* [Topics](/en/topics "Topics") * [Integration](/en/topics/integration "Integration") * What is a Kafka service? What is a Kafka service? ======================== Published October 7, 2021•*2*-minute read Copy URL Jump to section --------------- OverviewWhat is Apache Kafka?What is streaming data?Benefits of a Kafka service Overview -------- A Kafka service refers to a cloud service offering of Apache Kafka, a data streaming platform. [Apache Kafka](/en/topics/integration/what-is-apache-kafka) is complex to deploy at scale, especially across a hybrid cloud environment. That’s why many streaming data users often opt for a Kafka service, in which infrastructure and system management is offloaded to a service provider. What is Apache Kafka? --------------------- Apache Kafka is an open source, distributed data streaming platform that can publish, subscribe to, store, and process streams of records in real time. It is designed to handle data streams from multiple sources and deliver them to multiple consumers. Built to handle massive amounts of data, Apache Kafka is a suitable solution for enterprise applications. Apache Kafka is designed to manage streaming data while being fast, horizontally scalable, and fault-tolerant. Apache Kafka is well suited for [big data](/en/topics/big-data) challenges. In many data processing use cases, such as the IoT and social media, data is increasing exponentially, and may quickly overwhelm an application you are building based on today's data volume. For developers working with [microservices](/en/topics/microservices), Apache Kafka is a great option when using asynchronous event-driven integration—which can augment the use of synchronous integration and [application programming interfaces (APIs)](/en/topics/api/what-are-application-programming-interfaces). [Learn more about Apache Kafka](/en/topics/integration/what-is-apache-kafka "article | what is apache kafka") Recommended for you Get hands-on with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 --------------------------------------------- [Watch the webinar](https://www.redhat.com/en/events/virtual/get-hands-on-with-redhat-enterprise-linux-10?percmp=RHCTG0250000455235) What is streaming data, and why does it matter? ----------------------------------------------- Streaming data is the continuous flow of real-time information, often represented as a running log of changes or events that have occurred in a data set. Data streaming use cases can involve any situation that demands a real-time response to events—anything from financial transactions to Internet of Things (IoT) data to hospital patient monitoring. Software that interacts with streaming data makes it possible to process data the moment it arrives, often using the [event-driven architecture](/en/topics/integration/what-is-event-driven-architecture) model. With an event streaming model, event consumers can read from any part of the stream and can join the stream at any time. A basic data streaming event includes a key, a value, and a timestamp. A data streaming platform ingests events and processes, or transforms the event stream. And event stream processing can be used to find patterns in data streams. [Learn more about streaming data](/en/topics/integration/what-is-streaming-data "article | what is streaming data?") What are the benefits of a Kafka service? ----------------------------------------- For all its benefits, Apache Kafka can be challenging to deploy at scale in a hybrid cloud environment. Streaming data services can have more stringent requirements than other data applications. Data streams must deliver sequenced information in real time, and must be consistent and highly available. The amount of raw data in a stream can surge rapidly. Streams need to prioritize proper data sequencing, data consistency, and availability, even during times of high activity. Streams also must be designed for durability in the event of a partial system failure. Across a distributed [hybrid cloud](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-is-hybrid-cloud) environment, a streaming data cluster demands special considerations. Apache Kafka data brokers are stateful and must be preserved in the event of a restart. Scaling requires careful orchestration to make sure messaging services behave as expected and no records are lost. These challenges are why many Apache Kafka users opt for a managed cloud service, in which infrastructure and system management is offloaded to a service provider. Some of the benefits realized from using a Kafka service include: * Infrastructure management is taken care of, so teams can instead focus on app development and other core competencies. * Faster application velocity, as teams can begin developing immediately and implement new technology quickly. * A large ecosystem of additional cloud services, which can also simplify the delivery of stream-based applications. * Connectors that link Kafka brokers to distributed services, making it easy to consume and share streaming data between applications and systems. * Consumption-based