The Cloud-Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) approved Strimzi as an incubating project to streamline the deployment of Apache Kafka on Kubernetes. Strimzi provides a Kubernetes-native way to interact with Kafka through a set of operators that extend the Kubernetes API, making it easier to configure, deploy, and operate Kafka on Kubernetes.
The technical oversight committee approved Strimzi after determining that it satisfied its incubation requirements and implemented the Kubernetes operator model effectively. Strimzi's incubation underlines the project's technical viability and provides the CNCF with the opportunity to support and coordinate the deployment, management, and operation of Kafka and other event-driven architectures.
The developers of the Strimzi project built out Kubernetes operators and other APIs to enhance the management of Kafka clusters efficiently. These capabilities include the implementation of security controls, automated operations, and migration capabilities. For instance, using kubectl and GitOps to manage Kafka on Kubernetes.
Paolo Patierno, a maintainer of the Strimzi project and senior principal software engineer at Red Hat, said that:
The opportunity to deal with the day 2 operations burden by leveraging an operator-based approach, together with the declarative nature of Kubernetes by using custom resources, has been very well received.
In addition, Thomas Dangleterre, a software engineer at Decathlon, one of the companies currently using Strimzi, commented on the announcement:
Strimzi allows us to send hundreds of millions of messages per day into production. It has significantly improved data pipeline delivery time and integrates seamlessly with our cloud-native stack. It meets our need to connect a large number of data systems with a high level of scalability, security, and reliability.
Strimzi's incubation will also foster the program's goal of enhancing the deployment, management, and operation of Kubernetes, and other cloud-native architectures. Further development of Kubernetes operators and other APIs will continue to make Strimzi more efficient in automating the administration of Kafka while promoting significantly more efficient cloud-native management.
Strimzi has been in development since 2017 by Red Hat and first entered the CNCF as a sandbox project in 2019. The project has more than 1600 contributors, 2800 users, and 15 companies using it in production including Ligthbend, Swisscom, and IBM. By joining the incubator program, Strimzi will benefit from the CNCF's increased visibility, promoting open collaboration, and encouraging community involvement.
Strimzi’s journey reflects the growing trend of applications relying on event-driven architectures and the increasing importance of real-time data processing. By offering a Kubernetes-oriented method to deploy and maintain Kafka, Strimzi addresses both the operational challenges and the performance demands faced by organizations navigating the cloud-native ecosystem.
As Strimzi begins its incubation phase, the project's roadmap is lined with ambitious milestones, such as the development of advanced operator features, improved monitoring and management tools, and contributions to the Kafka community.
StrimziCon, a dedicated virtual conference, is scheduled on May 22nd to bring together developers, DevOps engineers, and architects to learn more about Strimzi and Kafka on Kubernetes.
More information on the project and its role within the CNCF landscape, as well as progress and insights from its maintainers and community, can be found on the project’s website and GitHub repository.
