# nats_kv

> 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: nats_kv
latest-operator-version: v26.2.1
latest-console-tag: v3.10.0
latest-connect-version: 4.104.0
latest-redpanda-tag: v26.2.1
docname: connect/components/processors/nats_kv
page-component-name: cloud-data-platform
page-version: master
page-component-version: master
page-component-title: Cloud
page-relative-src-path: connect/components/processors/nats_kv.adoc
page-edit-url: https://github.com/redpanda-data/cloud-docs/edit/main/modules/develop/pages/connect/components/processors/nats_kv.adoc
page-git-created-date: "2024-09-09"
page-git-modified-date: "2026-05-26"
---

<!-- Source: https://docs.redpanda.com/cloud-data-platform/develop/connect/components/processors/nats_kv.md -->

Perform operations on a NATS key-value bucket.

#### Common

```yml
processors:
  label: ""
  nats_kv:
    urls: [] # No default (required)
    bucket: "" # No default (required)
    operation: "" # No default (required)
    key: "" # No default (required)
```

#### Advanced

```yml
processors:
  label: ""
  nats_kv:
    urls: [] # No default (required)
    max_reconnects: "" # No default (optional)
    bucket: "" # No default (required)
    operation: "" # No default (required)
    key: "" # No default (required)
    revision: "" # No default (optional)
    timeout: 5s
    tls:
      enabled: false
      skip_cert_verify: false
      enable_renegotiation: false
      root_cas: ""
      root_cas_file: ""
      client_certs: []
    tls_handshake_first: false
    auth:
      nkey_file: "" # No default (optional)
      nkey: "" # No default (optional)
      user_credentials_file: "" # No default (optional)
      user_jwt: "" # No default (optional)
      user_nkey_seed: "" # No default (optional)
      user: "" # No default (optional)
      password: "" # No default (optional)
      token: "" # No default (optional)
```

## [](#kv-operations)KV operations

The NATS KV processor supports many KV operations using the [`operation`](#operation) field. Along with `get`, `put`, and `delete`, this processor supports atomic operations like `update` and `create`, as well as utility operations like `purge`, `history`, and `keys`.

## [](#metadata)Metadata

This processor adds the following metadata fields to each message, depending on the chosen `operation`:

### [](#get-get_revision)get, get_revision

-   `nats_kv_key`

-   `nats_kv_bucket`

-   `nats_kv_revision`

-   `nats_kv_delta`

-   `nats_kv_operation`

-   `nats_kv_created`


### [](#create-update-delete-purge)create, update, delete, purge

-   `nats_kv_key`

-   `nats_kv_bucket`

-   `nats_kv_revision`

-   `nats_kv_operation`


### [](#keys)keys

-   `nats_kv_bucket`


## [](#fields)Fields

### [](#auth)`auth`

Optional configuration of NATS authentication parameters.

**Type**: `object`

### [](#auth-nkey)`auth.nkey`

Your NKey seed or private key for NATS authentication. NKeys provide secure, cryptographic authentication without passwords.

> ⚠️ **CAUTION**
>
> This field contains sensitive information that usually shouldn’t be added to a configuration directly. For more information, see [Manage Secrets](https://docs.redpanda.com/cloud-data-platform/develop/connect/configuration/secret-management/) before adding it to your configuration.

**Type**: `string`

```yaml
# Examples:
nkey: UDXU4RCSJNZOIQHZNWXHXORDPRTGNJAHAHFRGZNEEJCPQTT2M7NLCNF4
```

### [](#auth-nkey_file)`auth.nkey_file`

An optional file containing a NKey seed.

**Type**: `string`

```yaml
# Examples:
nkey_file: ./seed.nk
```

### [](#auth-password)`auth.password`

An optional plain text password (given along with the corresponding user name).

> ⚠️ **CAUTION**
>
> This field contains sensitive information that usually shouldn’t be added to a configuration directly. For more information, see [Manage Secrets](https://docs.redpanda.com/cloud-data-platform/develop/connect/configuration/secret-management/) before adding it to your configuration.

