Quick Start

Get up and running with Topiq in 5 minutes.

Overview

This guide will help you get started with Topiq quickly. By the end, you’ll be able to browse topics, view messages, and monitor consumer groups.

Prerequisites

Step 1: Connect to Your Cluster

  1. Launch Topiq
  2. Click New Connection in the sidebar
  3. Enter your broker address (e.g., localhost:9092)
  4. Click Test Connection to verify
  5. Click Save and then Connect

Step 2: Browse Topics

Once connected, you’ll see your topics in the sidebar. Click on any topic to view:

  • Overview: Partition count, replication factor, configuration
  • Messages: Real-time message stream
  • Partitions: Distribution and leader information

Searching Topics

Use the search bar at the top to filter topics by name. Supports partial matching and regex patterns.

Step 3: View Messages

Select a topic and click the Messages tab:

  1. Choose starting point: Beginning, End, or Timestamp
  2. Optionally add filters for key or value
  3. Click Start to begin consuming messages

Message Formats

Topiq automatically detects and formats:

  • JSON (with syntax highlighting)
  • Avro (if Schema Registry is configured)
  • Plain text

Exporting Messages

Click Export to save messages to a file (JSON or CSV format).

Step 4: Monitor Consumer Groups

Click Consumer Groups in the sidebar to see all groups in your cluster:

  • Lag: Messages behind the latest offset
  • Members: Active consumers in the group
  • State: Stable, Rebalancing, Dead, etc.

Click on a group to see detailed partition assignments and offset information.

Step 5: Send a Test Message

  1. Right-click on a topic and select Produce Message
  2. Enter your message key and value
  3. Optionally add headers
  4. Click Send

Keyboard Shortcuts

Speed up your workflow with these shortcuts:

ActionmacOSWindows/Linux
New Connection⌘NCtrl+N
Search Topics⌘FCtrl+F
Refresh⌘RCtrl+R
Settings⌘,Ctrl+,

See all keyboard shortcuts.

Next Steps

Now that you’re familiar with the basics: