Blog Post

Getting Started with Confluent Platform on Ubuntu

February 16, 2025 Apache Kafka by Amr Ali Eissa

In this post, we’ll walk through setting up a single-node Confluent Platform cluster on your local Ubuntu machine. This configuration is perfect for development and learning purposes, allowing you to explore Kafka and its ecosystem without the need for a full-scale production setup.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure your Ubuntu machine has the following installed:

JDK 17: A Java Development Kit is required to run Confluent Platform components.

Installation Steps

Follow these steps to download, extract, and configure the Confluent Platform:

1. Download the Confluent Platform Tarball

Open your terminal.
Navigate to the directory where you want to install the Confluent Platform. For example, if you want to use /home/user/kafkawizamr/, run:
Run the following curl command to download the tarball containing the Confluent Platform:

				
					curl -O https://packages.confluent.io/archive/7.8/confluent-7.8.0.tar.gz

2. Extract the Tar File

After the download completes, extract the tarball using:

				
					tar xzf confluent-7.8.0.tar.gz

Once extracted, you should see a folder named confluent-7.8.0 containing the following structure:

/bin/: Driver scripts for starting and stopping services.
/etc/: Configuration files.
/lib/: Systemd services.
/libexec/: Multi-platform CLI binaries.
/share/: Jars and licenses.
/src/: Source files that require a platform-dependent build.

3. Configure Environment Variables

Set up your environment so that your system can easily run Confluent Platform commands:

Open your .bashrc file in your favorite text editor:
Scroll to the end of the file and enter insert mode.
Add the following lines to define CONFLUENT_HOME and update your PATH:

				
					export CONFLUENT_HOME=/home/user/kafkawizamr/confluent-7.8.0
export PATH=$PATH:$CONFLUENT_HOME/bin

Save the file and exit.

4. Start Confluent Platform Services

With your environment configured, start all the Confluent Platform components using:

				
					confluent local services start

5. Verify the Installation

Open your web browser and navigate to http://localhost:9021. You should see the Confluent Control Center running, indicating that your local Confluent Platform cluster is up and running.

This setup provides a solid foundation for exploring and experimenting with Kafka and its associated tools in a controlled, single-node environment. Happy learning and experimenting with your new Confluent Platform installation!