**Type**: `string`

### [](#auth-token)`auth.token`

An optional plain text token.

> ⚠️ **CAUTION**
>
> This field contains sensitive information that usually shouldn’t be added to a configuration directly. For more information, see [Manage Secrets](https://docs.redpanda.com/cloud-data-platform/develop/connect/configuration/secret-management/) before adding it to your configuration.

**Type**: `string`

### [](#auth-user)`auth.user`

An optional plain text user name (given along with the corresponding user password).

**Type**: `string`

### [](#auth-user_credentials_file)`auth.user_credentials_file`

An optional file containing user credentials which consist of a user JWT and corresponding NKey seed.

**Type**: `string`

```yaml
# Examples:
user_credentials_file: ./user.creds
```

### [](#auth-user_jwt)`auth.user_jwt`

An optional plaintext user JWT to use along with the corresponding user NKey seed.

> ⚠️ **CAUTION**
>
> This field contains sensitive information that usually shouldn’t be added to a configuration directly. For more information, see [Manage Secrets](https://docs.redpanda.com/cloud-data-platform/develop/connect/configuration/secret-management/) before adding it to your configuration.

**Type**: `string`

### [](#auth-user_nkey_seed)`auth.user_nkey_seed`

An optional plaintext user NKey seed to use along with the corresponding user JWT.

> ⚠️ **CAUTION**
>
> This field contains sensitive information that usually shouldn’t be added to a configuration directly. For more information, see [Manage Secrets](https://docs.redpanda.com/cloud-data-platform/develop/connect/configuration/secret-management/) before adding it to your configuration.

**Type**: `string`

### [](#bucket)`bucket`

The name of the KV bucket.

**Type**: `string`

```yaml
# Examples:
bucket: my_kv_bucket
```

### [](#key)`key`

The key for each message. Supports [wildcards](https://docs.nats.io/nats-concepts/subjects#wildcards) for the `history` and `keys` operations. This field supports [interpolation functions](https://docs.redpanda.com/cloud-data-platform/develop/connect/configuration/interpolation/#bloblang-queries).

**Type**: `string`

```yaml
# Examples:
key: foo

# ---

key: foo.bar.baz

# ---

key: foo.*

# ---

key: foo.>

# ---

key: foo.${! json("meta.type") }
```

### [](#max_reconnects)`max_reconnects`

The maximum number of times to attempt to reconnect to the server. If negative, it will never stop trying to reconnect.

**Type**: `int`

### [](#operation)`operation`

The operation to perform on the KV bucket.

**Type**: `string`

| Option | Summary |
| --- | --- |
| create | Adds the key/value pair if it does not exist. Returns an error if it already exists. |
| delete | Deletes the key/value pair, but keeps historical values. |
| get | Returns the latest value for key. |
| get_revision | Returns the value of key for the specified revision. |
| history | Returns historical values of key as an array of objects containing the following fields: key, value, bucket, revision, delta, operation, created. |
| keys | Returns the keys in the bucket which match the keys_filter as an array of strings. |
| purge | Deletes the key/value pair and all historical values. |
| put | Places a new value for the key into the store. |
| update | Updates the value for key only if the revision matches the latest revision. |

### [](#revision)`revision`

The revision of the key to operate on. Used for `get_revision` and `update` operations. This field supports [interpolation functions](https://docs.redpanda.com/cloud-data-platform/develop/connect/configuration/interpolation/#bloblang-queries).

**Type**: `string`

```yaml
# Examples:
revision: 42

# ---

revision: ${! @nats_kv_revision }
```

### [](#timeout)`timeout`

The maximum period to wait on an operation before aborting and returning an error.

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `5s`

### [](#tls)`tls`

Custom TLS settings can be used to override system defaults.

**Type**: `object`

### [](#tls-client_certs)`tls.client_certs[]`

A list of client certificates to use. For each certificate either the fields `cert` and `key`, or `cert_file` and `key_file` should be specified, but not both.

