Message Queue for Apache Kafka can be connected to Filebeat as an output. This topic describes how to use Filebeat to send messages to Message Queue for Apache Kafka in a virtual private cloud (VPC) environment.

Prerequisites

Ensure that the following actions are completed:
  • A Message Queue for Apache Kafka instance is purchased and deployed. For more information, see Access from a VPC.
  • Filebeat is downloaded and installed. For more information, see Download Filebeat.
  • Java Development Kit (JDK) 8 is downloaded and installed. For more information, see Download JDK 8.

Step 1: Obtain an endpoint

Filebeat establishes a connection to Message Queue for Apache Kafka by using a Message Queue for Apache Kafka endpoint.

  1. Log on to the Message Queue for Apache Kafka console.
  2. In the left-side navigation pane, click Instances.
  3. On the Instance Details page, select the instance to be connected to Filebeat as an output.
  4. In the Basic Information section, obtain the endpoint of the instance.
    basic info
    Note For information about the differences between endpoints, see Comparison between endpoints.

Step 2: Create a topic

Perform the following operations to create a topic for storing messages.

  1. In the left-side navigation pane of the Message Queue for Apache Kafka console, click Topics.
  2. On the Topics page, click Create Topic.
  3. In the Create Topic dialog box, enter the topic information and click Create.
    create_topic

Step 3: Use Filebeat to send a message

Start Filebeat on the server where Filebeat has been installed to send a message to the topic you created.

  1. Run the cd command to switch to the installation directory of Filebeat.
  2. Create the output.conf configuration file.
    1. Run the vim output.conf command to create an empty configuration file.
    2. Press the i key to go to the insert mode.
    3. Enter the following content:
      filebeat.inputs:
- type: stdin

output.kafka:
  hosts: ["192.XX.XX.XX:9092", "192.XX.XX.XX:9092", "192.XX.XX.XX:9092"]

  topic: 'filebeat_test'

  required_acks: 1
  compression: none
  max_message_bytes: 1000000
      Parameter Description Example
      hosts Message Queue for Apache Kafka supports the following VPC endpoints:
      • Default endpoint
      • Simple Authentication and Security Layer (SASL) endpoint
      		 192.168.XXX.XXX:9092,192.168.XXX.XXX:9092,192.168.XXX.XXX:9092
      topic The name of the topic. filebeat_test
      required_acks The reliability level of ACK. Valid values:
      • 0: no response
      • 1: waits for local commit
      • -1: waits for all replicas to commit
      Default value: 1.       		1
      compression The data compression codec. Default value: gzip. Valid values:
      • none: none
      • snappy: used to compress and decompress the SDK for C++.
      • lz4: the lossless data compression algorithm focusing on compression and decompression speed.
      • gzip: the file compression program for GNU free software.
      		 none
      max_message_bytes The maximum size of a message. Unit: byte. Default value: 1000000. The value must be smaller than the maximum message size you have configured for Message Queue for Apache Kafka. 1000000

      For more information about parameter settings, see Kafka output plugin.

    4. Press the Esc key to return to the command line mode.
    5. Press the : key to enter the bottom line mode. Type wq, and then press Enter to save the file and exit.
  3. Send a message to the topic you created.
    1. Run the ./filebeat -c ./output.yml command.
    2. Enter test and then press Enter.

Step 4: View the partitions of the topic

Perform the following operations to view the message that was sent to the topic.

  1. In the left-side navigation pane of the Message Queue for Apache Kafka console, click Topics.
  2. On the Topics page, select the instance that is to be connected to Filebeat as an output, find the topic to which the message was sent, and then click Partition Status in the Actions column.
  3. On the Partition Status page, click Refresh.

    The following figure shows the partition ID and offset information of the message sent to the topic.

    topic_status

Step 5: Query the message by offset

You can query the sent message based on its partition ID and offset information.

  1. In the left-side navigation pane of the Message Queue for Apache Kafka console, click Message Query.
  2. On the Message Query page, click the Query by Offset tab.
  3. Enter the topic to which the message was sent, select the partition ID for the message, enter the offset for the message, and then click Search.
    query_1
  4. Optional:Find the search result, and click Message Details in the Actions column.
    query_2