First Connection

Connect to your first Kafka cluster with Topiq.

Creating a Connection

To connect to a Kafka cluster:

  1. Click the + button in the sidebar or go to File → New Connection
  2. Enter a name for your connection (e.g., “Local Development”)
  3. Configure your connection settings

Connection Settings

Bootstrap Servers

Enter one or more Kafka broker addresses separated by commas:

localhost:9092
broker1.example.com:9092,broker2.example.com:9092

Authentication

Topiq supports multiple authentication methods:

No Authentication

Use this for local development clusters without security.

SASL/PLAIN

Username: your-username
Password: your-password

SASL/SCRAM

Select SCRAM-SHA-256 or SCRAM-SHA-512 and provide your credentials.

SSL/TLS

Upload your certificates:

  • CA Certificate
  • Client Certificate (optional)
  • Client Key (optional)

Advanced Settings

  • Client ID: Custom identifier for your connection
  • Request Timeout: Time to wait for responses (default: 30s)
  • Session Timeout: Consumer session timeout

Testing the Connection

Click Test Connection to verify your settings. If successful, you’ll see a confirmation message with broker details.

Saving the Connection

Click Save to store your connection profile. You can edit or delete it later from the sidebar.

Connecting

Double-click your saved connection or right-click and select Connect. Once connected, you’ll see:

  • Cluster information
  • List of topics
  • Consumer groups
  • Broker details

Troubleshooting

Connection Refused

  • Verify the broker address and port
  • Check that Kafka is running
  • Ensure no firewall is blocking the connection

Authentication Failed

  • Double-check your credentials
  • Verify the SASL mechanism matches your cluster configuration

SSL Certificate Errors

  • Ensure certificates are valid and not expired
  • Check that the CA certificate matches your cluster’s certificate authority

Next Steps