#♣️/kafka #📖

Consumer Offset Management

Consumer offset management is crucial for reliable message processing in Kafka.

Offset Commit Strategies

  1. Automatic Commits

    • Configured via enable.auto.commit=true
    • Commits happen on fixed interval (auto.commit.interval.ms)
    • Simple but risk of duplicates or missing messages

  2. Manual Commits

    • More control over when offsets are committed
    • Can commit synchronously or asynchronously
    • Required for exactly-once processing

Best Practices

  1. Always commit offsets after message processing
  2. Handle rebalance scenarios properly
  3. Consider commit frequency trade-offs:
    • Frequent commits = more overhead but fewer duplicates
    • Infrequent commits = better performance but more duplicates possible

References

Flashcards

What are the two main offset commit strategies in Kafka?:: Automatic commits and manual commits

When should offsets be committed relative to message processing?:: After message processing is complete to avoid message loss

What is the main drawback of automatic offset commits?:: Risk of duplicates or missing messages if processing takes longer than the commit interval