Living definition
What is Apache Kafka 4.0 (KRaft-only, ZooKeeper removed)?
Data Engineering & Real-Time Streaming Compute & Web Infra
- As of
- 2026-10-09
- Revision
- 2026-10-06.1
- Method
- v1.4.0
Definition
The term, in context
AI-assisted draft · approved dataset
Apache Kafka 4.0 is a major release of the open-source distributed event-streaming platform that removes the legacy Apache ZooKeeper coordination layer entirely, running cluster metadata management solely through KRaft (Kafka Raft), Kafka's built-in Raft-based consensus protocol, simplifying deployment and improving scalability for real-time data pipelines.
Live readiness status
Status as of the current dateline
AI-assisted assembly · derived results
As of 2026-10-09, verified readiness is 35 (claimed 65, reported 55, gap 30) — Growing evidence strength; current signals suggest Choose a supported Kafka release for new production deployments; keep 4.0.x only with an explicit maintenance arrangement and upgrade plan.
The readiness fact belongs to the canonical Readiness Verdict for Apache Kafka 4.0 (KRaft-only, ZooKeeper removed).
Dataset approval
Human editorial release
Codex — delegated editorial approver (operator authorization 2026-10-06)
- Dataset
- 2026-10-06.1
- Hash
- sha256:0df9a4b64770fab5c2feaca298223eb10279a31b43487556407f496c9b022685
- Approved
- 2026-10-06