Apache Kafka: Key Benefits & Use Cases

Kafka implements a data processing system with brokers, topics, and APIs that outperforms both SQL and NoSQL database storage with horizontal scalability of hardware resources in multi-node clusters that can be positioned across multiple data center locations. In benchmarks, Kafka outperforms Pulsar & RabbitMQ with lower latency in delivering real-time data across streaming dataarchitecture.

Originally, Apache Kafka was built in order to overcome the high latency associated with batch queue processing using RabbitMQ at the scale of the world’s largest websites. The differences between mean, peak, and tail latency times in event message storage systems enable or limit their real-time functionality on the basis of accuracy. Kafka’s broker, topic, and elastic multi-cluster scalability supports enterprise “big data” with real-time processing with greater adoption than Hadoop.

Kafka Connect offers more than 120 pre-built connectors from open source developers, partners, and ecosystem companies. Examples include integration with Amazon S3 storage, Google BigQuery, ElasticSearch, MongoDB, Redis, Azure Cosmos DB, AEP, SAP, Splunk, and DataDog. Confluent uses converters to serialize or deserialize data in and out of Kafka architecture for advanced metrics and analytics. Programming teams can use the connector resources of Kafka Connect to accelerate application development with support for organizational requirements.

Confluent Cloud is a fully-managed Apache Kafka solution with ksql DB integration, tiered storage, and multi-cloud runtime orchestration that assists software development teams to build streaming dataapplications with greater efficiency. By relying on a pre-installed Kafka environment that is built on the best practices in enterprise and regularly maintained for security upgrades, business organizations can focus on building their code without the hardships of assembling a team and managing the streaming dataarchitecture with 24/7 support over time.

One of the most popular applications of data streaming technology is to provide real-time analytics for business logistics and scientific research at scale to organizations. The capabilities enabled by real-time stream processing cannot be matched by other systems of data storage, which has led to the wide-spread adoption of Apache Kafka across diverse projects with different goals, as well as to the cooperation in code development from business organizations in different sectors. Kafka delivers real-time analytics for Kubernetes with Prometheus integration.

Kafka is governed by the Apache Software Foundation, which provides the structure for peer-reviewed security across Fortune 500 companies, startups, government organizations, and other SMEs. Confluent Cloud provides software developers with a pre-configured enterprise-grade security platform that includes Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) and Secret Protection for passwords. Structured Audit Logs allow for the tracing of cloud events to enact security protocols that protect networks from scripted hacking, account penetration, and DDoS attacks.

Nationwide, ING Bank, CapitalOne, RobinHood, and other banking services use Apache Kafka for real-time fraud detection, cybersecurity, and regulatory compliance. Finance groups also use the service for stock market trading applications, such as quant platforms and security price charting using ML/DL for data analytics.

Apache Kafka is used by companies like Walmart, Lowe’s, Domino’s, and Bosch for product recommendations, inventory management, deliveries, supply-chain optimization, and omni-channel experience creation. Ecommerce companies also use Kafka on their platforms for real-time analytics of user traffic and fraud protection.

Confluent has been recommended by Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, JP Morgan, and Credit Suisse for bringing innovation to the insurance industry through “big data” analysis and real-time monitoring systems that improve predictive modeling. This includes the use of data from weather, seismic, financial markets, logistics, etc.

Data streaming applications in healthcare extend from IoT devices that continually monitor patient’s vital data to record keeping systems with HIPAA compliance. The low-latency of real-time monitoring systems with Kafka are important in hospitals to allow medical personnel to respond to critical issues with system alerts.

Companies like Audi, E.ON, Target, and Severstal are innovating with IoT (Internet of Things) devices using Kafka for message queues and event streams. Confluent’s MQTT Proxy is a great choice for developers to stream their data into ksql for analysis. Other IoT developers use Confluent’s REST Proxy to stream data via API to hardware.

Apache Kafka is used extensively by telcos worldwide as part of OSS, BSS, OTT, IMS, NFV, Middleware, Mainframe, etc. solutions. Confluent assists telecom companies to deploy resources across on-premise data centers, edge processing, and multi-cloud architectures at scale. Netflix, 8x8, Tivo, & Sky also use Kafka for services.

Kafka benefits Uber and Lyft in the matching of drivers and customers at scale on a global level. streaming dataarchitecture and real-time tracking enable the companies to build software applications which optimize ride sharing and taxi reservations. Driver pairing and route optimization can be further improved with ML.

Social media companies use Apache Kafka for content recommendations at scale for hundreds of millions of users. The customization of social media feeds based on user preferences combines algorithms, machine learning, omni-channel, and event streaming architecture for “big data” processing with historical archives & backups.

Confluent has built a connector for Splunk to make integration of event data available for SIEM, security, and metrics applications. Kafka-based Application Performance Monitoring (APM) solutions for cloud SaaS and SDDC management on multi-cloud hardware are used with Prometheus, Grafana, Splunk, and Datadog.

As part of the platform’s transition to original content creation, Netflix adopted Apache Kafka to utilize the advantages of the publish/subscribe model in media recommendations to their user base. Netflix defines Apache Kafka as “the de-facto standard for its eventing, messaging, and stream processing needs” in the cloud.

One of the best examples of the use of Apache Kafka and streaming dataarchitecture for inventory management at global scale in the Fortune 500 is Walmart. The company has committed to event-stream architecture as a means to optimize corporate operations on data-driven methods with real-time tracking of timestamps.

Confluent Cloud provides real-time data analysis, swarm intelligence, API integration, and machine learning (ML) frameworks that are designed for the automotive industry. Tesla uses Apache Kafka event streaming architecture for autonomous vehicle development, supply chain optimization, and manufacturing.