**Type**: `array<object>`

**Default**: `[]`

```yaml
# Examples:
client_certs:
  - cert: foo
    key: bar

# ---

client_certs:
  - cert_file: ./example.pem
    key_file: ./example.key
```

### [](#tls-client_certs-cert)`tls.client_certs[].cert`

A plain text certificate to use.

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `""`

### [](#tls-client_certs-cert_file)`tls.client_certs[].cert_file`

The path of a certificate to use.

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `""`

### [](#tls-client_certs-key)`tls.client_certs[].key`

A plain text certificate key to use.

> ⚠️ **CAUTION**
>
> This field contains sensitive information that usually shouldn’t be added to a configuration directly. For more information, see [Manage Secrets](https://docs.redpanda.com/cloud-data-platform/develop/connect/configuration/secret-management/) before adding it to your configuration.

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `""`

### [](#tls-client_certs-key_file)`tls.client_certs[].key_file`

The path of a certificate key to use.

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `""`

### [](#tls-client_certs-password)`tls.client_certs[].password`

A plain text password for when the private key is password encrypted in PKCS#1 or PKCS#8 format. The obsolete `pbeWithMD5AndDES-CBC` algorithm is not supported for the PKCS#8 format.

Because the obsolete pbeWithMD5AndDES-CBC algorithm does not authenticate the ciphertext, it is vulnerable to padding oracle attacks that can let an attacker recover the plaintext.

> ⚠️ **CAUTION**
>
> This field contains sensitive information that usually shouldn’t be added to a configuration directly. For more information, see [Manage Secrets](https://docs.redpanda.com/cloud-data-platform/develop/connect/configuration/secret-management/) before adding it to your configuration.

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `""`

```yaml
# Examples:
password: foo

# ---

password: ${KEY_PASSWORD}
```

### [](#tls-enable_renegotiation)`tls.enable_renegotiation`

Whether to allow the remote server to repeatedly request renegotiation. Enable this option if you’re seeing the error message `local error: tls: no renegotiation`.

**Type**: `bool`

**Default**: `false`

### [](#tls-enabled)`tls.enabled`

Whether custom TLS settings are enabled.

**Type**: `bool`

**Default**: `false`

### [](#tls-root_cas)`tls.root_cas`

An optional root certificate authority to use. This is a string, representing a certificate chain from the parent trusted root certificate, to possible intermediate signing certificates, to the host certificate.

> ⚠️ **CAUTION**
>
> This field contains sensitive information that usually shouldn’t be added to a configuration directly. For more information, see [Manage Secrets](https://docs.redpanda.com/cloud-data-platform/develop/connect/configuration/secret-management/) before adding it to your configuration.

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `""`

```yaml
# Examples:
root_cas: |-
  -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
  ...
  -----END CERTIFICATE-----
```

### [](#tls-root_cas_file)`tls.root_cas_file`

An optional path of a root certificate authority file to use. This is a file, often with a .pem extension, containing a certificate chain from the parent trusted root certificate, to possible intermediate signing certificates, to the host certificate.

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `""`

```yaml
# Examples:
root_cas_file: ./root_cas.pem
```

### [](#tls-skip_cert_verify)`tls.skip_cert_verify`

Whether to skip server side certificate verification.

**Type**: `bool`

**Default**: `false`

### [](#tls_handshake_first)`tls_handshake_first`

Whether to perform the initial TLS handshake before sending the NATS INFO protocol message. This is required when connecting to some NATS servers that expect TLS to be established immediately after connection, before any protocol negotiation.

**Type**: `bool`

**Default**: `false`

### [](#urls)`urls[]`

A list of URLs to connect to. If a list item contains commas, it will be expanded into multiple URLs.

**Type**: `array<string>`

```yaml
# Examples:
urls:
  - "nats://127.0.0.1:4222"

# ---

urls:
  - "nats://username:password@127.0.0.1:4222"
```