Before installing Kafka on Kubernetes, you should know the basics of managing data within a cluster. This article will discuss the prerequisites for using Kafka and which tools are best for the job. Kafka can be a valuable data management tool for your cluster. Read on to discover more why you should run kafka on kubernetes and the benefits of Kafka for your Kubernetes cluster.
Managing data in a Kubernetes cluster
As the number of containers in your Kubernetes cluster grows, managing data in this environment can be complex. It includes everything from cluster creation to upgrading and security patch management. While there are several challenges to managing data in a Kubernetes cluster, implementing best practice governance early in the lifecycle will prevent major legwork down the road. In addition, once your cluster reaches a specific size, you can split it into smaller clusters to optimize observability and management.
To enable storage for your containers, you must configure persistent volumes. You can define persistent volumes using the StorageClass API. Persistent volumes are essentially storage elements that are defined dynamically. They are used to allocate storage resources to container nodes. To use storage, you can define persistent volume claims and storage types. Storage class configuration in your containers will avoid unexpected resource scarcity and storage consumption.
Namespaces are another way to manage data. Kubernetes supports namespaces that define the scope of a cluster. For example, a namespace allows you to define RBAC, pod security policies, network policies, and quotas for a particular cluster. In addition, you can use a namespace to separate cluster resources for each team. It is particularly useful if you have multiple teams working on a single project.
Requirements for running Kafka on Kubernetes
Before running Kafka on Kubernetes, ensure you have all the infrastructures in place. It includes Terraform for provisioning your AWS EC2 instances and resources. Zookeeper and Ansible Playbooks to install them. DNS for configuring static addresses for your Kafka brokers. Good storage and network infrastructure are critical for the overall performance of your cluster.
You should have at least two Kubernetes nodes. It is because Kafka runs as a cluster of brokers, and clusters have more control over their behavior than standalone servers. Kubernetes can also automatically recover nodes and containers, so you do not have to worry about failing brokers. It helps you maintain better performance and failover times. The other advantage of running Kafka on Kubernetes is the ease of development.
The Kafka library can use local storage to manage topic partitions and replicas. You can also use the local path provisioner to create persistent volumes and set pod disruption budgets. Unfortunately, Kafka is not production-ready in Kraft mode yet. As a result, you won’t be able to use partition re-assignment, unclean leader election, or dynamic broker endpoints. You must also manually upgrade your cluster to support KRaft mode.
Best tools to deploy Kafka on Kubernetes
Kubernetes and Kafka are prevalent technologies that are often used together. Using Kubernetes for both can help you scale your cluster with ease. You can also manage your Kafka cluster with Kubernetes using the KRaft mode, which removes the need to manage Zookeeper pods. Moreover, you can change Kafka’s configuration on a pod restart, which makes it a convenient tool for DevOps teams.
The PDS tool is a useful tool for setting up a Kafka cluster. This tool can deploy a ZooKeeper-backed cluster. Once you have the cluster deployed, you must enter the connection string, password, and cluster name. The PDS tool then creates the cluster for you, allowing you to use it for Kafka deployment. It also lets you configure a Kafka cluster on a namespace, so you can connect to it without knowing any underlying configuration details.
If you’re new to Kubernetes, it’s worth exploring the various deployment options. Using the StatefulSet option is an easy way to start the Kafka cluster. With this option, you can define three replicas, configure your broker server’s properties, set quorum voters, and more. The script is available in this repository. For the internal and external communication between your Kafka brokers, you can use the 9092 and 9093 ports.