
![Kafka on K8s screenshot](/images/example.png)

# Deploying Kafka on Kubernetes with Strimzi

In this article, we'll walk through deploying an Apache Kafka cluster on a local Kubernetes cluster using [Kind](https://kind.sigs.k8s.io/) (Kubernetes in Docker). We'll use the [Strimzi operator](https://strimzi.io/) for Kafka, which simplifies the deployment and management of Kafka on Kubernetes. We'll also touch on how you could incorporate Terraform to manage some of the setup or perform upgrades.

## Prerequisites

- **Docker Desktop** installed
- **Kind** installed
- **kubectl** installed

## 1. Create a Local Kubernetes Cluster with Kind

First, create a Kind cluster. For a simple default cluster:

```bash
kind create cluster --name kafka-demo
```

Verify your cluster:

```bash
kubectl cluster-info --context kind-kafka-demo
```


## 2. Install the Strimzi Operator

2.1 Using kubectl
Strimzi provides YAML manifests you can apply directly:

```bash
# Download the Strimzi installation YAML
curl -L "https://github.com/strimzi/strimzi-kafka-operator/releases/download/0.34.0/strimzi-cluster-operator-0.34.0.yaml" -o strimzi.yaml
```

# Apply to your cluster

```bash
kubectl create namespace kafka
kubectl apply -f strimzi.yaml -n kafka
```

## 2.2 Using Helm (Optional)

```bash
helm repo add strimzi https://strimzi.io/charts/
helm repo update
helm install strimzi-kafka-operator strimzi/strimzi-kafka-operator --namespace kafka --create-namespace
```

## 1. Deploy a Kafka Cluster

Create a kafka-cluster.yaml file:

```yaml
apiVersion: kafka.strimzi.io/v1beta2
kind: Kafka
metadata:
  name: my-kafka-cluster
  namespace: kafka
spec:
  kafka:
    replicas: 3
    listeners:
      - name: plain
        port: 9092
        type: internal
        tls: false
    storage:
      type: ephemeral
  zookeeper:
    replicas: 3
    storage:
      type: ephemeral
  entityOperator:
    topicOperator: {}
    userOperator: {}
```

```
kubectl apply -f kafka-cluster.yaml -n kafka
```

Strimzi will spin up your Kafka brokers and Zookeeper pods.


## 1. Verifying Kafka

Once the operator has created the Kafka cluster, check your pods:

```bash

kubectl get pods -n kafka

You should see:
```bash
                                   READY   STATUS    RESTARTS   AGE
my-kafka-cluster-kafka-0                1/1     Running   0          2m
my-kafka-cluster-kafka-1                1/1     Running   0          2m
my-kafka-cluster-kafka-2                1/1     Running   0          2m
my-kafka-cluster-zookeeper-0            1/1     Running   0          2m
my-kafka-cluster-zookeeper-1            1/1     Running   0          2m
my-kafka-cluster-zookeeper-2            1/1     Running   0          2m
strimzi-cluster-operator-...            1/1     Running   0          3m
```

## 6. Testing Kafka

You can create a Kafka topic and produce/consume messages:

```bash
# Create a topic

kubectl exec -it my-kafka-cluster-kafka-0 -n kafka -- \
  bin/kafka-topics.sh --create --topic test-topic --partitions 1 --replication-factor 1 --bootstrap-server my-kafka-cluster-kafka-bootstrap:9092

# Produce messages
kubectl exec -it my-kafka-cluster-kafka-0 -n kafka -- \
  bin/kafka-console-producer.sh --topic test-topic --bootstrap-server my-kafka-cluster-kafka-bootstrap:9092

# Consume messages
kubectl exec -it my-kafka-cluster-kafka-1 -n kafka -- \
  bin/kafka-console-consumer.sh --topic test-topic --from-beginning --bootstrap-server my-kafka-cluster-kafka-bootstrap:9092

Type a few messages in the producer terminal, and they should appear in the consumer terminal.
```

## 7. Clean Up

When you’re done, remove the cluster:

```bash
kind delete cluster --name kafka-demo
```

## Conclusion

With this setup, you have a quick local environment for developing or testing Kafka. The Strimzi operator abstracts away the complexity of Kafka management on Kubernetes. If you want to scale to a production environment, you’ll switch from ephemeral storage to persistent volumes, integrate with your cloud platform, and further tune your Terraform and Strimzi configs.


A step-by-step guide to setting up a Kafka cluster on a local Kind cluster using the Strimzi operator, with optional Terraform provisioning.

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