Connect action in the Kafka package

The Connect action in the Kafka package enables you to authenticate with an Apache Kafka broker using supported security protocols and establish a named session that subsequent Kafka actions can use.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure the following requirements are met:

Use the Connect action to open an authenticated session with a Apache Kafka broker. You must call the Connect action before any other Kafka action in your workflow. Always pair this action with a Disconnect action at the end of your workflow to release the broker resources.

Procedure

  1. Add the Connect action from the Kafka package.
  2. Enter the broker address in the Bootstrap servers field.
    Enter one or more broker addresses in the host:port format, separating multiple addresses with commas. For example, broker1.example.com:9092, broker2.example.com:9092.
  3. Select the security protocol from the Security protocol field using one of the following options:
    The default value is Plaintext.
    Option Description
    Plaintext Use this option for development or internal networks without encryption or authentication.
    SASL Plaintext
    1. Select one of the following SASL mechanisms:
      • PLAIN
      • SCRAM_SHA_256
      • SCRAM_SHA_512
      The default option selected is PLAIN.
    2. Specify the username.

      You can select Credential to use a value from the Credential Vault, Variable to use a credential variable, or Insecure string to manually enter a variable.

    3. Specify the password.

      You can select Credential to use a value from the Credential Vault, Variable to use a credential variable, or Insecure string to manually enter a variable.
    SASL SSL
    1. Select one of the following SASL mechanisms:
      • PLAIN
      • SCRAM_SHA_256
      • SCRAM_SHA_512
      The default option selected is PLAIN.
    2. Specify the username.

      You can select Credential to use a value from the Credential Vault, Variable to use a credential variable, or Insecure string to manually enter a variable.

    3. Specify the password.

      You can select Credential to use a value from the Credential Vault, Variable to use a credential variable, or Insecure string to manually enter a variable.

    4. Specify the path to the truststore file.
      Select one of the following options to specify the location of your file:
      • Variable: Enables you to specify the file variable that contains the location of the file.
      • Control Room file: Enables you to select the file that is available in a folder in the Control Room.
      • Desktop file: Enables you to select the file that is available on your device.
    5. Specify the truststore password.

      You can select Credential to use a value from the Credential Vault, Variable to use a credential variable, or Insecure string to manually enter a variable.
    SSL
    1. Specify the path to the truststore file.
      Select one of the following options to specify the location of your file:
      • Variable: Enables you to specify the file variable that contains the location of the file.
      • Control Room file: Enables you to select the file that is available in a folder in the Control Room.
      • Desktop file: Enables you to select the file that is available on your device.
    2. Specify the truststore password.

      You can select Credential to use a value from the Credential Vault, Variable to use a credential variable, or Insecure string to manually enter a variable.

    3. Specify the path to the keystore file.
      Select one of the following options to specify the location of your file:
      • Variable: Enables you to specify the file variable that contains the location of the file.
      • Control Room file: Enables you to select the file that is available in a folder in the Control Room.
      • Desktop file: Enables you to select the file that is available on your device.
    4. Specify the keystore password.

      You can select Credential to use a value from the Credential Vault, Variable to use a credential variable, or Insecure string to manually enter a variable.

    5. (Optional) Specify the key password.

      You can select Credential to use a value from the Credential Vault, Variable to use a credential variable, or Insecure string to manually enter a variable.
  4. Specify how the Kafka session needs to be stored:
    • Local session: Specify a session name that you can use only in the current bot.
    • Global session: Specify a session name that you can use across multiple automations, such as parent and child automations.
      Note: The parent and child automations should have the same package version.
    • Variable: Specify a session variable that you can use to share that session with other child automations.
    The action returns a session object representing the active broker connection. Pass this variable to all subsequent Kafka actions in your automations. The default session name is Default.