Kafka Integration with IBM
App Connect Enterprise on OpenShift
Environment
Explore how IBM App Connect Enterprise connects with IBM Event Streams on OpenShift to
support reliable, secure, and scalable event-driven communication.
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Apache Kafka is a distributed event-streaming platform that enables applications to publish, subscribe to, and process real-time data. IBM App Connect Enterprise (ACE) provides built-in Kafka nodes to integrate applications with Kafka topics for reliable and scalable message exchange.
This blog explains how to configure Kafka integration between IBM App Connect Enterprise and IBM Event Streams deployed in an OpenShift environment
IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE
Configuration
Follow these steps to configure Kafka integration between IBM App Connect Enterprise and IBM Event Streams.
1
Create a Kafka Message Flow
Create a message flow in IBM App Connect Enterprise Toolkit and include the required Kafka nodes:
KafkaProducer
Publishes messages to Kafka topics.
KafkaConsumer
Consumes messages from Kafka topics.
2
Configure IBM Event Streams
Ensure IBM Event Streams is deployed and running in OpenShift. Create the required Kafka topic (for example, es-test-ace)
and obtain the bootstrap server details, authentication credentials, and security configuration.
3
Create a Kafka Policy
Configure a Kafka policy in ACE with the required connection details:
Bootstrap server hostname and port.
Security protocol (SSL or SASL_SSL).
Authentication mechanism and credentials.
Truststore details for SSL certificate validation.
4
Configure SSL Certificates and Credentials
Obtain the Kafka server CA certificate and import it into the required truststore. Configure the truststore location, password, and authentication credentials to establish secure communication between ACE and Kafka.
5
Configure the Integration Server
Deploy the ACE integration server in OpenShift with the required Kafka policy, security credentials, truststore configuration, Vault key, and work directory. Ensure all required configurations are accessible to the integration server.
6
Establish Kafka Connectivity
When ACE and IBM Event Streams are deployed in the same OpenShift cluster, configure the appropriate internal Kafka bootstrap service endpoint. Verify network connectivity, TLS certificates, authentication, and topic permissions.
7
Publish and Consume Messages
Configure the KafkaProducer node to publish messages to the required topic. Similarly, configure the KafkaConsumer node with the topic name and consumer group to receive messages.
Testing and Validation
✓ Verify connectivity between ACE and Kafka.
✓ Publish sample messages using KafkaProducer.
✓ Verify messages in the Event Streams dashboard.
✓ Consume messages using KafkaConsumer.
✓ Validate message payloads and processing results.
✓ Check ACE and OpenShift pod logs for errors.
BRINGING IT TOGETHER
Conclusion
Integrating IBM App Connect Enterprise with IBM Event Streams in OpenShift enables seamless, secure, and scalable communication between applications. By configuring Kafka policies, SSL certificates, authentication credentials, and integration server connectivity, organizations can implement reliable event-driven integration solutions.
