Building Kafka Connectors with Kotlin: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creation and Deployment

Kafka Connect, the framework for building scalable and reliable data pipelines, has gained immense popularity in the data engineering landscape. This session will provide a comprehensive guide to creating Kafka connectors using Kotlin, a language known for its conciseness and expressiveness.

In this session, we will explore a step-by-step approach to crafting Kafka connectors with Kotlin, from inception to deployment using an simple use case. The process includes the following key aspects:

Understanding Kafka Connect: We'll start with an overview of Kafka Connect and its architecture, emphasizing its importance in real-time data integration and streaming.

Connector Design: Delve into the design principles that govern connector creation. Learn how to choose between source and sink connectors and identify the data format that suits your use case.

Building a Source Connector: We'll start with building a Kafka source connector, exploring key considerations, such as data transformations, serialization, deserialization, error handling and delivery guarantees. You will see how Kotlin's concise syntax and type safety can simplify the implementation.

Testing: Learn how to rigorously test your connector to ensure its reliability and robustness, utilizing best practices for testing in Kotlin.

Connector Deployment: go through the process of deploying your connector in a Kafka Connect cluster, and discuss strategies for monitoring and scaling.

Real-World Use Cases: Explore real-world examples of Kafka connectors built with Kotlin.

By the end of this session, you will have a solid foundation for creating and deploying Kafka connectors using Kotlin, equipped with practical knowledge and insights to make your data integration processes more efficient and reliable. Whether you are a seasoned developer or new to Kafka Connect, this guide will help you harness the power of Kafka and Kotlin for seamless data flow in your applications.