Software Foundation. As per the website, Apache Kafka is used by the top 10 largest insurance, manufacturing companies, information technology and many major organizations. More than 80% of all Fortune 100 companies trust and use Kafka.

Features/Benefits of Kafka

Real-time data streaming

Kafka is designed for real-time data streaming, making it suitable for use cases such as IoT, log aggregation, and most event-driven architectures.

Durability

Data in Kafka is stored on disk and replicated across multiple brokers, providing durability and fault tolerance.

Fault tolerance

Kafka is designed for high availability and provides features for replicating data and automatically failing over to backups in the event of a failure.

Scalability

Kafka is designed for scalability and can handle high volumes and velocity of data, making it suitable for use in large-scale, data-intensive applications.

Processing of data in real-time

Kafka allows real-time processing of data as it is produced, making it possible to perform real-time analytics, transformations, and other processing tasks.

Integration

Kafka provides a wide range of APIs and simple integration options, making it easy to integrate with other systems and technologies, such as Apache Spark, Apache Storm, etc.