Apache Kafka® glossary

This glossary defines the concepts and terms essential for understanding and working with Apache Kafka®.

Broker

A cluster instance that stores and manages messages. Brokers handle client requests for writing and reading data. Learn more

Connector

A component of Kafka Connect that manages the integration between Apache Kafka® and an external system. Source connectors collect data from external data sources, while sink connectors export data to external data destinations. Learn more

Consumer

A client application that reads and processes events published to Apache Kafka®. Learn more

Kafka Connect

A framework built on top of the Apache Kafka® platform that facilitates data streaming between Apache Kafka® and external systems, such as databases, key-value stores, search indexes, and file systems.

Partition

A sequence of topic messages stored on a Apache Kafka® broker. Partitions divide topics into several parallel event streams located on different brokers. They allow for better scalability and performance because applications can both write and read messages to and from multiple brokers at the same time. Learn more

Producer

A client application that writes or publishes events to topic partitions in Apache Kafka®. Learn more

Replication

Writing the log for each topic's partitions across a configurable number of servers. The replication factor refers to the total number of replicas including the leader. If it's set to 1, data exists only on one server.

Topic

A category or feed name where messages are published. Topics organize messages, so consumers can subscribe only to the messages that are relevant for them. Learn more