kafka-python

Pure Python client for Apache Kafka

kafka-python Permissive license Apache-2.0 Active ★ 5,901 v3.0.10 released 2026-08-04

Install

kafka-python on PyPI

pip

pip install kafka-python

uv

uv add kafka-python

poetry

poetry add kafka-python

Package facts

License	Apache-2.0 (permissive)
Python support	supports the current Python release (>=3.8)
Install friction	low — pure-Python wheel
Runtime dependencies	none
Maintenance	actively maintained — 9 days since the last release
Last repo commit	2026-08-07
First released	2014-03-26
Popularity	one of the top 1,000 most-downloaded packages on PyPI (30-day window, as of 2026-08-13)
Known vulnerabilities	none known (OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-13)

Evidence: kafka_python-3.0.10-py3-none-any.whl

Keywords: apache kafka, kafka

Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableIntended Audience :: DevelopersProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPythonProgramming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: PyPyTopic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python Modules

About kafka-python

from the package's own PyPI description — quoted content, verbatim

kafka-python

.. image:: https://img.shields.io/pypi/v/kafka-python.svg :target: https://pypi.org/project/kafka-python .. image:: https://img.shields.io/badge/kafka-4.3--0.8-brightgreen.svg :target: https://kafka-python.readthedocs.io/en/master/compatibility.html

.. image:: https://img.shields.io/badge/license-Apache%202-blue.svg :target: https://github.com/dpkp/kafka-python/blob/master/LICENSE .. image:: https://img.shields.io/pypi/pyversions/kafka-python.svg :target: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/kafka-python

kafka-python is a pure-python client library for Apache Kafka, the distributed stream processing engine. It has no external dependencies and no Cython/C/rust core, making installation across a wide variety of environments simple and easy to manage. It provides high-level class components for consumer, producer, and admin clients, as well as CLI scripts for quick interactive tasks.

kafka-python admin serves as a simple alternative to the apache kafka bin/ scripts, particularly if/when you do not have easy access to an installed/compatible jvm. The CLI interface for admin commands is provided as kafka-python admin and ``python -m...

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AI interpretation — verify before relying

AI-generated interpretation of the package facts above; every digit, version, license, or vulnerability id it cites is grounded in the facts already shown on this page

kafka-python is a pure-Python client library for Apache Kafka that provides high-level consumer, producer, and admin clients with no external compiled dependencies, plus CLI tools for interactive Kafka operations.

Installation is straightforward with no runtime dependencies and a pure-Python wheel distribution. The project is actively maintained with a recent release (9 days ago) and strong community backing (5901 GitHub stars), supporting Python 3.8–3.14.

Licensed under Apache-2.0 (permissive), allowing free use, modification, and distribution in both open-source and commercial projects with minimal restrictions.

Usage

pip install kafka-python

from kafka import KafkaConsumer
consumer = KafkaConsumer('my_topic', bootstrap_servers='localhost:9092')
for msg in consumer:
    print(msg.value)

Requires a running Apache Kafka broker accessible at the specified bootstrap_servers address.

Verdict: kafka-python is a production-stable, actively maintained client library with zero known vulnerabilities, no install friction, and permissive licensing. It is well-suited for applications needing Kafka integration across diverse Python environments, though performance-critical use cases may optionally install crc32c for CPU-intensive checksum offloading.

Needs verification

Whether the optional crc32c dependency is recommended for typical production workloads and what performance gains it provides.
Compatibility matrix details with specific Apache Kafka broker versions beyond the 0.8–4.3 range indicated in the badge.

kafka client pythonapache kafka producer consumerkafka message streamingkafka admin clidistributed stream processingkafka protocol clientkafka topic management