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Mastering Kafka

Run Kafka, produce and consume messages reliably, and build a small event pipeline you can explain in an interview.

6 trail maps · 12 articles · 44 min reading, plus a task to try in each article

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Start the trail

First up: Send your first message, 4 min

Before you start

Trail maps

  • Messaging basics 3 articles

    Run a broker, send a message and read it back.

  • Producing and consuming 3 articles

    Control where messages land, then send and read them from code.

  • Consumer groups 2 articles

    Share work across consumers and control when progress is saved.

  • Operating a cluster 2 articles

    Keep data safe and spot consumers that fall behind.

  • Stream processing 1 article

    Turn one stream of events into another as they arrive.

  • Proof project 1 article

    Put the trail together and prove you reached the destination.

  1. Article 1: Send your first message4 min. Part of Messaging basics. Start here. Done. Up next.
  2. Article 2: Split a topic into partitions3 min. Part of Messaging basics. Done. Up next. Learn first: Send your first message.
  3. Article 3: Read from an offset2 min. Part of Messaging basics. Done. Up next. Learn first: Send your first message.
  4. Article 4: Keep related messages in order4 min. Part of Producing and consuming. Done. Up next. Learn first: Split a topic into partitions.
  5. Article 5: Send messages from code4 min. Part of Producing and consuming. Done. Up next. Learn first: Keep related messages in order.
  6. Article 6: Read messages from code6 min. Part of Producing and consuming. Done. Up next. Learn first: Read from an offset, Send messages from code.
  7. Article 7: Share work with a consumer group3 min. Part of Consumer groups. Done. Up next. Learn first: Split a topic into partitions, Read from an offset.
  8. Article 8: Commit offsets yourself4 min. Part of Consumer groups. Done. Up next. Learn first: Read messages from code, Share work with a consumer group.
  9. Article 9: Keep data safe with replication3 min. Part of Operating a cluster. Done. Up next. Learn first: Split a topic into partitions.
  10. Article 10: Watch consumer lag3 min. Part of Operating a cluster. Done. Up next. Learn first: Commit offsets yourself.
  11. Article 11: Transform a stream4 min. Part of Stream processing. Done. Up next. Learn first: Send messages from code, Commit offsets yourself.
  12. Article 12: Build an order pipeline4 min. Part of Proof project. Done. Up next. Learn first: Keep data safe with replication, Watch consumer lag, Transform a stream.

  1. Messaging basics

    1. Article 1: Send your first message
      4 min Done. Up next.
    2. Article 2: Split a topic into partitions
      3 min · Learn first: 1 Done. Up next. (Send your first message)
    3. Article 3: Read from an offset
      2 min · Learn first: 1 Done. Up next. (Send your first message)

  2. Producing and consuming

    1. Article 4: Keep related messages in order
      4 min · Learn first: 2 Done. Up next. (Split a topic into partitions)
    2. Article 5: Send messages from code
      4 min · Learn first: 4 Done. Up next. (Keep related messages in order)
    3. Article 6: Read messages from code
      6 min · Learn first: 3, 5 Done. Up next. (Read from an offset, Send messages from code)

  3. Consumer groups

    1. Article 7: Share work with a consumer group
      3 min · Learn first: 2, 3 Done. Up next. (Split a topic into partitions, Read from an offset)
    2. Article 8: Commit offsets yourself
      4 min · Learn first: 6, 7 Done. Up next. (Read messages from code, Share work with a consumer group)

  4. Operating a cluster

    1. Article 9: Keep data safe with replication
      3 min · Learn first: 2 Done. Up next. (Split a topic into partitions)
    2. Article 10: Watch consumer lag
      3 min · Learn first: 8 Done. Up next. (Commit offsets yourself)

  5. Stream processing

    1. Article 11: Transform a stream
      4 min · Learn first: 5, 8 Done. Up next. (Send messages from code, Commit offsets yourself)

  6. Proof project

    1. Article 12: Build an order pipeline
      4 min · Learn first: 9, 10, 11 Done. Up next. (Keep data safe with replication, Watch consumer lag, Transform a stream)

After this trail