# Create and Manage Kafka Connect Connectors in Kubernetes > For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.redpanda.com/llms.txt). Component-specific: [streaming-full.txt](https://docs.redpanda.com/streaming-full.txt) --- title: Create and Manage Kafka Connect Connectors in Kubernetes latest-redpanda-tag: v25.3.11 latest-console-tag: v3.7.3 latest-operator-version: v26.1.4 # EOL = End-of-Life (support lifecycle status) page-is-nearing-eol: "false" page-is-past-eol: "false" page-eol-date: November 19, 2026 latest-connect-version: 4.93.0 docname: kubernetes/k-manage-connectors page-component-name: streaming page-version: "25.3" page-component-version: "25.3" page-component-title: Streaming page-relative-src-path: kubernetes/k-manage-connectors.adoc page-edit-url: https://github.com/redpanda-data/docs/edit/v/25.3/modules/manage/pages/kubernetes/k-manage-connectors.adoc description: Learn how to create and manage connectors using Redpanda Console or the Kafka Connect REST API. page-git-created-date: "2024-01-04" page-git-modified-date: "2026-05-26" support-status: supported --- When you have Kafka Connect deployed, you can create and manage connectors using Redpanda Console or the Kafka Connect REST API. > ๐Ÿ“ **NOTE: Community** > > **The Connectors Helm chart is a community-supported artifact**. Redpanda Data does not provide enterprise support for this chart. For support, reach out to the Redpanda team in [Redpanda Community Slack](https://redpanda.com/slack). ## [](#prerequisites)Prerequisites - [Deploy a Redpanda cluster with Redpanda Console](https://docs.redpanda.com/streaming/25.3/deploy/redpanda/kubernetes/k-production-deployment/). - [Deploy Kafka Connect](https://docs.redpanda.com/streaming/25.3/deploy/kafka-connect/k-deploy-kafka-connect/). - Ensure Redpanda Console is configured to connect to Kafka Connect (see the [Redpanda Console configuration](https://docs.redpanda.com/streaming/25.3/deploy/kafka-connect/k-deploy-kafka-connect/#configure-redpanda-console-to-connect-to-kafka-connect) in the deployment guide). ## [](#verify-kafka-connect-is-accessible)Verify Kafka Connect is accessible Before managing connectors, verify that Kafka Connect is running and accessible: 1. Check the Pod status: ```bash kubectl get pod -l app.kubernetes.io/name=connectors --namespace ``` Expected output: ```bash NAME READY STATUS RESTARTS AGE redpanda-connectors-6d64b948f6-dk484 1/1 Running 0 5m ``` 2. Test the Kafka Connect REST API: ```bash POD_NAME=$(kubectl get pod -l app.kubernetes.io/name=connectors --namespace -o jsonpath='{.items[0].metadata.name}') kubectl exec $POD_NAME --namespace -- curl -s localhost:8083 | jq '.version' ``` This should return the Kafka Connect version. 3. Verify the available connector plugins: ```bash kubectl exec $POD_NAME --namespace -- curl -s localhost:8083/connector-plugins | jq '.[].class' ``` Expected output should include the MirrorMaker2 connectors: ```bash "org.apache.kafka.connect.mirror.MirrorCheckpointConnector" "org.apache.kafka.connect.mirror.MirrorHeartbeatConnector" "org.apache.kafka.connect.mirror.MirrorSourceConnector" ``` ## [](#manage-connectors-in-redpanda-console)Manage connectors in Redpanda Console Redpanda Console provides a web interface for managing Kafka Connect connectors. This is the recommended approach for most users as it provides a user-friendly interface and validation. ### [](#access-redpanda-console)Access Redpanda Console By default, Redpanda Console is deployed with a ClusterIP Service. To access Redpanda Console, you can use the `kubectl port-forward` command to forward one of your local ports to the Pod. > ๐Ÿ“ **NOTE** > > The `kubectl port-forward` command is a development tool. To expose services to external traffic in a more permanent and controlled manner, use Kubernetes Services such as LoadBalancer or NodePort. 1. Expose Redpanda Console to your localhost: ```bash kubectl --namespace port-forward svc/redpanda-console 8080:8080 ``` This command actively runs in the command-line window. To execute other commands while the command is running, open another command-line window. 