# imkafka: read from Apache Kafka

Module Name: | imkafka
Author: | Pascal Withopf <pascalwithopf1@gmail.com>
Available since: | v8.27.0

The imkafka plug-in implements an Apache Kafka consumer, permitting rsyslog to receive data from Kafka.

## Configuration Parameters

Note that imkafka supports some Array-type parameters. While the parameter name can only be set once, it is possible to set multiple values with that single parameter.

For example, to select a broker, you can use

    input(type="imkafka" topic="mytopic" broker="localhost:9092" consumergroup="default")

which is equivalent to

    input(type="imkafka" topic="mytopic" broker=["localhost:9092"] consumergroup="default")

To specify multiple values, just use the bracket notation and create a comma-delimited list of values as shown here:

    input(type="imkafka" topic="mytopic"
           broker=["localhost:9092",
                   "localhost:9093",
                   "localhost:9094"]
          )

### Module Parameters

Note: parameter names are case-insensitive.

Currently none.

### Action Parameters

Note: parameter names are case-insensitive.

`broker <Array>`

  Default: “localhost:9092”

  Specifies the broker(s) to use.

`topic <String>`

  Mandatory

  Default: none

  Specifies the topic to produce to.

`confParam <Array>`

  Default: none

  Permits to specify Kafka options. Rather than offering a myriad of config settings to match the Kafka parameters, we provide this setting here as a vehicle to set any Kafka parameter. This has the big advantage that Kafka parameters that come up in new releases can immediately be used.

  Note that we use librdkafka for the Kafka connection, so the parameters are actually those that librdkafka supports. As of our understanding, this is a superset of the native Kafka parameters.

`consumergroup <String>`

  Default none

  With this parameter the group.id for the consumer is set. All consumers sharing the same group.id belong to the same group.

`ruleset <String>`

  Default: none

  Specifies the ruleset to be used.

## Caveats/Known Bugs

- currently none

## Example

Sample 1:

In this sample a consumer for the topic static is created and will forward the messages to the omfile action.

    module(load="imkafka")
    input(type="imkafka" topic="static" broker="localhost:9092"
                         consumergroup="default" ruleset="pRuleset")

    ruleset(name="pRuleset") {
          action(type="omfile" file="path/to/file")
    }