macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install kcatlocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install kcatMacPorts ports tree · net/kcat/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install kcat with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix
Generic command-line non-JVM Apache Kafka producer and consumer. Version 1.7.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add kcatAlpine Linux edge package indexes · kcat · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install kcatDebian stable package indexes · kcat · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install kcatFedora Rawhide package metadata · kcat · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#kcatnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/kc/kcat/package.nix · source: api.github.com
overview
Package summary
Generic command-line non-JVM Apache Kafka producer and consumer
Project links
Commands and aliases
- kcat
history
Project history and usage
kcat is the Apache Kafka command-line producer and consumer formerly known as kafkacat. Its README describes it as a generic non-JVM client and a netcat-like tool for Kafka.
Project history
Magnus Edenhill created the project in 2014 around librdkafka, giving Kafka operators a small native command-line client instead of requiring JVM tooling for quick production, consumption, metadata inspection, and scripting tasks.
The project kept the kafkacat name through the 1.6 series and then renamed to kcat in the 1.7.0 release in August 2021 to follow Apache Software Foundation trademark policy. The changelog says the rename did not otherwise change the program.
Adoption history
kcat became widely packaged because it fills a common operational gap for Kafka clusters: quick CLI inspection and data movement. The batch input records packages across Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Alpine, MacPorts, and Nix, and the README documents package-manager installs and a Docker image.
How it is used
Common usage includes producing messages from stdin or files, consuming topics and partitions to stdout, listing cluster metadata with -L, joining balanced consumer groups with -G, printing JSON envelopes, using Confluent Schema Registry for Avro decoding, and passing librdkafka configuration with -X or config files.
Why package nerds care
kcat matters to package people because it is the small, scriptable Kafka tool that often gets installed beside kubectl, jq, and other operations CLIs. Its rename also created a packaging transition from kafkacat to kcat while retaining backward-compatible config paths for a period.
Timeline
- 2014-03-30: GitHub repository created.
- 2014-04-07: 1.0.0 release published.
- 2020-07-21: 1.6.0 added transactional producer support.
- 2021-08-23: 1.7.0 renamed kafkacat to kcat.
- 2024: 1.8.0 changelog entry documents mock cluster mode.
Related projects
- kcat is built on librdkafka and can integrate with Confluent Schema Registry through Avro deserialization support.
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 8 platform targets.
- Installs with 4 runtime 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
~/.config/kcat.conf~/.config/kafkacat.conf
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
kcat | 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 version1.7.0
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://github.com/edenhill/kcat
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoNo cached GitHub release or tag data was available.https://github.com/edenhill/kcatnone confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:kcat |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.7.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/kcat |
| Homepage | https://github.com/edenhill/kcat |
| Repository | https://github.com/edenhill/kcat |
| Upstream docs | https://github.com/edenhill/kcat#readme |
| License | BSD-2-Clause |
| Source archive | https://github.com/edenhill/kcat.git |
| Dependencies | avro-c, librdkafka, libserdes, yajl |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, sonoma, ventura, 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 | kcat |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 1 |
| Head Version | HEAD |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
kcat 1.7.1-3
producer and consumer for Apache Kafka
https://github.com/edenhill/kcat
sudo apt install kcat- Section: net
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: kafkacat
- 3 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Kcat
Nix95%
kcat
nix profile install nixpkgs#kcat- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Kcat
Ubuntu apt95%
kcat 1.7.1-3
producer and consumer for Apache Kafka
https://github.com/edenhill/kcat
sudo apt install kcat- Section: universe/net
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: kafkacat
- 3 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Kcat
apk95%
kcat 1.7.1-r3
Generic command-line non-JVM Apache Kafka producer and consumer
https://github.com/edenhill/kcat
sudo apk add kcat- License: BSD-2-Clause
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: kcat
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Kcat
dnf95%
kcat 1.7.1-9.fc44
Generic command line non-JVM Apache Kafka producer and consumer
https://github.com/edenhill/kcat
sudo dnf install kcat- License: BSD-2-Clause
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: kcat
- 3 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Kcat
MacPorts95%
kcat
sudo port install kcat- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Kcat
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.
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