Kafka Security & Configuration Flashcards

Where is the `server.properties` file used in a Kafka deployment?

Answer: It is the main broker configuration file containing all broker settings

server.properties is the primary configuration file for each Kafka broker, containing settings like listener ports, log directories, and replication defaults.

What does the `log.dirs` broker configuration specify?

Answer: One or more comma-separated directories where Kafka stores partition log data on disk

log.dirs tells Kafka brokers which directories to use for storing partition segment files; spreading across multiple paths can improve I/O throughput.

What is the default Kafka broker port?

Answer: 9092

Kafka brokers listen on port 9092 by default for PLAINTEXT client connections (port 9093 is common for SSL).

What does `inter.broker.listener.name` configure?

Answer: The listener name that brokers use for internal replication communication

inter.broker.listener.name specifies which named listener (and its associated protocol) is used for broker-to-broker replication traffic.

What Kafka broker setting controls the maximum message size the broker will accept?

Answer: message.max.bytes

message.max.bytes (default 1 MB) is the maximum size of a batch that the broker will accept from producers; exceeding it results in a MESSAGE_TOO_LARGE error.

How does Kafka KRaft mode differ from the ZooKeeper-based architecture?

Answer: KRaft mode eliminates ZooKeeper by storing cluster metadata in a Kafka internal topic managed by a Raft consensus quorum

KRaft (Kafka Raft) replaces ZooKeeper with Kafka's own built-in Raft consensus protocol for metadata management, simplifying operations.