pricing, allowing customers to pay for what they need when they need it. And when run on a managed [Kubernetes](/en/topics/containers/what-is-kubernetes) platform, Apache Kafka clusters can span across on-site and public, private, or hybrid clouds, and use different operating systems. [Read more about Kafka on Kubernetes](/en/topics/integration/why-run-apache-kafka-on-kubernetes "article | Why run Apache Kafka on Kubernetes") Recommended for you E-book Managing infrastructure at cloud scale -------------------------------------- Download the Managing infrastructure at cloud scale e-book for exclusive insights on the efficiency and unlimited scalability of cloud solutions. [Read the e-book](https://www.redhat.com/en/engage/managing-infrastructure-at-cloud-scale-ebook?percmp=RHCTG0250000455234) Recommended for you Developing Event-Driven Applications with Apache Kafka and Red Hat AMQ Streams ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Develop, scale, and troubleshoot event-driven microservice applications. [View course](https://www.redhat.com/en/services/training/ad482-developing-event-driven-applications-apache-kafka-and-red-hat-amq-streams?percmp=RHCTG0250000455236) Keep reading ------------ ### What is a service mesh? Read this article to find out more about what a service mesh is, how it works, and the benefits and challenges of implementing a service mesh. [Read the article](/en/topics/microservices/what-is-a-service-mesh "article | what is a service mesh?") ### What is application integration? Application integration connects different systems and applications by enabling them to work together through exchanging data and using services. [Read the article](/en/topics/cloud-native-apps/application-integration "article | What is application integration") ### What is middleware? Middleware is software that provides common services and capabilities to applications outside of what’s offered by the operating system. [Read the article](/en/topics/middleware/what-is-middleware "article | what is middleware") Integration resources --------------------- ### Related content * Case study [HCA Healthcare develops predictive analytics using Red Hat software](/en/resources/hca-healthcare-case-study) * Blog post [Evolving our ServiceNow integration: Sunsetting the Notification Service for more capable alternatives](/en/blog/evolving-our-servicenow-integration-sunsetting-notification-service-more-capable-alternatives) * Case study [GSE and Blaze transform the electricity market with OpenShift](/en/resources/georgian-state-electrosystem-and-blaze-case-study) * Blog post [Beyond the horizon: Navigating the bridge between today's tech and tomorrow's AI](/en/blog/beyond-horizon-navigating-bridge-between-todays-tech-and-tomorrows-ai) ### Related articles * [What is a service mesh?](/en/topics/microservices/what-is-a-service-mesh) * [What is application integration?](/en/topics/cloud-native-apps/application-integration) * [What is middleware?](/en/topics/middleware/what-is-middleware) * [What is Apache Kafka?](/en/topics/integration/what-is-apache-kafka) * [Why choose Red Hat for middleware?](/en/topics/middleware/why-choose-red-hat-middleware) * [What is an API?](/en/topics/api/what-are-application-programming-interfaces) * [Red Hat OpenShift application services](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/application-services) * [What is an independent software vendor (ISV)?](/en/topics/digital-transformation/isv-partners) * [What is streaming data?](/en/topics/integration/what-is-streaming-data) * [Do banking APIs benefit from cloud technology?](/en/topics/api/banking-api) * [How microservices support IT integration in healthcare](/en/topics/microservices/microservices-in-healthcare) * [What is a service registry?](/en/topics/integration/what-is-a-service-registry) * [What is an event mesh?](/en/topics/integration/what-is-an-event-mesh) * [What is change data capture?](/en/topics/integration/what-is-change-data-capture) * [Why Red Hat for APIs?](/en/topics/api/why-choose-red-hat-apis) * [What is service-oriented architecture?](/en/topics/cloud-native-apps/what-is-service-oriented-architecture) * [What is the Kubernetes API?](/en/topics/containers/what-is-the-kubernetes-api) * [What is a REST API?](/en/topics/api/what-is-a-rest-api) * [What is event-driven architecture?](/en/topics/integration/what-is-event-driven-architecture) * [What is API monetization?](/en/topics/api/what-is-api-monetization) * [REST vs. SOAP](/en/topics/integration/whats-the-difference-between-soap-rest) * [Why choose Red Hat for integration?](/en/topics/integration/why-choose-red-hat-integration) * [What is API design?](/en/topics/api/what-is-api-design) * [What is API management?](/en/topics/api/what-is-api-management) * [What is API security?](/en/topics/security/api-security) * [What is GraphQL?](/en/topics/api/what-is-graphql) * [What does an API gateway do?](/en/topics/api/what-does-an-api-gateway-do) * [What is integration?](/en/topics/integration/what-is-integration) [More about this topic](/en/topics/integration "More about this topic")