> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.conduktor.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Conduktor technical requirements — Console and Gateway

> Hardware, software, and dependency requirements for Conduktor Console and Gateway. Covers CPU, RAM, PostgreSQL versions, and supported Kafka providers.

## Min hardware spec

|            | Gateway | Console |
| :--------- | :------ | :------ |
| RAM        | 4 GB    | 3 GB    |
| CPU cores  | 2       | 2       |
| Disk space | N/A     | 5 GB    |

## Console requirements

Conduktor <Tooltip tip="A user interface for managing and monitoring Kafka infrastructure, supporting Kubernetes deployment.">Console</Tooltip> is provided as a single Docker container.

### Production requirements

For **production deployments**, ensure:

* An external [PostgreSQL (13+)](/guide/conduktor-in-production/deploy-artifacts/deploy-console/#configure-postgres-database) with backups and [high availability](#database-connection-fail-over)
* [Blob storage](/guide/conduktor-in-production/deploy-artifacts/deploy-console/#monitoring-properties) (S3, GCS, Azure) for monitoring
* Proper hardware allocation (see below)
* Kafka version **2.7.0+**

If deploying via [Helm](/guide/conduktor-in-production/deploy-artifacts/deploy-console/kubernetes), check the install guide for detailed requirements.

### Hardware requirements

Use container CGroup limits for resource control.

#### Minimum

* 2 CPU cores
* 3 GB RAM
* 5 GB disk

#### Recommended

* 4+ CPU cores
* 4+ GB RAM
* 10+ GB disk

[Configure env variables](/guide/conduktor-in-production/deploy-artifacts/deploy-console/environment-variables) or [get started with Docker](/guide/get-started).

### Memory configuration

> **Note**: `RUN_MODE` is deprecated. JVM now respects container limits (up to 80%).

```bash theme={null}
-XX:+UseContainerSupport -XX:MaxRAMPercentage=80
```

## Gateway requirements

Conduktor <Tooltip tip="A Kafka proxy that deploys extensible plugins for encryption, filtering, and data processing.">Gateway</Tooltip> is provided as a [Docker image](/guide/conduktor-in-production/deploy-artifacts/deploy-gateway) and a [Helm chart](/guide/conduktor-in-production/deploy-artifacts/deploy-gateway/kubernetes).

### Minimum setup

For light usage per Gateway node:

* 2 CPU cores
* 4 GB of RAM

> Each Gateway instance should support around *20–30 MB/s* of sustained throughput with minimal latency impact.

### Recommended starting setup

For medium to high usage per Gateway node:

* 4 CPU cores
* 8 GB of RAM

> This setup supports \~40–50 MB/s throughput.
> For production, run **at least 3 Gateway instances**. Scale horizontally as needed.

### Local storage requirements

While Gateway itself doesn't use local storage directly, some interceptors do. The [large message handling](/guide/use-cases/manage-large-messages#local-disk-cache) interceptor maintains a local disk cache that must be sized for the expected payload volume; see its [Local disk cache](/guide/use-cases/manage-large-messages#local-disk-cache) section for sizing and cleanup behavior.

### Scaling Gateway

Gateway is designed to **scale horizontally or vertically**. It's mostly CPU-bound unless caching is enabled. Monitor metrics to scale effectively.

### Interceptor impact

Interceptors add **CPU load**. Interceptors doing heavy inspection (e.g. encryption) require:

* More CPU
* More memory (recommend **4 GB RAM per CPU**)

### Kafka requirements

* Kafka version **2.7.0 or higher**
* Gateway must connect as an **admin user** with rights to:
  * Manage topics, groups, and cluster info
  * Commit offsets

## Troubleshoot

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Is access to internet required to run Conduktor?">
    No, you can run a Docker image in your environment without internet access.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is an external database required to run Conduktor?">
    Yes, the external database is used to store configuration such as users and permissions.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>