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Get started with Aiven for Apache Kafka®

Create a managed Apache Kafka® service on Aiven. Choose the tier and deployment model that fit your workload, then send sample data to verify end-to-end streaming.

Prerequisites​

  • Create an Aiven account and sign in to the Aiven Console.
  • Create or select an Aiven project with permission to create services.

Choose your path​

Choose a path based on your workload and deployment needs:

  • Start with Free tier for no-cost, low-throughput Kafka workloads.
  • Use Developer tier for paid development and smaller production workloads.
  • Use Professional tier for production workloads on Aiven Cloud or Bring Your Own Cloud.
  • Use Skills for command-line setup and configuration.

Free tier​

The Free tier provides a fully managed Kafka service with limited resources. For limits, regions, and supported features, see the Free tier overview.

  • No payment method is required.
  • Fixed resource limits support low-throughput workloads.
  • Basic Kafka workflows are supported, including service creation and sample data generation.

Continue with: Create a free tier Aiven for Apache Kafka® service.

Developer tier​

The Developer tier is a paid service tier for Classic Kafka. It sits between the Free tier and Professional tier. Use it for development, prototyping, testing, or production workloads. It provides more capacity and paid-only features than the Free tier.

For limits, pricing, Karapace, Connect, integrations, and upgrades, see Aiven for Apache Kafka® Developer tier. Manage the service in the console, CLI, API, or with Skills.

Continue with: Create an Aiven for Apache Kafka® Developer tier service.

Professional tier​

The Professional tier is for production and workload-heavy environments. Create the service on Aiven Cloud, or in your own cloud account with BYOC.

For deployment options and service types, see Aiven for Apache Kafka® Professional tier.

Continue with:

Set up a Kafka service using Skills​

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

Install the Aiven Skills bundle:

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

To run this command, make sure you have the following:

  • Aiven CLI installed and authenticated.
  • Node.js installed so npm provides npx.
note

Skills operate on Developer and Professional tier services. Create Free tier Kafka services in the console.

Continue with: Set up Kafka using Skills.

Generate sample data using the console​

Use the built-in sample data generator to send events to a Kafka topic and confirm that the service is working.

  • Start the generator from the Kafka service overview in the console.
  • Consume messages from the topic to verify connectivity.
  • Validate access control, networking, and client configuration.

After your service is running, continue with: Generate sample data in the console.

Generate data manually (optional)​

Produce data manually to test application integrations or custom workloads.

  • Create topics and configure Kafka clients.
  • Produce and consume messages using client libraries, command-line tools, or container-based utilities.
  • Use this approach for development, automation, or advanced testing scenarios.

After your service is running, continue with: Generate sample data manually with Docker.

Create and manage Kafka using AI assistants​

Use the Aiven MCP server to create Kafka services, manage topics, produce and consume messages, and configure connectors from MCP-compatible clients such as Cursor, Claude Code, VS Code, and Gemini CLI.

  • Configure the Aiven MCP server in your AI assistant.
  • Describe the service or operation you want in natural language.
  • The assistant creates and manages Kafka resources through the Aiven API.

Continue with: Set up the Aiven MCP server.