# broker > For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.redpanda.com/llms.txt). Component-specific: [cloud-data-platform-full.txt](https://docs.redpanda.com/cloud-data-platform-full.txt) --- title: broker latest-operator-version: v26.1.4 latest-console-tag: v3.7.3 latest-connect-version: 4.93.0 latest-redpanda-tag: v26.1.9 docname: connect/components/outputs/broker page-component-name: cloud-data-platform page-version: master page-component-version: master page-component-title: Cloud page-relative-src-path: connect/components/outputs/broker.adoc page-edit-url: https://github.com/redpanda-data/cloud-docs/edit/main/modules/develop/pages/connect/components/outputs/broker.adoc page-git-created-date: "2024-09-09" page-git-modified-date: "2026-05-26" --- **Type:** Output ▼ [Output](https://docs.redpanda.com/cloud-data-platform/develop/connect/components/outputs/broker/)[Input](https://docs.redpanda.com/cloud-data-platform/develop/connect/components/inputs/broker/) **Available in:** Cloud, [Self-Managed](https://docs.redpanda.com/connect/components/outputs/broker/%20%22View%20the%20Self-Managed%20version%20of%20this%20component%22) A meta-output that routes messages to child outputs using a range of brokering [patterns](#patterns). Unlike regular outputs, `broker` doesn’t send messages anywhere by itself. Instead, it wraps other outputs and controls how messages are delivered across them. Use `broker` to fan out the same message to multiple destinations (for example, publishing events to Kafka while also writing them to a database), or to distribute messages across a pool of outputs for load balancing or throughput scaling. The delivery pattern determines whether each message is written to all outputs or routed to a single output, and whether writes happen in parallel or in sequence. > 📝 **NOTE** > > The name `broker` refers to the brokering delivery pattern, not a Redpanda broker (cluster node). #### Common ```yml outputs: label: "" broker: pattern: fan_out outputs: [] # No default (required) batching: count: 0 byte_size: 0 period: "" check: "" processors: [] # No default (optional) ``` #### Advanced ```yml outputs: label: "" broker: copies: 1 pattern: fan_out outputs: [] # No default (required) batching: count: 0 byte_size: 0 period: "" check: "" processors: [] # No default (optional) ``` [Processors](https://docs.redpanda.com/cloud-data-platform/develop/connect/components/processors/about/) can be listed to apply across individual outputs or all outputs: ```yaml output: broker: pattern: fan_out outputs: - resource: foo - resource: bar # Processors only applied to messages sent to bar. processors: - resource: bar_processor # Processors applied to messages sent to all brokered outputs. processors: - resource: general_processor ``` ## [](#fields)Fields ### [](#batching)`batching` Allows you to configure a [batching policy](https://docs.redpanda.com/cloud-data-platform/develop/connect/configuration/batching/). **Type**: `object` ```yaml # Examples: batching: byte_size: 5000 count: 0 period: 1s # --- batching: count: 10 period: 1s # --- batching: check: this.contains("END BATCH") count: 0 period: 1m ``` ### [](#batching-byte_size)`batching.byte_size` An amount of bytes at which the batch should be flushed. If `0` disables size based batching. **Type**: `int` **Default**: `0` ### [](#batching-check)`batching.check` A [Bloblang query](https://docs.redpanda.com/cloud-data-platform/develop/connect/guides/bloblang/about/) that should return a boolean value indicating whether a message should end a batch. **Type**: `string` **Default**: `""` ```yaml # Examples: check: this.type == "end_of_transaction" ``` ### [](#batching-count)`batching.count` A number of messages at which the batch should be flushed. If `0` disables count based batching. **Type**: `int` **Default**: `0` ### [](#batching-period)`batching.period` A period in which an incomplete batch should be flushed regardless of its size. **Type**: `string` **Default**: `""` ```yaml # Examples: period: 1s # --- period: 1m # --- period: 500ms ``` ### [](#batching-processors)`batching.processors[]` A list of [processors](https://docs.redpanda.com/cloud-data-platform/develop/connect/components/processors/about/) to apply to a batch as it is flushed. This allows you to aggregate and archive the batch however you see fit. Please note that all resulting messages are flushed as a single batch, therefore splitting the batch into smaller batches using these processors is a no-op. **Type**: `processor` ```yaml # Examples: processors: - archive: format: concatenate # --- processors: - archive: format: lines # --- processors: - archive: format: json_array ``` ### [](#copies)`copies` The number of copies of each configured output to spawn. **Type**: `int` **Default**: `1` ### [](#outputs)`outputs[]` A list of child outputs to broker. **Type**: `output` ### [](#pattern)`pattern` The brokering pattern to use. **Type**: `string` **Default**: `fan_out` **Options**: `fan_out`, `fan_out_fail_fast`, `fan_out_sequential`, `fan_out_sequential_fail_fast`, `round_robin`, `greedy` ## [](#patterns)Patterns The broker pattern determines how messages are distributed across outputs. Use `fan_out` (the default) when every output should receive every message. Use `round_robin` or `greedy` when you want to distribute messages across outputs for load balancing rather than duplication. The available patterns are: ### [](#fan_out)`fan_out` With the fan out pattern all outputs will be sent every message that passes through Redpanda Connect in parallel. If an output applies back pressure it will block all subsequent messages, and if an output fails to send a message it will be retried continuously until completion or service shut down. This mechanism is in place in order to prevent one bad output from causing a larger retry loop that results in a good output from receiving unbounded message duplicates. Sometimes it is useful to disable the back pressure or retries of certain fan out outputs and instead drop messages that have failed or were blocked. In this case you can wrap outputs with a [`drop_on` output](https://docs.redpanda.com/cloud-data-platform/develop/connect/components/outputs/drop_on/). ### [](#fan_out_fail_fast)`fan_out_fail_fast` The same as the `fan_out` pattern, except that output failures will not be automatically retried. This pattern should be used with caution as busy retry loops could result in unlimited duplicates being introduced into the non-failure outputs. ### [](#fan_out_sequential)`fan_out_sequential` Similar to the fan out pattern except outputs are written to sequentially, meaning an output is only written to once the preceding output has confirmed receipt of the same message. If an output applies back pressure it will block all subsequent messages, and if an output fails to send a message it will be retried continuously until completion or service shut down. This mechanism is in place in order to prevent one bad output from causing a larger retry loop that results in a good output from receiving unbounded message duplicates. ### [](#fan_out_sequential_fail_fast)`fan_out_sequential_fail_fast` The same as the `fan_out_sequential` pattern, except that output failures will not be automatically retried. This pattern should be used with caution as busy retry loops could result in unlimited duplicates being introduced into the non-failure outputs. ### [](#round_robin)`round_robin` With the round robin pattern each message will be assigned a single output following their order. If an output applies back pressure it will block all subsequent messages. If an output fails to send a message then the message will be re-attempted with the next input, and so on. ### [](#greedy)`greedy` The greedy pattern results in higher output throughput at the cost of potentially disproportionate message allocations to those outputs. Each message is sent to a single output, which is determined by allowing outputs to claim messages as soon as they are able to process them. This results in certain faster outputs potentially processing more messages at the cost of slower outputs.