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Install and run Kafka on Linux in 15 minutes This guide walks you through installing Apache Kafka with ZooKeeper on Linux. By the end, you’ll have a working single-node Kafka cluster for development. What you’ll learn:
  • How to install Java 11 (required dependency)
  • How to download and configure Kafka
  • How to start ZooKeeper and Kafka
  • How to set up your PATH for CLI access
ZooKeeper vs KRaftThis guide uses ZooKeeper mode for maximum compatibility. For KRaft mode (without ZooKeeper), see the Linux KRaft installation guide.

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Installation overview

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Step 1: Install Java JDK 11

Kafka requires Java 11 or later. For Ubuntu/Debian: 
wget -O- https://apt.corretto.aws/corretto.key | sudo apt-key add -
sudo add-apt-repository 'deb https://apt.corretto.aws stable main'
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y java-11-amazon-corretto-jdk
For other distributions: Visit the Amazon Corretto 11 Linux install page for RPM, Alpine, and other packages. Verify the installation: 
java -version
Expected output: 
openjdk version "11.0.10" 2021-01-19 LTS
OpenJDK Runtime Environment Corretto-11.0.10.9.1 (build 11.0.10+9-LTS)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM Corretto-11.0.10.9.1 (build 11.0.10+9-LTS, mixed mode)

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Step 2: Download and extract Kafka

wget https://archive.apache.org/dist/kafka/3.0.0/kafka_2.13-3.0.0.tgz
tar -xzf kafka_2.13-3.0.0.tgz
mv kafka_2.13-3.0.0 ~
Or download manually from kafka.apache.org/downloads (choose the latest binary with Scala 2.13).

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Step 3: Start ZooKeeper

ZooKeeper has to be running before Kafka starts. Open a terminal and run: 
~/kafka_2.13-3.0.0/bin/zookeeper-server-start.sh ~/kafka_2.13-3.0.0/config/zookeeper.properties
Add the -daemon flag to run ZooKeeper in the background.
Keep this terminal window open.

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Step 4: Start Kafka

Open a new terminal window and run: 
~/kafka_2.13-3.0.0/bin/kafka-server-start.sh ~/kafka_2.13-3.0.0/config/server.properties
Keep this terminal window open. Kafka is now running at localhost:9092.

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Step 5: Configure PATH

Add Kafka binaries to your PATH for convenient access. Edit your shell configuration file (~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc): 
export PATH="$PATH:$HOME/kafka_2.13-3.0.0/bin"
Reload your shell: 
source ~/.bashrc
Verify the setup: 
kafka-topics.sh --version

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Optional: Change data directories

By default, Kafka stores data in /tmp, which may be cleared on restart. Change ZooKeeper data directory: Edit ~/kafka_2.13-3.0.0/config/zookeeper.properties: 
dataDir=/your/path/to/data/zookeeper
Change Kafka data directory: Edit ~/kafka_2.13-3.0.0/config/server.properties: 
log.dirs=/your/path/to/data/kafka
See it in practice with ConduktorConduktor Console can connect to your local Kafka cluster at localhost:9092 for visual topic management.

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Next steps