Kafka Connection

Supported Kafka Versions #

• 2.1.0

• 3.4.x

Connection Configuration #

Configure the fields required to create the connection as explained below.

Connection Name #

Enter a unique name for this connection.

Connection Type #

Choose between a secure SSH Tunnel connection or a direct connection.

If Connection Type value is SSH Tunnel, additional fields will be displayed as given below:

To know more about SSH Tunneling with Gathr, see SSH Tunneling.

SSH Key #

Provide the SSH key for authenticating the SSH host and user.

SSH Host #

Enter the public IP address of your SSH host.

SSH User #

Specify the default SSH username.

If Connection Type value is Direct Connection, then proceed by updating the following fields.

zk Hosts #

List of comma-separated IP:port pairs for Zookeeper.

Kafka Brokers #

List of Kafka nodes for creating connections.

Enable Topic Administration #

Allows the user to create and update topics in Kafka, provided they have the necessary authorization for these actions.

Enable SSL #

Enable SSL for the Kafka connection.

Upload Truststore File #

Upload the Truststore file for SSL in JKS format.

Truststore Password #

Enter the password for the Truststore file.

Enable Authentication #

Enable additional authentication settings.

Upload Keystore File #

Upload the Keystore file for authentication in PKCS12 format.

Keystore Password #

Enter the password for the Keystore file.

Password #

Enter the password for the private key in the Keystore file.

Confluent Kafka #

Check this box if you are using Confluent Kafka.

Enabling this option ensures compatibility with Confluent-specific configurations and optimizations.

Schema Registry URL #

Enter the Schema Registry URL for your Kafka setup.

This is the location where Kafka stores and manages data schemas. It helps ensure consistency and compatibility of data formats in your Kafka topics.

Example: http://localhost:8081.

Enable SASL #

Select to enable SASL based authentication for enhanced security in the Kafka connection.

SASL Mechanism #

Choose how you want to securely prove your identity based on your Kafka server setup.

Enter one of these methods:

• PLAIN: Send your username and password (make sure it’s a secure connection).

• GSSAPI (Kerberos): Integrates with security systems like Kerberos. Offers secure authentication without sharing sensitive info.

• SCRAM: Modern and secure. Uses a challenge-response approach, protecting against various attacks.

SASL JAAS Configuration #

Specify how Java applications authenticate users using SASL.

Configure the Java Authentication and Authorization Service (JAAS) by defining login modules and options.

Tailor these settings to control how user identities are verified and authorized during authentication.

Example Values for JAAS Configuration:

• com.example.CustomLoginModule required;

• com.sun.security.auth.module.Krb5LoginModule required useKeyTab=true keyTab="/path/to/keytab" principal="user@example.com";

• org.apache.kafka.common.security.scram.ScramLoginModule required username="myUser" password="myPassword" principal="user@example.com" serviceName="kafka";

User Principal #

Enter the unique identity (principal) for SASL authentication.

This identifies you during the authentication process.

Example Values for User Principal:

• user123

• user.one@example.com

Security Protocol #

This field appears when SSL is enabled. Specify the security protocol for the Kafka connection.

Common options include:

• SSL: If SSL is enabled, providing SSL ensures encrypted communication.

• PLAINTEXT: If SSL is not enabled, you can provide PLAINTEXT for unencrypted communication.

When SASL is enabled, the following values are valid:

• SASL_SSL: This protocol combines SASL for authentication and SSL for encryption. It ensures both secure authentication and encrypted data transmission, providing a high level of security.

• SASL_PLAINTEXT: This option uses SASL for authentication but does not encrypt the data during transmission. It’s less secure compared to SASL_SSL but may be suitable for environments where encryption is not a requirement.

Make sure the selected protocol aligns with your security requirements and the configuration of your Kafka cluster.

Example Value for Security Protocol:

• SSL

• PLAINTEXT

• SASL_SSL

• SASL_PLAINTEXT

Add Configuration: Additional properties can be added using ADD CONFIGURATION link.

After entering all the details, click on the TEST button.

If the connection service identification and authentication details are provided correctly, a success message stating “connection available” is generated. Click on the CREATE button to save the changes.

If the details are incorrect or the server is down, you will get a message “Connection unavailable”.