# nats_stream

> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.redpanda.com/llms.txt). Component-specific: [connect-full.txt](https://docs.redpanda.com/connect-full.txt)

---
title: nats_stream
latest-connect-version: 4.93.0
latest-operator-version: v26.1.4
latest-console-tag: v3.7.3
latest-redpanda-tag: v26.1.9
docname: inputs/nats_stream
page-component-name: connect
page-version: master
page-component-version: master
page-component-title: Connect
page-relative-src-path: inputs/nats_stream.adoc
page-edit-url: https://github.com/redpanda-data/rp-connect-docs/edit/main/modules/components/pages/inputs/nats_stream.adoc
page-git-created-date: "2024-05-24"
page-git-modified-date: "2026-05-26"
---

<!-- Source: https://docs.redpanda.com/connect/components/inputs/nats_stream.md -->

**Type:** Input ▼

[Input](https://docs.redpanda.com/connect/components/inputs/nats_stream/)[Output](https://docs.redpanda.com/connect/components/outputs/nats_stream/)

**Available in:** Self-Managed

Subscribe to a NATS Stream subject. Joining a queue is optional and allows multiple clients of a subject to consume using queue semantics.

#### Common

```yml
inputs:
  label: ""
  nats_stream:
    urls: [] # No default (required)
    cluster_id: "" # No default (required)
    client_id: ""
    queue: ""
    subject: ""
    durable_name: ""
    unsubscribe_on_close: false
```

#### Advanced

```yml
inputs:
  label: ""
  nats_stream:
    urls: [] # No default (required)
    max_reconnects: "" # No default (optional)
    cluster_id: "" # No default (required)
    client_id: ""
    queue: ""
    subject: ""
    durable_name: ""
    unsubscribe_on_close: false
    start_from_oldest: true
    max_inflight: 1024
    ack_wait: 30s
    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)
    extract_tracing_map: "" # No default (optional)
```

> ⚠️ **CAUTION: Deprecation notice**
>
> Deprecation notice
>
> The NATS Streaming Server is being deprecated. Critical bug fixes and security fixes will be applied until June of 2023. NATS-enabled applications requiring persistence should use [JetStream](https://docs.nats.io/nats-concepts/jetstream).

Tracking and persisting offsets through a durable name is also optional and works with or without a queue. If a durable name is not provided then subjects are consumed from the most recently published message.

When a consumer closes its connection, it unsubscribes from the subject. When all consumers of a durable queue do this, the offsets are deleted from the NATS server. To avoid this, set the `unsubscribe_on_close` field to `false`, to prevent consumers from unsubscribing.

## [](#metadata)Metadata

This input adds the following metadata fields to each message:

-   nats\_stream\_subject

-   nats\_stream\_sequence


You can access these metadata fields using [function interpolation](https://docs.redpanda.com/connect/configuration/interpolation/#bloblang-queries).

## [](#authentication)Authentication

There are a number of Redpanda Connect components that use NATS services. Each of these components support optional, advanced authentication parameters for [NKeys](https://docs.nats.io/nats-server/configuration/securing_nats/auth_intro/nkey_auth) and [user credentials](https://docs.nats.io/using-nats/developer/connecting/creds).

For an in-depth guide, see the [NATS documentation](https://docs.nats.io/running-a-nats-service/nats_admin/security/jwt).

### [](#nkeys)NKeys

NATS server can use NKeys in several ways for authentication. The simplest approach is to configure the server with a list of user’s public keys. The server can then generate a challenge for each connection request from a client, and the client must respond to the challenge by signing it with its private NKey, configured in the `nkey_file` or `nkey` field.

For more details, see the [NATS documentation](https://docs.nats.io/running-a-nats-service/configuration/securing_nats/auth_intro/nkey_auth).

### [](#user-credentials)User credentials

NATS server also supports decentralized authentication based on JSON Web Tokens (JWTs). When a server is configured to use this authentication scheme, clients need a [user JWT](https://docs.nats.io/nats-server/configuration/securing_nats/jwt#json-web-tokens) and a corresponding [NKey secret](https://docs.nats.io/running-a-nats-service/configuration/securing_nats/auth_intro/nkey_auth) to connect.

You can use either of the following methods to supply the user JWT and NKey secret:

-   In the `user_credentials_file` field, enter the path to a file containing both the private key and the JWT. You can generate the file using the [nsc tool](https://docs.nats.io/nats-tools/nsc).

-   In the `user_jwt` field, enter a plain text JWT, and in the `user_nkey_seed` field, enter the plain text NKey seed or private key.


For more details about authentication using JWTs, see the [NATS documentation](https://docs.nats.io/using-nats/developer/connecting/creds).

## [](#fields)Fields

### [](#ack_wait)`ack_wait`

An optional duration to specify at which a message that is yet to be acked will be automatically retried.

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `30s`

### [](#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 [Secrets](https://docs.redpanda.com/connect/configuration/secrets/).

Requires version 4.38.0 or later.

**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 [Secrets](https://docs.redpanda.com/connect/configuration/secrets/).

**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 [Secrets](https://docs.redpanda.com/connect/configuration/secrets/).

**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 [Secrets](https://docs.redpanda.com/connect/configuration/secrets/).

**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 [Secrets](https://docs.redpanda.com/connect/configuration/secrets/).

**Type**: `string`

### [](#client_id)`client_id`

A client ID to connect as.

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `""`

### [](#cluster_id)`cluster_id`

The ID of the cluster to consume from.

**Type**: `string`

### [](#durable_name)`durable_name`

Preserve the state of your consumer under a durable name.

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `""`

### [](#extract_tracing_map)`extract_tracing_map`

EXPERIMENTAL: A [Bloblang mapping](https://docs.redpanda.com/connect/guides/bloblang/about/) that attempts to extract an object containing tracing propagation information, which is then used as the root tracing span for the message. The specification of the extracted fields must match the format used by the service wide tracer.

Requires version 4.23.0 or later.

**Type**: `string`

```yaml
# Examples:
extract_tracing_map: root = @

# ---

extract_tracing_map: root = this.meta.span
```

### [](#max_inflight)`max_inflight`

The maximum number of unprocessed messages to fetch at a given time.

**Type**: `int`

**Default**: `1024`

### [](#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`

### [](#queue)`queue`

The queue to consume from.

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `""`

### [](#start_from_oldest)`start_from_oldest`

If a position is not found for a queue, determines whether to consume from the oldest available message, otherwise messages are consumed from the latest.

**Type**: `bool`

**Default**: `true`

### [](#subject)`subject`

A subject to consume from.

**Type**: `string`

**Default**: `""`

### [](#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**: `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 [Secrets](https://docs.redpanda.com/connect/configuration/secrets/).

**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 [Secrets](https://docs.redpanda.com/connect/configuration/secrets/).

**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`.

Requires version 3.45.0 or later.

**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 [Secrets](https://docs.redpanda.com/connect/configuration/secrets/).

**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.

Requires version 4.60.0 or later.

**Type**: `bool`

**Default**: `false`

### [](#unsubscribe_on_close)`unsubscribe_on_close`

Whether the subscription should be destroyed when this client disconnects.

**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`

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

# ---

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