we want use Azure kafka service, some questions need your help : Azure kafka is Confluent Cloud kafka? what's difference with Apache Kafka? Is support cross-region? What configuration is needed to support cross-region? Does it support native Kafka client configuration, or does it require a special client and configuration? What transport protocol does kafka use (TLS/SASL) ?

Hi @Yingping Wu Welcome to Microsoft Q&A platform and thanks for posting your query here. Azure kafka is Confluent Cloud kafka? what's difference with Apache Kafka? Azure Kafka is not exactly the same as Confluent Cloud Kafka, but it is based on Apache Kafka. Confluent Cloud Kafka offers additional features and management capabilities, while Azure Kafka is an integrated managed service provided by Microsoft, built on the same Kafka principles. Apache Kafka is the open-source version, while Azure Kafka is a managed service that simplifies deployment and scaling on Azure. Is support cross-region? What configuration is needed to support cross-region? Yes, Azure Kafka supports cross-region communication. To set it up, you would typically need to configure geo-replication for your Kafka clusters, which allows data to be synchronized across different regions. You'll need to adjust cluster settings and use Azure Event Hubs for Kafka if you plan to connect across different Azure regions. Does it support native Kafka client configuration, or does it require a special client and configuration? Azure Kafka supports the native Kafka client configuration, so you can use the same Kafka clients and APIs that you use with Apache Kafka. No special client is needed for basic operations. What transport protocol does kafka use (TLS/SASL) ? Azure Kafka uses TLS (Transport Layer Security) for encryption in transit. It can also support SASL (Simple Authentication and Security Layer) for authentication, ensuring secure communication. Pricing for Azure Kafka? Pricing varies based on factors like throughput, storage, and usage. For more specific details, you can refer to the Azure pricing page for Kafka and Event Hubs or reach out to your Azure sales representative. Hope this helps. Do let us know if you any further queries. If this answers your query, do click Accept Answer and Yes for was this answer helpful. And, if you have any further query do let us know.

Some questions with the Azure kafka service

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Smaran Thoomu 18,710 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2024-12-16T15:12:29.22+00:00
Hi @Yingping Wu
Welcome to Microsoft Q&A platform and thanks for posting your query here.

Azure kafka is Confluent Cloud kafka? what's difference with Apache Kafka?

Azure Kafka is not exactly the same as Confluent Cloud Kafka, but it is based on Apache Kafka. Confluent Cloud Kafka offers additional features and management capabilities, while Azure Kafka is an integrated managed service provided by Microsoft, built on the same Kafka principles.

Apache Kafka is the open-source version, while Azure Kafka is a managed service that simplifies deployment and scaling on Azure.

Is support cross-region? What configuration is needed to support cross-region?

Yes, Azure Kafka supports cross-region communication. To set it up, you would typically need to configure geo-replication for your Kafka clusters, which allows data to be synchronized across different regions.

You'll need to adjust cluster settings and use Azure Event Hubs for Kafka if you plan to connect across different Azure regions.

Does it support native Kafka client configuration, or does it require a special client and configuration?

Azure Kafka supports the native Kafka client configuration, so you can use the same Kafka clients and APIs that you use with Apache Kafka. No special client is needed for basic operations.

What transport protocol does kafka use (TLS/SASL) ?

Azure Kafka uses TLS (Transport Layer Security) for encryption in transit. It can also support SASL (Simple Authentication and Security Layer) for authentication, ensuring secure communication.

Pricing for Azure Kafka?

Pricing varies based on factors like throughput, storage, and usage. For more specific details, you can refer to the Azure pricing page for Kafka and Event Hubs or reach out to your Azure sales representative.

Hope this helps. Do let us know if you any further queries.

If this answers your query, do click Accept Answer and Yes for was this answer helpful. And, if you have any further query do let us know.
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1 person found this answer helpful.
Yingping Wu 20 Reputation points

2024-12-17T01:52:24.1233333+00:00

Hi Smaran Thoomu, Thanks for you quickly response!

help give me Azure Kafka and Event hub documents link

for support cross-region , we need set kafka mirror maker 2 by ourselves or Azure have ready-made solutions? help for some documents link.

Smaran Thoomu 18,710 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2024-12-18T09:39:31.11+00:00

Hi Yingping Wu

Here are the links to the Azure documentation for Kafka and Event Hubs:

Azure Event Hubs: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/event-hubs/

Azure Kafka: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/hdinsight/kafka/apache-kafka-introduction

Regarding your question about cross-region support and Kafka MirrorMaker 2, Azure does not have a ready-made solution for this. You will need to set up Kafka MirrorMaker 2 yourself to replicate data between Kafka clusters in different regions.

Here are some links to the Kafka MirrorMaker 2 documentation that may be helpful:

Kafka MirrorMaker 2 documentation: https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/KAFKA/KIP-382%3A+MirrorMaker+2.0

Kafka MirrorMaker 2 tutorial: https://www.confluent.io/blog/kafka-mirror-maker-2-in-action-tutorial/

Kafka MirrorMaker 2 GitHub repository: https://github.com/apache/kafka/tree/trunk/connect/mirror

Hope this helps. Do let us know if you any further queries.

If this answers your query, do click Accept Answer and Yes for was this answer helpful. And, if you have any further query do let us know.

Smaran Thoomu 18,710 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2024-12-23T07:03:50.8866667+00:00

@Yingping Wu Following up to see if the above answer was helpful. If this answers your query, do click Accept Answer and Yes for was this answer helpful. And, if you have any further query do let us know.
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Some questions with the Azure kafka service

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