Introduction

In our previous blog post, we explored how to create a Kafka example application in C# and using Confluent. Now, let’s take it a step further and host our Kafka solution on Microsoft Azure. Azure provides managed services that simplify the deployment and management of Kafka clusters, allowing us to focus on building our application.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, ensure you have the following prerequisites:

1. Azure Account: Sign up for an Azure account if you haven’t already.
2. Visual Studio or Visual Studio Code: We’ll use an IDE to write our C# code.
3. Basic Knowledge of Kafka: If you’re new to Kafka, review the basics from our previous blog post.

Option 1: Azure Event Hubs for Kafka

Azure Event Hubs provides an endpoint compatible with the Apache Kafka producer and consumer APIs. This means you can use Event Hubs as an alternative to running a Kafka cluster on Azure. Here’s how to migrate your Kafka application to Azure Event Hubs:

1. Create an Event Hub Namespace: In the Azure portal, create an Event Hub namespace. This namespace will serve as our Kafka-compatible endpoint.
2. Create an Event Hub: Within the namespace, create an Event Hub. This will be our Kafka topic.
3. Configure Kafka Clients: Update your Kafka producer and consumer applications to use the Event Hubs endpoint. You’ll need the connection string and topic name.
4. Code Example

using Confluent.Kafka; 
var config = new ProducerConfig { BootstrapServers = "your-event-hub-endpoint", SaslMechanism = SaslMechanism.Plain, SecurityProtocol = SecurityProtocol.SaslSsl, SaslUsername = "your-shared-access-key", SaslPassword = "your-shared-access-secret" }; // Create a Kafka producer and produce messages to the Event Hub topic. // Similar changes apply to the consumer.

Option 2: Azure HDInsight with Kafka

Azure HDInsight is a managed big data service that includes Kafka as one of its components. Here’s how to set up Kafka on HDInsight:

1. Create an HDInsight Cluster: In the Azure portal, create an HDInsight cluster with Kafka. Choose the desired cluster size and configuration.
2. Access Kafka: Once the cluster is ready, you can access Kafka using the broker endpoints provided by HDInsight.
3. Code Example

using Confluent.Kafka; 
var config = new ProducerConfig { BootstrapServers = "your-hdinsight-broker-endpoints", SaslMechanism = SaslMechanism.Plain, SecurityProtocol = SecurityProtocol.SaslSsl, SaslUsername = "your-kafka-username", SaslPassword = "your-kafka-password" }; // Create a Kafka producer and consume messages from the HDInsight Kafka topic. // Similar changes apply to the consumer.

Conclusion

Whether you choose Azure Event Hubs or HDInsight, Azure provides robust options for hosting your Kafka solution. Remember to adapt the code snippets to your specific setup and requirements. Happy Kafka-ing in the cloud! 🚀

References:

1. Apache Kafka migration to Azure – Azure Architecture Center¹
2. Fully Managed Apache Kafka on Azure – Confluent²
3. Quickstart: Set up Apache Kafka on HDInsight using Azure portal³
4. What is Azure Event Hubs for Apache Kafka⁴