Apache Kafka on Kubernetes

Module 1: Kafka and Kubernetes basics

• Quick Kafka recap and why run it on Kubernetes
• Pods, StatefulSets, PersistentVolumeClaims, and Services in plain language
• Operator overview and when to prefer operator managed clusters

Module 2: Provisioning with an operator

• Core custom resources for a Kafka cluster
• Broker configuration at a beginner level such as listeners and storage
• Creating a minimal cluster and understanding status and events

Module 3: Storage and networking essentials

• StorageClasses, PVC sizing, replication, and retention choices
• Service types for internal and external access and headless discovery
• Listeners, advertised addresses, and client connectivity checks

Module 4: Topics and clients

• Creating topics with partitions and replication that fit the workload
• Retention and compaction explained with simple examples
• Producer and consumer basics including acks, retries, and offset commits

Module 5: Connect and schemas on Kubernetes

• Running Kafka Connect workers and adding a connector
• Single Message Transforms for simple reshaping
• Schema considerations and registry basics for safe evolution

Module 6: Observability and scaling

• Key metrics to watch such as under replicated partitions and consumer lag
• Prometheus or Grafana at a glance and useful dashboards
• Adding brokers and partitions and right sizing consumers

Module 7: Security and governance

• TLS at rest and in transit in simple terms
• SASL and ACL basics and secrets handling
• Namespaces, network policies, and naming conventions

Module 8: Troubleshooting and safe changes

• Common issues such as misconfigured listeners or disk pressure
• Rolling updates, broker restarts, and partition reassignment
• Simple backup considerations and a lightweight change checklist