7 Best Apache Kafka Books To Read in [2024] UPDATED

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information visit our disclosure page

One of the best ways to learn something new is by reading books. Therefore, we made a list of some of the best Apache Kafka Books that you should read to learn Apache Kafka. These books on Apache Kafka is suggested by many Apache Kafka experts.

Apache Kafka has developed as a next-generation streaming system to connect our dispersed systems through accessible event-driven and fault-tolerant architectures.

It is a popular open-source distributed platform that allows its users to publish and support streams of records, keeps them in a fault-tolerant architecture, and processes them as they occur.

Nowadays, it is currently being used by a number of large enterprises for an array of cases. If you want to learn more about the platform, here are some of the best books about Apache Kafka that are worth your while.

Best Apache Kafka Books for Beginners & Experts

Below we have suggested the 3 best Apache Kafka books according to readers level:

  • For Beginners: Kafka: The Definitive Guide would be a great choice. It provides very basic information regarding Apache Kafka from its installation to the variety of use cases for full-scale development.
  • Beginners to Intermediate learners: Kafka Streams in Action – This book is very practical, provides hands-on testing and operational aspects of the platform.
  • For Advance learners: Building Data Streaming Applications with Apache Kafka – It provides a comprehensive and step-by-step guide with real-world and practical examples.

These books help you to be an expert in the Apache Kafka computing framework. Let’s take an overview of our list of 7 best Apache Kafka Books one by one and find which books suit you more.

 

1. Kafka: The Definitive Guide

If you want to broaden your horizons with regard to Apache Kafka, then Kafka: The Definitive Guide is one of the best choices to start with your endeavor.

Whether you are a production engineer, a developer, or an application architect new to Apache Kafka, this practical guide will help you understand how it functions and how it is designed.

This book provides detailed examples that enable you to learn the system’s design principles, key APIs, reliability guarantees, and architecture details which include the replication protocol, controller, and storage layer.

Why you should buy this book?

  • The book is written for all big professionals such as software engineers, architects, data engineers, Java developers, etc. and even for starters who want to use the platform.
  • It provides information on how to start with Apache Kafka and avoid trouble with it.
  • The book tackles the very basic information regarding Apache Kafka from its installation to the variety of use cases for full-scale development.
  • It is made understandable for the beginners who are interested to know this platform.
  • It is easy on the budget especially for the beginners.

Level: Beginner to Intermediate

 

2. Building Data Streaming Applications with Apache Kafka

Building Data Streaming Applications with Apache Kafka is a book that gives you a comprehensive guide to architecting and designing enterprise-grade streaming applications with the use of Apache Kafka.

It contains the best ways for building such applications and talks about common problems you may encounter with the Kafka platform such as how to efficiently use it and easily control influx of high-data volumes.

The book is divided into two parts: the first part is all about understanding the complexities of Apache Kafka including its detailed introduction and details.

On the other hand, the second part guides you through conceptualizing streaming applications with the use of tools and frameworks such as Apache Storm, Apache Spark, and more.

After reaching the final part of the book, you will be confident with your skills and knowledge with regard to Apache Kafka, and designing streaming data applications will not be a problem for you.

Why you should buy this book?

  • This book explains everything there is to know about Apache Kafka by using easy-to-digest words.
  • It provides a comprehensive and step-by-step guide with real-world and practical examples.

Level: Intermediate to Advanced

 

3. Kafka Streams in Action

Looking for a book that teaches you how to apply stream processing through Apache Kafka? Then, Kafka Streams in Action is the one you are looking for.

This easily understandable book lets you explore real-life examples to gather, change, and accumulate data, work with several processors, and manage actual events. You might even plunge into streaming KSQL and SQL.

This book is very practical up to the last part as it ends with the hands-on testing and operational aspects of the platform, such as debugging and monitoring.

Why you should buy this book?

  • A cost-effective way of learning about the Apache Kafka platform and how it is an important requirement in event-driven applications.
  • The less advanced concepts and even the complex ones are easy to grasp even to people who have no clue about the platform.
  • It includes a free eBook in Kindle, ePub, and PDF formats from the publication itself.

Level: Beginner to Intermediate

 

4. Learning Apache Kafka

If you are starting from scratch or already have experience with software development but is new to the world of Apache Kafka, then the Learning Apache Kafka book would be one of the best books as you start.

This book provides you with actual examples that help you use the real power of Kafka to your advantage.

