What will I be able to do after completing this course?

You'll be able to describe Kafka's architecture and components, install and set up Zookeeper and Kafka clusters, create and consume messages, handle serializers/deserializers, manage offsets, and build up basic streaming workflows.

What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?

When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

Is financial aid available?

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

Kafka Fundamentals

Kafka Fundamentals

This course is part of Apache Kafka Specialization

Instructor: LearnKartS

5,784 already enrolled

Included with

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3 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

41 reviews

Beginner level

Recommended experience

5 hours to complete

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

3 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

41 reviews

Beginner level

Recommended experience

5 hours to complete

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

Learn Kafka's key features, components, architecture, and industry use cases.
How to Set up Kafka environments and install Zookeeper and Kafka
Learn Kafka producer and consumer basics, configurations, and operations. Work with serializers and deserializers, and manage offsets.
Understand data evolution, the significance of big data, analytics applications, and messaging systems.

Skills you'll gain

Tools you'll learn

Apache Kafka

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

12 assignments

Taught in English

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This course is part of the Apache Kafka Specialization

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.

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Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 3 modules in this course

In a data-driven world, real-time processing is no longer optional—it's required. This Apache Kafka Fundamentals is a beginner-friendly but in-depth course for developers, data engineers, system administrators, and IT professionals who want to understand the fundamentals of Apache Kafka and its role in creating modern, high-performance data pipelines.

You will begin by studying the growth of data systems and the growing significance of big data, analytics, and messaging platforms. Then explore Apache Kafka's architecture, including its key components (partitions, producers, consumers, and brokers), as well as how it handles distributed messaging at scale. You'll learn how to install and set up Kafka and Zookeeper, as well as how to create and operate producers and consumers. You'll also work with crucial features including serializers, deserializers, offset management, and consumer group rebalancing. Hands-on demos, videos, and graded assignments will provide you with practical experience with Kafka in real-world streaming applications. By the end, you'll be able to design and build scalable streaming applications using Apache Kafka. Enroll today and take the first step toward the future of real-time data.

This module provides an overview of Big Data, messaging systems, and Apache Kafka, including installation and setup demonstrations. By the end of this, learners will be able to install and configure the Kafka environment.

What's included

16 videos5 readings4 assignments

16 videos Total 49 minutes

Course Introduction 2 minutes
Data Evolution Over Time 4 minutes
Big Data Overview 2 minutes
Big Data Analytics 3 minutes
Messaging System 6 minutes
Introduction and Features of Kafka 4 minutes
Kafka Use Cases 4 minutes
Kafka Terminologies 1 minute
Kafka Components 7 minutes
Kafka Architecture 1 minute
Kafka Clusters 1 minute
Kafka Industry Use Cases 2 minutes
DEMO: Install Zookeeper 3 minutes
DEMO: Install Kafka 2 minutes
DEMO: Set up a Single Node Single Broker Cluster 3 minutes
DEMO: Set up a Multi-Node Single Broker Cluster 3 minutes

5 readings Total 21 minutes

Specialization Introduction 4 minutes
Introduction and Syllabus 2 minutes
Security Lessons from the 2017 Equifax Data Breach 5 minutes
Summary 5 minutes
From Single Broker Setup to Distributed Kafka Clusters – Understanding the Architectural Shift 5 minutes

4 assignments Total 26 minutes

Big Data and Apache Kafka 12 minutes
Big Data Evolution 4 minutes
Kafka Basics 6 minutes
Zookeeper and Kafka Cluster Setup 4 minutes

This module provides an overview of Kafka Producer, covering its architecture and configuration. By completing this module, learners will be able to create and configure Kafka Producers, handle message serialization, and manage partitioning.

What's included

12 videos2 readings4 assignments

12 videos Total 46 minutes

Overview of Producer and Architecture 4 minutes
Kafka Producer Configuration 2 minutes
Kafka Producer Optional Configuration 3 minutes
Kafka Producer Configuration Objects 7 minutes
DEMO: Create a Kafka Producer 2 minutes
Sending Messages 5 minutes
Serializers and Custom Serializers 3 minutes
DEMO: Creating a Custom Serializer 4 minutes
Serializers Challenges and Serializing Using Apache Avro 4 minutes
DEMO: Serializing Using Apache Avro 3 minutes
Partitions 4 minutes
DEMO: Set up Custom Partition 4 minutes

2 readings Total 10 minutes

Understanding Serialization in Kafka – From Basic Messages to Structured Data 5 minutes
Summary 5 minutes

4 assignments Total 32 minutes

Kafka Producer 12 minutes
Configuring Kafka Producers 6 minutes
Working with Serializer 6 minutes
Kafka Partitions 8 minutes

This module introduces Kafka Consumer fundamentals, including consumer groups, offset management, and deserialization techniques. By completing this module, learners will gain the ability to create Kafka Consumers, effectively manage offsets, and implement custom deserializers for efficient data processing.

What's included

17 videos3 readings4 assignments

17 videos Total 51 minutes

Overview of Kafka Consumer 3 minutes
Consumer Groups 4 minutes
Partition Rebalance and Creating a Consumer 4 minutes
Poll Loop and Its Functioning 3 minutes
Configuring Kafka Consumer: fetch.min.bytes, fetch.max.wait.ms, max.partition.fetch.bytes, session.timeout.ms 5 minutes
Kafka Consumer Configuration: auto.offset.reset, enable.auto.commit, partition.assignment.strategy, client.id, max.poll.records, receive.buffer.bytes, send.buffer.bytes 6 minutes
DEMO: Create Kafka Consumer 3 minutes
Commit and Offset 4 minutes
Ways of Committing Offset - Automatic Offset 2 minutes
Ways of Committing Offset - Commit Current Offset 2 minutes
Ways of Committing Offset - Asynchronous Commit 2 minutes
Ways of Committing Offset - Synchronous and Asynchronous Offset 1 minute
Ways of Committing Offset - Commit Specified Offset 1 minute
Rebalance Listeners 2 minutes
Consuming Records with Specific Offset 4 minutes
Introduction to Deserializers 3 minutes
DEMO: Create and Use a Custom Deserializer 2 minutes

3 readings Total 12 minutes

Understanding Kafka Consumers – Coordination, Rebalancing, and Reliability 5 minutes
Mastering Offset Management in Kafka – Reliability, Control, and Data Consistency 5 minutes
Course Synopsis 2 minutes

4 assignments Total 30 minutes

Kafka Consumer 12 minutes
Optimizing Kafka Consumers 6 minutes
Kafka Offset Handling 8 minutes
Kafka Deserialization 4 minutes

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Instructor

Instructor ratings

(9 ratings)

LearnKartS

140 Courses 186,058 learners

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LearnKartS

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Reviewed on Dec 9, 2025

Really great coverage of Kafka foundations. Great didactics and clear explanations.

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Frequently asked questions

The Apache Kafka training course primarily uses Java for coding examples and exercises, as Kafka itself is written in Java. Some exercises may also involve Scala and command-line scripts.

Yes, a course completion certificate is allocated upon completing all graded assignments and quizzes present in the Kafka Fundamentals course.

Prior Kafka knowledge is not required; however, learners should be familiar with programming fundamentals (Java or Python) and comprehend distributed computing ideas.

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.