Introduction to Confluent Cloud: Getting Started Guide – Confluent

overview

Confluent Cloud is a fully managed, cloud-native event streaming platform powered by Apache Kafka®. It enables organizations to process and react to data in real-time without managing infrastructure. This guide covers everything you need to get started.

what is confluent cloud?

Fully managed Apache Kafka® in the cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure)
Prebuilt connectors for popular data sources and sinks
Built-in security, monitoring, and scaling
Integrations with enterprise and SaaS systems

pre-requisites

Valid business or personal email address
Internet access and a modern browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge)
(Optional) Account with AWS, GCP, or Azure for advanced integrations
(Recommended) Basic familiarity with Kafka (topics, producers, consumers)

signing up

Go to https://confluent.cloud
Click Sign Up in the top-right corner
Fill out your email, name, and password
Accept the terms and privacy policy
Check your inbox and verify your email
Log in to your new account

navigating confluent cloud

Dashboard: At-a-glance view of clusters, usage, and recent activity
Clusters: Create and manage Kafka clusters
Topics: Create and manage Kafka topics
Connectors: Integrate with external data systems
API Keys: Manage credentials for connecting applications
Security: Control user access, roles, networking
Billing: Review usage and payment info

creating a kafka cluster

Click Clusters on the sidebar
Click Create cluster
Choose your cloud provider (e.g. AWS, GCP, Azure)
Select a region close to your systems/users
Select the cluster type (Basic, Standard, or Dedicated)
Name your cluster and review settings
Click Launch cluster
Wait a few minutes for provisioning to finish

creating a topic

Click on your cluster, then Topics
Click Create topic
Enter a topic name (ex. user-signups)
Leave default partition and replication settings (or customize if needed)
Click Create

producing and consuming data

Go to API Keys and create a new key/secret
Download these credentials and keep them secure
Use your favorite Kafka client (Java, Python, .NET, etc.) with the provided bootstrap server and credentials
Example (Python confluent-kafka):

python

from confluent_kafka import Producer
conf = {
    'bootstrap.servers': '<broker-endpoint>',
    'security.protocol': 'SASL_SSL',
    'sasl.mechanism': 'PLAIN',
    'sasl.username': '<api-key>',
    'sasl.password': '<api-secret>'
}
p = Producer(conf)
p.produce('test-topic', value='hello world')
p.flush()

securing your cluster

Use API keys for all data-producing/consuming clients
Assign users and service accounts to specific roles (RBAC)
All data traffic is encrypted (TLS in transit)
Restrict public access with VPC peering, PrivateLink, or IP allowlists
Enable audit logging for compliance and visibility

monitoring and metrics

Click Metrics for dashboards of traffic, consumer lag, storage, and errors
Integrate with Datadog, Prometheus, or others for advanced monitoring
Set alerts for key thresholds (lag, throughput, etc.)

billing and usage

Access the Billing & Usage section for real-time and historical usage
Review invoices, payment methods, and cost details
Learn about quotas and optimize for cost savings at Confluent Billing Docs

troubleshooting

common problems and tips

Cannot connect to cluster?
- Double-check your API key and secret
- Verify bootstrap server and region settings
- Confirm any firewall settings allow traffic
Authentication error?
- Reset/recreate your API key if unsure
- Keys may take a minute to be fully active
Consumer lag or slow performance?
- Check client configuration
- Use more partitions or consumers for scaling
UI not updating?
- Refresh your browser, or try clearing the cache

frequently asked questions

Can I migrate data from another Kafka cluster?
Yes. Use tools like Cluster Linking, Replicator, or MirrorMaker 2.
Is my data secure?
Yes. Confluent Cloud encrypts data in transit and at rest, and supports RBAC.
How do I raise cluster size limits?
For Standard/Dedicated clusters, contact Confluent support.
What happens if I lose my API key?
Delete the lost key and generate a new one.

further resources

Need more help? Use the Zendesk chat widget or submit a support ticket and our team will assist you!