# Get Started with Console

One platform to explore, build, secure, and govern Kafka. Works with Confluent, MSK, Redpanda, or any Kafka 2.5+.

### Install it yourself

Install [Conduktor Community](https://www.conduktor.io/community) on your own infrastructure.

Docker
Kubernetes
AWS

```bash
curl -fL https://releases.conduktor.io/quick-start | docker compose -f - up
```

Access the Console at `localhost:8080` once it's running. Ships with embedded Redpanda, Schema Registry, and sample data.

```bash
helm repo add conduktor https://helm.conduktor.io
helm install console conduktor/console \
  -f values.yaml
kubectl port-forward deployment/console 8080:8080
```

Deploys Console with the official Helm chart, backed by your own PostgreSQL database (set in `values.yaml`). Swap the port-forward for an ingress to share it with your team.

[Launch on AWS Marketplace →](https://aws.amazon.com/marketplace/pp/prodview-dy4a6gh45s2ji)

A CloudFormation stack provisions the VPC, an ECS Fargate service, and an RDS PostgreSQL database. Running EKS? Use the Kubernetes tab.

[Full Docker install docs →](https://docs.conduktor.io/guide/get-started)
[Full Kubernetes install docs →](https://docs.conduktor.io/guide/conduktor-in-production/deploy-artifacts/deploy-console/kubernetes)
[Full AWS install docs →](https://docs.conduktor.io/guide/tutorials/deploy-aws)

### Install with AI Recommended

Let your coding agent do the setup. The [Conduktor skill](https://github.com/conduktor/skills) gives it agentic access to the CLI and API.

```bash
npx skills add conduktor/skills
```

Then ask your assistant
✦Install Conduktor and set it up so I can login.

[See what it can do →](https://www.conduktor.io/blog/set-up-a-kafka-platform-with-an-ai-agent)

Conduktor Community is free to use. Your use of this product is governed by our [On-Premise Customer Agreement](https://www.conduktor.io/legal/on-premise-customer-agreement).

Team Edition
Ready for more clusters, more teams, more control?
Everything in Community, plus the governance, automation, and Insights teams need to run Kafka at scale. Self-serve, no sales call.

Unlimited clusters
Federated ownership & approval workflows
Topic policy enforcement
Cost chargeback & advanced Insights
Group-level RBAC
Unlimited audit logs & alerts

[Get Team Edition →](https://www.conduktor.io/console/team-edition)

## Watch Product Demos

### Kafka Lineage with Conduktor Console

Walk the dependency map for a Kafka estate in Console: application and service account views, live traffic, drill-down by hops, and the consumers nobody registered.

### Kafka Stream Lineage End to End

Retire a topic, find a hot path, and turn up an unregistered consumer across an airline's Kafka estate, using a dependency map built from ACLs, ownership, and live Gateway traffic.

### Why Is Effective Kafka Change Management So Tricky?

Onboarding a team, retiring a topic, and chasing a hot connection all need the same three answers, and most teams get them by asking around. Why the dependency map is so hard to build.

### Block Bad Data with Data Quality Enforcement

Reject malformed Kafka records at produce time with Gateway data quality policies: JSON Schema or CEL rules, plus a dead letter topic the producer can debug.

### Inside Gateway: ACLs, Audit Logs, and Metering

Conduktor Gateway stores its state in Kafka topics. A look inside per-virtual-cluster ACLs, the audit log, interceptor configs, and per-partner byte metering.

[View All Demos →](https://www.conduktor.io/product-demos)

## What Our Users Say

> As a QA/Automation manager my focus is on seamless connectivity between the tools that make up the tech stack in my organization. Conduktor's UI is sleek, intuitive, and significantly enhances Kafka management by providing a visually rich and user-friendly experience.
> — **[Gil Solomon](https://www.linkedin.com/in/gil-solomon-6324b0149/)**, QA Manager, Snappy

> Conduktor has transformed our Kafka management. Its intuitive interface and robust real-time monitoring tools have streamlined our operations, cutting troubleshooting time by over 30%. The powerful debugging features are invaluable for our team.
> — **[Domen Kirn Krefl](https://www.linkedin.com/in/domen-kirn-krefl-51a395144/)**, Backend Engineer, Greentube

> We have been using Conduktor for about 1.5 years. Before Conduktor, we were trying to manage our Kafka clusters via cli/postman. It was very hard to use and open for errors. After we installed Conduktor our team quickly adopted it. The platform had a huge impact in our environment.
> — **[Furkan Yusuf Pek](https://www.linkedin.com/in/furkan-yusuf-pek/)**, Data Analytics Team Lead, Ciceksepeti

> Out of all the Kafka tools I've used, Conduktor is by far the easiest to implement and has the most thorough set of features. As a Production Support Engineer who depends on visibility on all components, Conduktor makes it easy to navigate and troubleshoot issues.
> — **Chuck**, Production Support Engineer, Fermenta Energy

> Conduktor helped us visualize and understand our data streams without the complexity of manual CLI commands. The interface was intuitive, and it made interacting with Kafka much easier. If you're using Kafka regularly, it's definitely worth trying!
> — **[Abdelaziz Cheffi](https://www.linkedin.com/in/abdelaziz-cheffi/)**, Data Analyst, Opalean

> Conduktor helps me daily with tracking all my Kafka topics, operations have been more smooth as we can detect quickly bottlenecks. I definitely recommend Conduktor to everyone, the effect on daily operations is huge.
> — **[Charles Emmanuel](https://www.linkedin.com/in/cedias/)**, Data Scientist, Intelligent Locations

Enjoying Conduktor? [Share your experience on G2](https://www.g2.com/products/conduktor-for-apache-kafka/take_survey)

## Frequently Asked Questions

**What are the system requirements?**

Console needs 2 CPU cores, 3 GB RAM, and 5 GB disk minimum. Conduktor Gateway, our Kafka proxy, needs 2 CPU cores and 4 GB RAM. Both require Kafka 2.5.0 or higher.

**Is internet access required?**

No, you can run Conduktor in air-gapped environments. The Docker images work without internet access.

**What databases does Conduktor need?**

An external PostgreSQL 13+ database for configuration, users, and permissions. For monitoring, you can optionally configure S3, GCS, or Azure blob storage.

**How long does setup take?**

The quick-start command deploys a complete stack in under 5 minutes. Production deployments typically take 1-2 hours depending on your infrastructure.

**Is there a free tier?**

Yes, Conduktor offers a free tier for individuals and small teams. See [pricing](https://www.conduktor.io/pricing) for details.

**Which Kafka distributions are supported?**

Conduktor works with any Kafka 2.5.0+, including Confluent Platform, Amazon MSK, Redpanda, Aiven, and self-managed Apache Kafka.

Last updated: June 2026