2. Open Redpanda Console on [http://localhost:8080](http://localhost:8080). ### [](#using-the-connect-interface)Using the Connect interface When you have access to Redpanda Console: 1. Navigate to **Connect** in the left menu. 2. If Kafka Connect is properly configured, you should see: - The Kafka Connect cluster - A list of available connector types - Any existing tasks From here, you can: - View connector status and health - Pause/resume connectors - View connector configuration - Delete connectors - View connector logs and metrics ### [](#troubleshoot-redpanda-console-connectivity)Troubleshoot Redpanda Console connectivity If you see "Kafka Connect is not configured": 1. Verify the Redpanda Console configuration includes Kafka Connect settings (see [deployment guide troubleshooting](https://docs.redpanda.com/streaming/25.3/deploy/kafka-connect/k-deploy-kafka-connect/#troubleshooting-console-connectivity)) 2. Check the Redpanda Console logs for connection errors: ```bash kubectl logs -n -l app.kubernetes.io/name=console --tail=20 ``` 3. Look for successful connection messages: "creating Kafka connect HTTP clients and testing connectivity to all clusters" "tested Kafka connect cluster connectivity","successful\_clusters":1,"failed\_clusters":0" ## [](#manage-connectors-with-the-rest-api)Manage connectors with the REST API This section provides examples of managing connectors using the Kafka Connect REST API with cURL. This approach is useful for automation, scripting, and CI/CD pipelines. All REST API commands should be executed from within the Kafka Connect Pod or through `kubectl exec`. For comprehensive REST API documentation, see the [Kafka Connect REST API reference](https://kafka.apache.org/documentation/#connect_rest). > ๐Ÿ’ก **TIP** > > For complex connector configurations and production deployments, consider using the [Helm chart configuration options](https://docs.redpanda.com/streaming/25.3/reference/k-connector-helm-spec/) to manage connector settings. ### [](#get-connector-pod-information)Get connector Pod information Get the Pod name and verify connectivity: ```bash # Get the connector Pod name POD_NAME=$(kubectl get pod -l app.kubernetes.io/name=connectors --namespace -o jsonpath='{.items[0].metadata.name}') echo "Using pod: $POD_NAME" # Test basic connectivity kubectl exec $POD_NAME --namespace -- curl -s localhost:8083 ``` ### [](#view-version-of-kafka-connect)View version of Kafka Connect ```bash kubectl exec $POD_NAME --namespace -- curl -s localhost:8083 | jq ``` Expected output: ```json { "version": "3.8.0", "commit": "771b9576b00ecf5b", "kafka_cluster_id": "redpanda.3e2649b0-f84c-4c03-b5e3-d6d1643f65b2" } ``` ### [](#view-available-connector-plugins)View available connector plugins ```bash kubectl exec $POD_NAME --namespace -- curl -s localhost:8083/connector-plugins | jq ``` ### [](#view-cluster-worker-information)View cluster worker information ```bash kubectl exec $POD_NAME --namespace -- curl -s localhost:8083 | jq ``` This returns basic cluster information including version and Kafka cluster ID. ### [](#view-all-connectors)View all connectors ```bash # List connector names only kubectl exec $POD_NAME --namespace -- curl -s localhost:8083/connectors | jq # View connectors with detailed status and configuration kubectl exec $POD_NAME --namespace -- curl -s 'localhost:8083/connectors?expand=status&expand=info' | jq ``` ### [](#create-a-connector)Create a connector To create a connector, use a POST request with JSON configuration: ```bash kubectl exec $POD_NAME --namespace -- curl -s "localhost:8083/connectors" \ -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \ --data-raw '{ "name": "heartbeat-connector", "config": { "connector.class": "org.apache.kafka.connect.mirror.MirrorHeartbeatConnector", "heartbeats.topic.replication.factor": "1", "replication.factor": "1", "source.cluster.alias": "source", "target.cluster.alias": "target", "source.cluster.bootstrap.servers": "redpanda.redpanda.svc.cluster.local:9093", "target.cluster.bootstrap.servers": "redpanda.redpanda.svc.cluster.local:9093", "emit.heartbeats.interval.seconds": "30" } }' | jq ``` Example for MirrorSourceConnector: ```bash kubectl exec $POD_NAME --namespace -- curl -s "localhost:8083/connectors" \ -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \ --data-raw '{ "name": "mirror-source-connector", "config": { "connector.class": "org.apache.kafka.connect.mirror.MirrorSourceConnector", "source.cluster.alias": "source", "target.cluster.alias": "target", "source.cluster.bootstrap.servers": "source-cluster:9092", "target.cluster.bootstrap.servers": "redpanda.redpanda.svc.cluster.local:9093", "topics": "my-topic", "replication.factor": "1" } }' | jq ``` ### [](#view-connector-details)View connector details ```bash # View connector configuration kubectl exec $POD_NAME --namespace -- curl -s localhost:8083/connectors//config | jq # View connector status kubectl exec $POD_NAME --namespace -- curl -s localhost:8083/connectors//status | jq # View connector tasks kubectl exec $POD_NAME --namespace -- curl -s localhost:8083/connectors//tasks | jq ``` Example: ```bash kubectl exec $POD_NAME --namespace -- curl -s localhost:8083/connectors/heartbeat-connector/status | jq ``` ### [](#update-connector-configuration)Update connector configuration ```bash kubectl exec $POD_NAME --namespace -- curl -s "localhost:8083/connectors//config" \ -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \ -X PUT \ --data-raw '{ "connector.class": "org.apache.kafka.connect.mirror.MirrorHeartbeatConnector", "heartbeats.topic.replication.factor": "1", "replication.factor": "1", "source.cluster.alias": "source", "target.cluster.alias": "target", "source.cluster.bootstrap.servers": "redpanda.redpanda.svc.cluster.local:9093", "target.cluster.bootstrap.servers": "redpanda.redpanda.svc.cluster.local:9093", "emit.heartbeats.interval.seconds": "60" }' | jq ``` ### [](#pause-and-resume-connectors)Pause and resume connectors ```bash # Pause a connector kubectl exec $POD_NAME --namespace -- curl -s "localhost:8083/connectors//pause" -X PUT # Resume a connector kubectl exec $POD_NAME --namespace -- curl -s "localhost:8083/connectors//resume" -X PUT # Restart a connector kubectl exec $POD_NAME --namespace -- curl -s "localhost:8083/connectors//restart" -X POST ``` ### [](#delete-a-connector)Delete a connector ```bash kubectl exec $POD_NAME --namespace -- curl -s "localhost:8083/connectors/" -X DELETE ``` Example: ```bash kubectl exec $POD_NAME --namespace -- curl -s "localhost:8083/connectors/heartbeat-connector" -X DELETE ``` ### [](#troubleshoot-rest-api-issues)Troubleshoot REST API issues #### [](#common-error-responses)Common error responses - **404 Not Found**: Connector doesnโ€™t exist - **409 Conflict**: Connector with the same name already exists - **400 Bad Request**: Invalid configuration #### [](#debugging-connector-failures)Debugging connector failures 1. Check connector status for error details: ```bash kubectl exec $POD_NAME --namespace -- curl -s localhost:8083/connectors//status | jq '.connector.trace' ``` 2. View task-level errors: ```bash kubectl exec $POD_NAME --namespace -- curl -s localhost:8083/connectors//status | jq '.tasks[].trace' ``` 3. Check Kafka Connect logs: ```bash kubectl logs -n -l app.kubernetes.io/name=connectors --tail=50 ``` For more detailed logging configuration, see [logging configuration](https://docs.redpanda.com/streaming/25.3/deploy/kafka-connect/k-deploy-kafka-connect/#logging) in the deployment guide. ### [](#connector-management-best-practices)Connector management best practices #### [](#configuration-validation)Configuration validation Before creating a connector, validate the configuration: ```bash kubectl exec $POD_NAME --namespace -- curl -s "localhost:8083/connector-plugins//config/validate" \ -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \ -X PUT \ --data-raw '{"connector.class": "", ...}' | jq ``` #### [](#monitoring-connector-health)Monitoring connector health Regularly check connector status: ```bash # Check all connectors at once kubectl exec $POD_NAME --namespace -- curl -s 'localhost:8083/connectors?expand=status' | \ jq '.[] | {name: .status.name, state: .status.connector.state, tasks: [.status.tasks[].state]}' ``` For comprehensive monitoring and alerting, see [Kafka Connect monitoring guide](https://docs.redpanda.com/streaming/25.3/manage/kubernetes/monitoring/k-monitor-connectors/). #### [](#backup-connector-configurations)Backup connector configurations Save connector configurations for disaster recovery: ```bash # Export all connector configs kubectl exec $POD_NAME --namespace -- curl -s 'localhost:8083/connectors?expand=info' | \ jq '.[] | {name: .info.name, config: .info.config}' > connectors-backup.json ``` ## [](#next-steps)Next steps - [Monitor Kafka Connect performance and health](https://docs.redpanda.com/streaming/25.3/manage/kubernetes/monitoring/k-monitor-connectors/) - [Install additional connector plugins](https://docs.redpanda.com/streaming/25.3/deploy/kafka-connect/k-deploy-kafka-connect/#install-a-new-connector) - [Configure advanced Kafka Connect settings](https://docs.redpanda.com/streaming/25.3/reference/k-connector-helm-spec/) - Explore [Redpanda Connect](https://docs.redpanda.com/connect/home/) for simpler data pipeline creation ## Suggested labs - [Redpanda Iceberg Docker Compose Example](https://docs.redpanda.com/labs/docker-compose/iceberg/) - [Migrate Data with Redpanda Migrator](https://docs.redpanda.com/labs/docker-compose/redpanda-migrator/) - [Iceberg Streaming on Kubernetes with Redpanda, MinIO, and Spark](https://docs.redpanda.com/labs/kubernetes/iceberg/) [Search all labs](https://docs.redpanda.com/labs)