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Create an Aiven for Apache Kafka® Developer tier service

Create an Aiven for Apache Kafka® Developer tier service in the Aiven Console or with Skills. Use it when the Free tier no longer meets your needs, or when you require capabilities not available on the Free tier, such as service integrations or Aiven for Apache Kafka® Connect.

For quotas, pricing, and features, see Aiven for Apache Kafka® Developer tier.

Prerequisites​

  • An Aiven account. Sign up or sign in using the Aiven Console.
  • A project where you can create paid services.
  • If you use paid services, set up billing for your organization. See Billing and payment.
  • To create the service with Skills, install the Aiven CLI and authenticate. You also need Node.js to run npx commands.

Choose how to create the service​

Use one of the following:

  • Aiven Console: Guided setup in the browser.
  • Skills: Command-line setup using npx and the Aiven CLI.

Create a Developer tier service using the Aiven Console​

  1. In your project, click Services.

  2. Click Create service.

  3. Select Aiven for Apache Kafka®.

  4. In Service tier, select Developer.

  5. In Cloud, select your geographical region from the broad areas shown, such as North America or Europe. The Service summary shows this under Cloud.

    note

    On the Developer tier, Cloud lists broad geographical areas only. To select a specific cloud provider and region, use the Professional tier. For details, see the message in the Cloud section of the Aiven Console.

  6. In Retention, select a retention period between 1 day and 3 days.

    note

    Your estimated monthly cost depends on retention, Cloud, and geographical region. Check the Service summary for the price that applies to your selections.

    Retention options are 1 day, 2 days, or 3 days, with pricing adjusted accordingly.

  7. In Service basics, enter a Service name.

  8. Review the Service summary and estimated monthly cost.

  9. Click Create service.

When the status is Running, your Kafka service is ready.

Create a Developer tier service using Skills​

Use Skills to create and configure the Kafka service from the command line.

  1. Install the Skills bundle:

    npx skills add Aiven-Open/aiven-skills-bundle

    If your environment supports Skills, you can invoke them from compatible tools, such as AI-assisted editors or agents, by describing the task, for example: Create a test Kafka service in Aiven.

  2. Run the Kafka service creation Skill:

    npx skills run kafka-create-service

  3. Follow the prompts to select your project, Developer tier, and Cloud. The Skill might ask for cloud values that the Aiven CLI needs. Select the values that the Skill lists for the Developer tier.

The Skill creates and configures the service. When the run completes, the Kafka service is ready to use.

For the full Skills workflow, see Set up Aiven for Apache Kafka® using Skills.

After you create the service​

When the service status is Running, you can:

Upgrade the service​

Upgrade to the Professional tier when the Developer tier no longer meets your throughput, storage, or scaling needs. For upgrade considerations, including Kafka Connect compatibility, see Upgrade path.

You can upgrade from the service overview or from service settings.

Before you upgrade​

If your Kafka service is integrated with a Kafka Connect service:

  • Power off the Kafka Connect service before upgrading Kafka. You cannot upgrade Kafka while an integrated Kafka Connect service is running.
  • After upgrading Kafka, upgrade the Kafka Connect service to the same tier before powering it on again.

Run both services on the same tier.

For details, see Kafka and Kafka Connect tier compatibility.

Upgrade from the service overview​

  1. Open your service's Overview page.
  2. In Service usage, click Upgrade.
  3. Select Professional tier.
  4. In Cloud, select a cloud provider, geographical region, and plan.
  5. Click Upgrade service.

Upgrade from service settings​

  1. In your service, click Service settings.
  2. In Service summary, click Upgrade.
  3. Select Professional tier.
  4. In Cloud, select a cloud provider, geographical region, and plan.
  5. Click Upgrade service.

Limitations​

  • Downgrading from Developer tier to the Free tier is not supported.
  • After upgrading to the Professional tier, available downgrade options depend on the selected plan. Review supported changes in the Aiven Console.

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