Kafka - Difference between Python packages kafka and confluent_kafka

What's the difference between the two Python packages kafka and confluent_kafka?

 

ChatGPT said:

Ah, this is a very common question! Both kafka and confluent_kafka are Python packages for interacting with Apache Kafka, but they are fundamentally different in design, performance, and features. Let’s break it down carefully.

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1️⃣ kafka (sometimes called kafka-python)

• Package: kafka-python

• Pure Python implementation of the Kafka protocol.

• Pros:

  • Pure Python, so easy to install (no compiled dependencies).

  • Good for learning and small projects.

  • Works on any platform where Python runs.

• Cons:

  • Slower than confluent_kafka for high-throughput workloads.

  • Sometimes lags behind Kafka’s latest features (e.g., newer Kafka versions, transactions, exactly-once semantics).

  • Less robust for production at scale.

• Example:

from kafka import KafkaProducer

producer = KafkaProducer(bootstrap_servers='localhost:9092')
producer.send('my-topic', b'Hello Kafka')
producer.flush()

 

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2️⃣ confluent_kafka (Confluent’s Python client)

• Package: confluent_kafka

• C library wrapper: Python bindings for librdkafka (high-performance C client).

• Pros:

  • Much faster and more memory-efficient than kafka-python.

  • Supports the latest Kafka features: transactions, exactly-once semantics, idempotent producers.

  • Widely used in production by companies running high-throughput Kafka clusters.

  • Mature and actively maintained by Confluent.

• Cons:

  • Requires C extension compilation (can be tricky on some systems, though wheels are usually available).

  • API is lower-level and sometimes less “Pythonic”.

• Example:

from confluent_kafka import Producer

p = Producer({'bootstrap.servers': 'localhost:9092'})

def delivery_report(err, msg):
    if err:
        print('Message delivery failed:', err)
    else:
        print('Message delivered to', msg.topic(), msg.partition())

p.produce('my-topic', b'Hello Kafka', callback=delivery_report)
p.flush()

 

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⚡ Summary Table

Feature	kafka-python	confluent_kafka
Implementation	Pure Python	C (librdkafka) wrapper
Performance	Moderate	High
Latest Kafka features	Partial	Full
Ease of installation	Easy	Slightly harder on some OS
Production-ready?	Small/medium apps	High-throughput production

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✅ Recommendation

• Learning / small projects / portability: kafka-python.

• Production / high-throughput / latest Kafka features: confluent_kafka.