install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install kaf

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%

sudo port install kaf

MacPorts ports tree · sysutils/kaf/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#kaf

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ka/kaf/package.nix · source: api.github.com

Windows

Scoopverified · 92%

scoop install main/kaf

Scoop official bucket manifest trees · bucket/kaf.json · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Modern CLI for Apache Kafka

Project links

Commands and aliases

kaf

history

Project history and usage

Kaf is a Go-based command-line client for Apache Kafka. It gives Kafka users a compact native CLI alternative to the JVM-centered scripts that ship with Apache Kafka itself.

Project history

The birdayz/kaf repository was created in September 2018, and the first GitHub release series began with v0.1.0 on September 30, 2018. The project describes itself as a modern CLI for Apache Kafka, written in Go.

Its design follows the pattern of a single-purpose operational CLI: configuration lives under the user's home directory, commands wrap common Kafka interactions, and the binary can be distributed through package managers without installing the full Kafka distribution.

Adoption history

Kaf has a smaller footprint than Apache Kafka or K9s, but its package-manager presence in Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix, and Scoop shows the value of a lightweight Kafka CLI for local workstations and scripts.

The repository metadata showed a multi-year maintenance history and a modest but real audience by July 2026, with thousands of GitHub stars rather than only incidental packaging.

How it is used

Kaf is used for direct Kafka administration and inspection tasks such as working with topics, consumers, producers, and cluster metadata from a local shell.

Because Kafka credentials and cluster definitions can live in the Kaf configuration file, the package is part of the user's data-infrastructure access surface, not merely a display utility.

Why package nerds care

Kaf matters to package collectors because it represents the ergonomic rewrite pattern: a large server project ships official scripts, and the ecosystem produces a smaller native CLI that is easier to install, tab-complete, and carry between machines.

Its Homebrew formula is also useful metadata: it distinguishes the Kafka client utility named kaf from Apache Kafka itself and from similarly named tools such as kafkactl.

Timeline

2018-09: Public GitHub repository created.
2018-09-30: v0.1.0 release published.
2026-07-01: Repository metadata showed more than 2,400 stars.

Related projects

Kaf is related to Apache Kafka, Sarama-based Go Kafka tooling, kafkactl, kcat, and the Kafka command scripts included with the Apache distribution.

Sources

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
Build metadata lists 1 build dependencies.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

local files

Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.

Configuration files

Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.

Unix: ~/.kaf/config

Credential files

Credential-bearing paths to review before unattended agent runs.

Unix: ~/.kaf/config

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`kaf`	cli	global executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-07-08

manager version0.2.14

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedv0.2.14

https://github.com/birdayz/kaf

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:kaf
Version	0.2.14
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/kaf
Homepage	https://github.com/birdayz/kaf
Repository	https://github.com/birdayz/kaf
Upstream docs	https://github.com/birdayz/kaf#readme
License	Apache-2.0
Source archive	https://github.com/birdayz/kaf/archive/refs/tags/v0.2.14.tar.gz
Build dependencies	go
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	kaf
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Head Version	HEAD
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	head stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Nix95%

kaf

nix profile install nixpkgs#kaf

normalized package name match
Matched by: Kaf

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ka/kaf/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

MacPorts95%

kaf

sudo port install kaf

normalized package name match
Matched by: Kaf

MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: sysutils/kaf/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

Scoop95%

main/kaf

scoop install main/kaf

normalized package name match
Matched by: Kaf

Scoop official bucket manifest trees · api.github.com · Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/kaf.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub.

combined/kaf.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
av.db category and tag curation
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated configuration and credential file locations
curated package history
external package-manager database matches
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment

Install kaf with Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix, scoop