Free Udemy Course: Apache Kafka 4.0 Interview Mastery: 1000+ Most Asked Q&A

The release of Apache Kafka 4.0 brings one of the most significant evolutions in the platform’s history, introducing groundbreaking improvements such as KRaft (Kafka Raft) mode, tiered storage, and advanced features in Kafka Streams and Kafka Connect. With enterprises rapidly adopting Kafka for real-time data streaming, event-driven architectures, and distributed systems, professionals need to stay ahead with the latest updates and deeply understand both concepts and hands-on scenarios.This course, “Apache Kafka 4.0 Interview Mastery: 1000+ Most Asked Q&A,” is designed to help you crack Kafka interviews with confidence while ensuring you master the latest features in Kafka’s ecosystem. It goes beyond theoretical concepts and provides 1000+ conceptual and scenario-based questions with detailed answers, structured topic-wise for easy practice and revision.Whether you are preparing for interviews, upgrading from older versions, or aiming to strengthen your Kafka fundamentals and advanced concepts, this course is a one-stop preparation guide.Course Syllabus OverviewWe have designed the syllabus to cover every crucial aspect of Kafka 4.0, ensuring you gain both breadth and depth of knowledge:1. Getting StartedIntroduction, Use Cases, Quick Start, EcosystemUpgrading to Kafka 4.0KRaft vs ZooKeeper differencesDocker setup and compatibility2. APIsProducer, Consumer, Streams, Connect, and Admin APIs3. ConfigurationBroker, Topic, Producer, Consumer, and Connect configsSource/Sink connectorsTiered Storage configsConfiguration providers (EnvVar, File, Directory, etc.)4. DesignMotivation, Persistence, and EfficiencyMessage Delivery Semantics & TransactionsReplication, Log Compaction, Quotas5. ImplementationNetwork Layer, Messages & Message FormatLogs and Distribution internals6. OperationsAdding/Removing/Modifying TopicsBalancing Leadership & Replicas Across RacksMirroring Data Between ClustersMulti-Tenancy setup, Monitoring, and Cluster ExpansionTiered Storage & KRaft Monitoring7. SecurityEncryption with SSLAuthentication using SASLAuthorization & ACLsIncorporating security in running clusters8. Kafka ConnectOverview & User GuideConfiguring Connectors, Transformations, REST APIError Reporting, Exactly-Once Support, Plugin DiscoveryConnector Development & Schema Management9. Kafka StreamsWriting your own Streams ApplicationsCore Concepts & ArchitectureDeveloper Manual & Upgrade GuideConclusionBy the end of this course, you will have practiced 1000+ carefully designed questions and answers, covering both fundamentals and advanced Kafka 4.0 features. You’ll gain confidence in real-world scenario-based problem solving, making you interview-ready and a skilled Kafka professional. This course will serve as both a preparation guide for interviews and a practical knowledge booster for on-the-job expertise.__________________________________________________________________________ExamplesQ: Which Maven artifact must be included to use the Streams API?kafka-corekafka-serverkafka-clientskafka-streamsCorrect Answer: kafka-streamsExplanation:To work with Kafka’s Streams API, developers must include the kafka-streams Maven artifact. This artifact contains classes and APIs required for stream processing like KStream, KTable, joins, aggregations, windowing, and state stores. While kafka-clients only supports producer and consumer functionality, kafka-core and kafka-server are bundled within the broker and not exposed as independent dependencies for client-side stream processing.Knowledge Area: Kafka ConnectQ: An administrator enables SASL_SSL but forgets to reconfigure clients. What happens when PLAINTEXT is closed?Producers switch to idempotent write modeClients auto-upgrade to SASL_SSLBrokers fall back to PLAINTEXT internallyClients fail authentication and cannot connectCorrect Answer: Clients fail authentication and cannot connectExplanation:When SASL_SSL is enabled on brokers, clients must also be reconfigured with the correct security protocol, authentication mechanism, and credentials. If the administrator disables PLAINTEXT without updating client configurations, the clients will continue attempting to connect using the unsecured protocol and will be rejected. Kafka does not automatically upgrade client connections to SASL_SSL, nor do brokers silently fall back. This results in failed authentication and connection errors until client configurations are corrected.Knowledge Area: Kafka Security (SASL/SSL Configuration)Q: If a company wants to transform input events from topic A into enriched data for topic B, which API should be chosen?Streams APIConnect APIAdmin APIProducer APICorrect Answer: Streams APIExplanation:The Kafka Streams API is specifically designed for real-time stream processing and transformation between Kafka topics. It allows developers to consume from topic A, apply transformations, aggregations, or enrichments, and then produce results to topic B. Connect API is used for integrating Kafka with external systems, Admin API manages cluster operations, and Producer API only publishes raw events without transformation logic.Knowledge Area: Kafka Streams