← Directory

Apache Kafka

Apache Kafka is an open-source distributed event streaming platform that captures data from one source and delivers it to others in real time, ensuring…

  • Databases
  • Media Applications
  • Media Servers
  • Tools & Utilities
Apache Kafka is an open-source distributed event streaming platform that captures data from one source and delivers it to others in real time, ensuring nothing is lost. It is ideal for businesses needing to connect different systems and update information across their entire network.

Platform availability

Available on 2 of 9 platforms

  • Unraid
  • TrueNAS (not listed)
  • Umbrel (not listed)
  • ZimaOS (not listed)
  • Proxmox (not listed)
  • Helm
  • Mac (not listed)
  • Windows (not listed)
  • Linux (not listed)

Health score?A 0-100 score computed nightly from four factors: maintained (40%: recent commits and steady activity), popular (25%: GitHub stars, log scale), easy to install (20%: platforms, install notes, setup guides, Docker image) and light to run (15%: minimum RAM, ARM support). When the source code has been checked, a fifth factor, security check (20%: automated scan for committed secrets, unsafe desktop-app settings, known-vulnerable dependencies and project hygiene; any serious finding caps it at 20), is added. Factors without data are left out and the rest are rescaled.

82/100 Excellent

Maintained
100last commit 23 days ago
Popular
9133,878 GitHub stars
Easy to install
351 install platform, install notes, Docker image
Light to run
801 GB minimum RAM, runs on ARM

Availability: platform listings confirmed today

GitHub stars
33,878
Open issues
584
Last commit
2026-09-29
License
Apache-2.0
Activity
steady

Checked 23 days ago - source: GitHub (apache/kafka)

Resources & Compatibility

Minimum requirements: 1 GB RAM, 1 CPU core(s). ARM (e.g. Raspberry Pi) is supported.

Checked 23 days ago - source: Docker Hub image tags and published docs

First-install notes

  • Start from the repo root Run the example Docker Compose command, which starts a set of packaged app environments called containers from one file, from the top-level repository directory where the docker/examples path exists. If you’re inside the example folder, the compose file path is wrong and Docker can’t create the containers. source
  • Use plaintext for a first test Begin with the plaintext (no encryption) or file-input (a sample that reads from a file) example instead of the SSL example. SSL requires clients to connect securely, so using it too early can make first-run connection tests fail. source
  • Include the IMAGE variable Put IMAGE=apache/kafka:latest or IMAGE=apache/kafka-native:latest on the same command line as docker compose so it knows which container image to use. Without the correct image name, the example may fail before any Kafka container starts. source
  • Java runtime Running Apache Kafka requires the Java runtime; versions 17 and 25 are supported for building and running the broker. source

Fetched 11 days ago - each note links to its source

Alternatives (5)

  • BunkerWeb - BunkerWeb is a self-hosted, open-source web application firewall and NGINX-based web server that protects services with secure-by-default s…
  • Caddy - Caddy is an extensible web server and reverse proxy that serves Transport Layer Security (TLS) by default, making it simple to secure and r…
  • HFS 2 (HTTP File Server) - You can use HFS (HTTP File Server) to send and receive files.
  • Microsoft IIS - Internet Information Services (IIS) for Windows® Server is a flexible, secure and easy-to-manage Web server for hosting anything on the Web.
  • nginx - Nginx is an HTTP web server, reverse proxy, content cache, load balancer, TCP/UDP proxy, and mail proxy server.

Checked 10 days ago - source: AlternativeTo

Common questions

What common mistakes cause the Kafka Docker examples to fail?

Run docker compose from the repository root where the docker/examples path exists, not from inside the example folder. Start with the plaintext or file-input example before using SSL, because SSL can make first-run connection tests fail. Include IMAGE=apache/kafka:latest or IMAGE=apache/kafka-native:latest on the same command line as docker compose so the example can start.

Can self-hosted Kafka Connect be pointed at Confluent Cloud?

One proposed setup is to self-host a Kafka Connect cluster in your VPC and point it at Confluent Cloud.

What categories of problems should I investigate when self-hosted Kafka is misbehaving?

Common troubleshooting areas include broker, producer, and consumer problems, plus network and disk issues.

Can Kafka store event streams permanently?

Kafka can store streams of data in a distributed, durable, fault-tolerant cluster.

Answers sourced from github.com, kafka.apache.org, www.reddit.com, www.scaler.com

Community

Collected yesterday - public community threads