Kafka, as a cornerstone of real-time data processing, is foundational in many modern application architectures. But, like any system, it's not without its challenges. This presentation explores common pitfalls developers encounter with Kafka. We will not only shine a light on these problematic areas but also introduce proven troubleshooting techniques. A highlight of our discussion will be a live demonstration of connecting, consuming, and debugging Kafka using a Python Flask app. We'll also briefly discuss how OpenTelemetry can provide additional visibility into Kafka-based workflows. By integrating the demonstration with a Python Flask app, we'll showcase tangible ways in which developers can interact with and troubleshoot Kafka, ensuring more reliable deployments and a better understanding of this powerful data-streaming platform.
