Stackable Operator for Apache Kafka
Core functionality#
Custom resource#
The operator defines the KafkaCluster custom resource as the primary
configuration object. It contains your Kafka cluster configuration and
defines a single broker role. The operator creates StatefulSets for each
role group, multiple Services for cluster access at different levels,
ConfigMaps for logging and configuration, and a service discovery ConfigMap
referencing the cluster endpoint.
Supported Kafka versions#
| Version | Status |
|---|---|
| 4.2.1 | experimental, deprecated — requires KRaft mode |
| 4.1.1 | experimental, deprecated — requires KRaft mode |
| 3.9.2 | LTS |
| 3.9.1 | deprecated |
Clusters running in KRaft mode (which includes Apache Kafka 4.x) are marked experimental because they haven't been thoroughly tested in production environments yet.
Dependencies#
Kafka requires Apache ZooKeeper for coordination — the docs note this dependency may eventually be replaced with an internal solution as KRaft matures.
Networking & security#
The operator supports ListenerClasses for service exposition. Security capabilities include TLS configuration and authentication mechanisms, covered in the usage guides on docs.stackable.tech rather than the overview page this content was pulled from.
See also#
- Getting Started deploys a real ZooKeeper + Kafka +
NiFi stack using
stackablectl. - Core Concepts for the shared role/role-group/service discovery model this operator follows.