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Release: Australia · Updated: 2026-03-12 · Official documentation · View source

Prepare your Apache Kafka client environment

Install the Apache Kafka binaries on your Unix or Windows client machine.

Before you begin

Confirm that you have Java 11.0 or higher installed by running the following command:

java --version

Role required: admin

Procedure

Download and install Apache Kafka.
1. Download the Apache Kafka binaries.
  
  Ensure that you download the binaries, not the source code, from the Apache Kafka website.
2. Unzip the Apache Kafka package.
  
  For example:
```
tar -zxvf kafka_2.13-3.2.0.tgz
```
Navigate to the parent directory where you extracted the Apache Kafka package.
- For example, on Unix:
```
cd /home/user/Software
```
- For example, on Windows:
```
cd C:\Software
```
Simplify the Apache Kafka directory name by renaming it to kafka.
- For example, on Unix:
```
mv kafka_2.13-3.2.0 kafka
```
- For example, on Windows:
```
rename kafka_2.13-3.2.0 kafka
```

Result

The Apache Kafka client is installed in a simplified directory on your local machine.

What to do next

Create a test topic in Hermes using the Kafka client