It teaches you the very basic knowledge of Apache Kafka from the set-up to understanding basic blocks like broker, producer, and consumer blocks up to the complex configuration and additional settings of Kafka.

Furthermore, it will also help you learn how the platform is designed and the configurations that make it more operational. Ultimately, the book will also teach you how Kafka functions with other tools such as Storm, Hadoop, and so on.

Why you should buy this book?

  • The book is made simple even for people who are not tech-savvy or just about to learn the platform.
  • It is very easy to read and will only take a few hours.
  • It is available in two forms: the paperback form and the ebook form with Kindle.
  • It provides code samples that you can use in a real-time scenario.

Level: Beginner to Intermediate

 

5. Apache Kafka Cookbook

One of the leading choices when it comes to Apache Kafka books, the Apache Kafka Cookbook is a good book to read whether you are just a novice in the field or you are a master in the platform of Kafka.

This book teaches you how to instantly configure and oversee your Kafka cluster; it also comes with lessons about the usage of Apache Kafka cluster and how to connect it with tools for the processing of big data.

Cookbooks contain a wide array of recipes that will educate you on how to use the platform effectively. Moreover, this book is highly recommended if you are a big data engineer, programmer, or someone who plans to use or is currently using Apache Kafka.

Apache Kafka Cookbook is available both in paperback and ebook form for your convenience.

Why you should buy this book?

  • It is a good book for those who want to use Apache Kafka with minimal knowledge of Java programming or is already a master Kafka user.
  • The Cookbook gives a wide array of recipes that help you use the platform more effectively.
  • It teaches you how to instantaneously configure and run your Kafka cluster.

Level: Intermediate to Advanced

Also Check: 5 Best Apache Camel Books Every Java Developer Should Read

 

6. Streaming Architecture

Stream analytics and stream processing are already attracting more and more data-driven companies. Here, you can learn how to design reliable architecture which supports the big data paradigm. With this, you can get real-time insights which can easily boost your organization’s efficiency.

You can gain valuable inputs from this book. These include recognizing opportunities where streaming data is beneficial; designing streaming architecture to gain the best outcome especially in a multi-user system; knowing how stream-based architecture can support your micro-services; and recognizing the best tools for streaming analytics in a stream-based design.

Authored by Ellen Friedman and Ted Dunning, get ready to explore the best technologies that can handle stream analytics and processing, including MapR Streams and Apache Kafka. The material focuses on upstream queuing/ message-passing layer. You can also expect to have a clear overview of the use cases, such as geo-distributed data streams and fraud detection.

Why you should buy this book?

  • It’s ideal for the tech-savvy and the non-technical people alike.
  • It also includes the drawbacks of the Apache Kafka platform.
  • The book offers a good preview of the stream-based architecture.
  • The writing style is good—simple and easily understandable.

Level: Beginner to Intermediate

 

7. Practical Real-time Data Processing and Analytics

With the escalating need of a real-time data processing such as Apache Kafka to process large amounts of data uninterruptedly, the Practical Real-time Data Processing and Analytics will help you gather the necessary knowledge and skills about it.

This book will allow you to learn about real-time solutions to your Big Data scenarios from the source up to the presentation, and it will also help you solve these challenges on your own.

You will be exposed to basic set-up, executions, integrations, alerts, and monitoring. You will also be aware of the popular tools such as Apache Flink, Apache Storm, and Apache Spark at real-time processing.

By reaching the end of the book, you will be able to organize the best probable solutions in production environments.

This practical guide begins with a high-level concept followed by a hands-on implementation of the concept which allows you to see the whole phase of the production and execution.

It also has actual used cases, detailed code examples, and even related diagrams and screenshots.

Why you should buy this book?

  • It is available in two formats: Kindle and Paperback.
  • This book provides diagrams and screenshots to give you a clearer picture of how to start and deal with Apache Kafka.
  • It will help you find solutions with regard to the platform more independently.

Level: Intermediate to Advanced

 

To sum it all, Apache Kafka has become the future fault-tolerant streaming system of the next generation. The books we have reviewed can be used by the beginners and even the advanced learners of the platform to further up their knowledge.

Thus, you can start reading any of these books to broaden your horizons and explore more possibilities.

This is our list of 7 Best Apache Kafka Books. Have you read any better Kafka book? Please feel free to write down below in the comment section. It would be helpful for many who wants to learn Apache Kafka.

1 thought on “7 Best Apache Kafka Books To Read in [2024] UPDATED”

Comments are closed.