kafka-python-ng
Pure Python client for Apache Kafka
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, with caution. The package has low install friction, no runtime dependencies, and covers the core Kafka client use case well. However, the repository is archived and abandoned as of 2024-10-28, with the description itself recommending use of the GitHub repository due to release issues. For new projects, verify whether the fork remains actively maintained or whether you should evaluate alternatives. For existing projects already using it, the current version is stable and has no known vulnerabilities, but plan for long-term maintenance risk.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires a running Kafka broker accessible at the configured bootstrap_servers address; gzip compression is built-in but other formats require separate libraries.
- Low install friction with no runtime dependencies.
- However, the package is marked as abandoned with the last commit on 2024-10-28 and the repository archived.
License · maintenance · safety
Apache License 2.0 (permissive) — Licensed under Apache License 2.0 (permissive), which allows commercial use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions. No notable licensing constraints for typical use.
last release 2024-10-02 (681 days) · last repo commit 2024-10-28 · 105 stars · archived
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 1,915,400 downloads/mo, #3,435 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install kafka-python-ng
from kafka import KafkaConsumer
consumer = KafkaConsumer('my_topic', group_id='my_group')
for msg in consumer:
print(msg)- Whether the archived repository status affects long-term security updates or bug fixes for production use
- Current compatibility with Kafka broker versions beyond 2.6+ mentioned in the documentation
- Whether optional compression libraries (LZ4, Snappy, Zstandard) are required for your use case or only gzip
What it is and what it does
kafka-python-ng is a pure Python client for Apache Kafka that mirrors the design of the official Java client. It provides KafkaConsumer for subscribing to topics and consuming messages (with support for consumer groups and dynamic partition assignment on brokers 0.9+) and KafkaProducer for asynchronously publishing messages. The library handles serialization, compression (gzip natively, plus optional LZ4, Snappy, and Zstandard), and CRC32 validation of messages.
The package is designed to work with modern Kafka brokers (0.9+) but maintains backward compatibility to 0.8.0, though some features like coordinated consumer groups require newer brokers. It supports Python 3.8 through 3.12 on CPython and PyPy. The library includes a protocol layer for low-level broker interaction and version detection, useful for testing and experimentation.
Use it for
- Build a consumer application that subscribes to Kafka topics and processes messages in a consumer group with automatic partition rebalancing.
- Implement a producer that publishes messages to Kafka topics with optional key-based partitioning and compression.
- Integrate Kafka message streaming into Python microservices for event-driven architectures.
- Serialize and deserialize structured data (JSON, msgpack) when producing or consuming Kafka messages.
- Monitor Kafka producer and consumer performance using the metrics() API.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, with caution.
The package has low install friction, no runtime dependencies, and covers the core Kafka client use case well. However, the repository is archived and abandoned as of 2024-10-28, with the description itself recommending use of the GitHub repository due to release issues. For new projects, verify whether the fork remains actively maintained or whether you should evaluate alternatives. For existing projects already using it, the current version is stable and has no known vulnerabilities, but plan for long-term maintenance risk.
Install
kafka-python-ng on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with no runtime dependencies. However, the package is marked as abandoned with the last commit on 2024-10-28 and the repository archived. The description explicitly recommends using the GitHub repository directly due to release issues, signaling ongoing maintenance concerns despite the stable classifier.
Requires a running Kafka broker accessible at the configured bootstrap_servers address; gzip compression is built-in but other formats require separate libraries.
License in practice
Licensed under Apache License 2.0 (permissive), which allows commercial use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions. No notable licensing constraints for typical use.
Quickstart
pip install kafka-python-ng
from kafka import KafkaConsumer
consumer = KafkaConsumer('my_topic', group_id='my_group')
for msg in consumer:
print(msg)Verify before relying
- Whether the archived repository status affects long-term security updates or bug fixes for production use
- Current compatibility with Kafka broker versions beyond 2.6+ mentioned in the documentation
- Whether optional compression libraries (LZ4, Snappy, Zstandard) are required for your use case or only gzip
Package facts
| License | Apache License 2.0 permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.8 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Abandoned 681 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | repository archived |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 1,915,400 / month, #3,435 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: Apache Software LicenseProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPythonProgramming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: PyPyTopic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python Modules |
Evidence: kafka_python_ng-2.2.3-py2.py3-none-any.whl
Tags
Let your AI agent find packages like this
Example. Real query, live index.
You found this page by searching. An agent finds it by wishing: SkillFed indexes 14,416 PyPI packages by what they can do, searchable in plain language.
wish › “kafka broker integration”
- kafka-python-ngA Python client library for Apache Kafka that provides high-level…
- aiokafkaaiokafka is an asyncio-based client library for Apache Kafka that…
- apache-airflow-providers-common-messagingProvides common messaging abstractions and operators for Apache…
Give your agent the search over MCP, or paste the wish link into any chat.
More Python Modules packages
Converts domain names between Unicode and ASCII-compatible encoding (Punycode) according to IDNA 2008 and Unicode Technical Standard 46, with security validation and broader script coverage than the standard library.
Install it if you work with internationalized domain names, need to validate domains, or use HTTP clients that depend on it transitively.
Setuptools is a Python build backend and package management tool that handles building, distributing, and installing Python packages, including support for C/C++ extension modules.
PyYAML parses and emits YAML 1.1 data format, enabling serialization and deserialization of configuration files and Python objects to and from human-readable YAML text.
Pydantic validates Python data structures against type hints, coercing and checking input at runtime to ensure it matches a declared schema.
Provides reusable metadata objects for use with PEP-593 `typing.Annotated` to express common constraints like bounds, collection sizes, and predicates on types.
Install it if you use or build libraries that need to express type constraints in a standardized, inspectable way—or if you want to annotate your own types with…
Provides runtime tools to inspect and introspect Python type annotations, enabling programmatic examination of type hints at execution time.
See also kafka · kafka-python · confluent-kafka · aiokafka · opentelemetry-instrumentation-kafka-python · opentelemetry-instrumentation-confluent-kafka · faststream · confluent_avro · amqp · kafka-schema-registry