What is Apache Kafka used for in data processing?
Updated May 15, 2026
Short answer
Kafka is a distributed streaming platform for real-time data pipelines.
Deep explanation
It enables publish-subscribe messaging, fault tolerance, and scalable streaming. Producers send data to topics, and consumers process it in real time.
Real-world example
Real-time log processing in large-scale web applications.
Common mistakes
- Misconfiguring partitions and consumer groups.
Follow-up questions
- What is a Kafka topic?
- What are consumer groups?