Prerequisites for Creating a Connection

You must satisfy the following prerequisites to create a connection with the Apache Kafka Adapter.

Know the Host and Port of the Bootstrap Server

Know the host and port of the bootstrap server to use to connect to a list of Kafka brokers.

Obtain Security Policy Details

Obtain the following security policy details for the Apache Kafka Adapter.

If using the Simple Authentication and Security Layer (SASL) Plain over SSL or SASL Plain security policy, know the SASL username and password.
To use SASL Plain over SSL, TLS, or Mutual TLS policies, have the required certificates.

Configure Confluent Kafka with the Apache Kafka Adapter

To configure Confluent Kafka with the Apache Kafka Adapter, you must obtain the following information to successfully configure the Apache Kafka Adapter on the Connections page.

Generate the username and password required for the Connections page at the following location:
```
https://confluent.cloud/environments/env-dvgny/clusters/lkc-rjn91/api-keys
```
1. Click Add Key.
  You must enter the key in the SASL Username field and the secret key in the SASL Password field on the Connections page. See Configure Connection Security.
Generate the truststore:
1. Generate the certificate.
```
 echo -n | openssl s_client -connect host:port | sed -ne  '/-BEGIN CERTIFICATE-/,/-END CERTIFICATE-/p' > /tmp/server.cert
```
  Where host:port is the combination of the bootstrap server and port.
2. Generate the truststore from the certificate created in Step a:
```
keytool -keystore conf_2.jks -alias ConfRoot -import -file conf_server.cert
```
  For this example, conf_2.jks is the name of the truststore file to upload in the TrustStore field on the Connections page.
3. When prompted, enter a password. Remember the password because you must enter it in the Truststore password field on the Connections page.

Note the following Confluent Kafka restrictions:

The Apache Kafka Adapter supports Apache Kafka serializers/deserializers (String/ByteArray). It doesn't support Confluent or any other serializers/deserializers.
Supports only the SASL PLAIN over SSL security policy.
Supports the XML/JSON and AVRO message structures. Other structures/formats are not supported.
The schema registry is not supported with the Apache Kafka Adapter.