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How to Get Started in ksqlDB
ksqlDB is an open-source, event-streaming database built on top of Apache Kafka Streams. It allows users to process and analyze real-time data streams using a SQL-like language, specially designed for streaming.
If you are new to ksqlDB, this guide will show you everything to get started with four main steps:
- Install Apache Kafka.
- Run a ksqlDB Server.
- Start a ksqlDB CLI shell.
- Generate streaming mock data using
ksql-datagen. - Create your first streams and tables.
Each step shown here can be executed using a single Docker command, which can be integrated into any existing setup. If you are already running Apache Kafka or the ksqlDB server, you may skip those steps and proceed directly to the relevant sections.
Before you can use ksqlDB, you need to have Apache Kafka installed. Kafka is a distributed streaming platform that allows you to publish and subscribe to streams of records.
After installing an Apache Kafka broker, you need to run a ksqlDB server. The ksqlDB server processes ksqlDB queries and provides a RESTful API for interacting with ksqlDB.
How to run a local ksqlDB server using this one single docker command.
Once you have Kafka and ksqlDB server running, you can use the ksqlDB CLI to start running queries. The ksqlDB CLI is a command-line interface that allows you to interact with the ksqlDB server using SQL-like commands.
How to start a ksqlDB shell and connect to your ksqlDB server.
To start running queries, you will need some Kafka topics with mock data.
How to generate streaming mock data using this standalone docker command.
Once you have the infrastructure and testing datasets, you can start creating streams or tables and run queries on them. You can follow the steps in these tutorials to create streams and tables:
- How to Create a Stream from an Existing Topic
- How to Create a Table from a Stream
- How to Create a Table from an Existing Topic
Now that you know the basic steps to get started with ksqlDB, you can begin to explore the many features and capabilities it offers for processing and analyzing real-time data streams.