CMAK
CMAK is a tool for managing Apache Kafka clusters
CMAK is a browser-based tool from Yahoo for managing Apache Kafka clusters, view broker health, create and configure topics, monitor consumer lag, reassign partitions, and rebalance load across brokers.
CMAK, which stands for Cluster Manager for Apache Kafka, is a web-based tool originally created by Yahoo for managing Kafka installations. Kafka is a system used by many companies to move large volumes of data between software services in real time. CMAK gives operators a browser-based interface for keeping an eye on and adjusting how that system is configured.
From the web interface, you can connect to one or more Kafka clusters and see their current state: which brokers are running, how topics are laid out, which consumers are reading what data, and whether messages are piling up or flowing smoothly. The tool lets you create and delete topics, add partitions to existing ones, change topic settings, and reassign which brokers are responsible for which data. It also has options to run partition rebalancing operations, which help distribute load more evenly across the cluster.
For teams that need to lock down access, CMAK supports basic authentication and can connect to a company's LDAP directory so that existing user accounts and groups control who can log in and what they can do. Optional JMX polling lets the tool pull performance metrics directly from the Kafka brokers, giving operators more visibility into how the system is behaving under load.
Setting it up requires pointing the tool at a ZooKeeper instance (a coordination service that older Kafka versions depend on) and optionally adjusting thread pool and queue size settings for larger clusters. The application is built on the Play web framework and can be packaged into a zip file for deployment on a server, or run via Docker.
The name changed from Kafka Manager to CMAK in 2020 after a request from the Apache Software Foundation regarding trademark use.
Where it fits
- Monitor Apache Kafka cluster health from a browser, see broker status, topic layout, and consumer message lag in one view.
- Create, delete, or reconfigure Kafka topics and reassign partitions across brokers without touching the command line.
- Set up LDAP-based access control so your company's existing user accounts control who can manage the Kafka cluster.
- Enable JMX polling to pull live performance metrics directly from Kafka brokers into the management interface.