Apache Kafka is a distributed streaming platform designed for building real-time data pipelines and streaming applications. It handles large data volumes, making it suitable for both enterprise and small-scale use.

Features of Apache Kafka:

• High throughput and scalability for real-time data handling.
• Fault-tolerant and reliable distributed architecture.
• Pub/Sub messaging model for communication between producers and consumers.
• Stream processing with Kafka Streams and Kafka Connect.
• Durability with message retention and replication.

To check the Kafka version, run:

~/kafka/bin/kafka-topics.sh --version

User Instructions:

• Start the Kafka server:

  ~/kafka/bin/kafka-server-start.sh ~/kafka/config/server.properties

• Create a topic:

  ~/kafka/bin/kafka-topics.sh --create --topic  --bootstrap-server localhost:9092 --partitions 1 --replication-factor 1

• Produce messages:

  ~/kafka/bin/kafka-console-producer.sh --broker-list localhost:9092 --topic 

• Consume messages:

  ~/kafka/bin/kafka-console-consumer.sh --bootstrap-server localhost:9092 --topic  --from-beginning

Disclaimer: Apache Kafka is open-source under the Apache License 2.0 and is provided "as is." Users assume all responsibility for use and compliance with licensing terms.