---
title: Kafka connector guides
meta:
  description: Comprehensive Kafka connector guides for setup, configuration, and optimization. Connect to Confluent Cloud, AWS MSK, Redpanda, and other Kafka platforms with step-by-step tutorials.
---

# Kafka connector guides

This section contains detailed guides for setting up, configuring, and optimizing your Kafka connector. Each guide focuses on a specific aspect of working with Kafka in Tinybird.

## Setup guides

### Vendor-specific setup

- **[Confluent Cloud setup](/forward/get-data-in/connectors/kafka/guides/confluent-cloud-setup)** - Connect Tinybird to your Confluent Cloud cluster with step-by-step instructions for authentication, SSL configuration, and testing.

- **[AWS MSK setup](/forward/get-data-in/connectors/kafka/guides/aws-msk-setup)** - Integrate Tinybird with Amazon MSK, including IAM authentication, security group configuration, and connection testing.

- **[Redpanda setup](/forward/get-data-in/connectors/kafka/guides/redpanda-setup)** - Connect to your Redpanda cluster, configure authentication, and set up your first Data Source.

- **[Local development](/forward/get-data-in/connectors/kafka/guides/local-development)** - Set up a local Kafka environment using Docker Compose for development and testing.

## Configuration and management

- **[CI/CD and version control](/forward/get-data-in/connectors/kafka/guides/cicd-version-control)** - Manage Kafka connector configurations in CI/CD pipelines, handle environment-specific settings, and implement best practices for version control.

- **[Schema management](/forward/get-data-in/connectors/kafka/guides/schema-management)** - Understand schema evolution, handle Avro and JSON Schema formats, and implement schema versioning strategies.

## Performance and optimization

- **[Partitioning strategies](/forward/get-data-in/connectors/kafka/guides/partitioning-strategies)** - Learn best practices for Kafka topic partitioning, understand partition assignment, and optimize for performance.

- **[Message size handling](/forward/get-data-in/connectors/kafka/guides/message-size-handling)** - Handle large Kafka messages, implement compression strategies, and work within message size limits.

- **[Performance optimization](/forward/get-data-in/connectors/kafka/guides/performance-optimization)** - Optimize throughput, reduce consumer lag, scale consumers effectively, and tune your Kafka connector for maximum performance.

## Related documentation

- [Kafka connector documentation](/forward/get-data-in/connectors/kafka) - Main setup and configuration guide
- [Troubleshooting guide](/forward/get-data-in/connectors/kafka/troubleshooting) - Comprehensive troubleshooting for common issues
- [Monitor Kafka connectors](/forward/monitoring/kafka-clickhouse-monitoring) - Monitoring and alerting