How to Use kafka-topics Command in Apache Kafka

Use the kafka-topics command to manage Kafka topics by specifying actions like --create, --list, --describe, or --delete along with necessary options such as --topic and --bootstrap-server. This command helps you create new topics, view existing ones, get details, or remove topics from your Kafka cluster.

Syntax

The kafka-topics command uses the following general syntax:

• --bootstrap-server <host:port>: Connects to the Kafka broker.
• --create: Creates a new topic.
• --list: Lists all topics.
• --describe: Shows details of a topic.
• --delete: Deletes a topic.
• --topic <topic-name>: Specifies the topic name.
• --partitions <num>: Number of partitions (for create).
• --replication-factor <num>: Replication factor (for create).

bash

kafka-topics --bootstrap-server <host:port> --create --topic <topic-name> --partitions <num> --replication-factor <num>
kafka-topics --bootstrap-server <host:port> --list
kafka-topics --bootstrap-server <host:port> --describe --topic <topic-name>
kafka-topics --bootstrap-server <host:port> --delete --topic <topic-name>

Example

This example shows how to create a topic named my-topic with 3 partitions and a replication factor of 1, then list all topics, describe my-topic, and finally delete it.

bash

kafka-topics --bootstrap-server localhost:9092 --create --topic my-topic --partitions 3 --replication-factor 1
kafka-topics --bootstrap-server localhost:9092 --list
kafka-topics --bootstrap-server localhost:9092 --describe --topic my-topic
kafka-topics --bootstrap-server localhost:9092 --delete --topic my-topic

Output

Created topic "my-topic".

my-topic

Topic: my-topic	PartitionCount: 3	ReplicationFactor: 1	Configs: 
	Topic: my-topic	Partition: 0	Leader: 1	Replicas: 1	Isr: 1
	Topic: my-topic	Partition: 1	Leader: 1	Replicas: 1	Isr: 1
	Topic: my-topic	Partition: 2	Leader: 1	Replicas: 1	Isr: 1

Deleted topic "my-topic".

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when using kafka-topics include:

• Forgetting to specify --bootstrap-server, which is required to connect to the Kafka broker.
• Using --zookeeper option in newer Kafka versions (2.4+), which is deprecated.
• Trying to delete a topic when topic deletion is disabled in Kafka configuration.
• Not specifying --partitions or --replication-factor when creating a topic, causing errors.

bash

Wrong:
kafka-topics --create --topic test-topic

Right:
kafka-topics --bootstrap-server localhost:9092 --create --topic test-topic --partitions 1 --replication-factor 1

Quick Reference

Option	Description
--bootstrap-server	Kafka broker address to connect
--create	Create a new topic
--list	List all topics
--describe	Show details of a topic
--delete	Delete a topic
--topic	Specify the topic name
--partitions	Number of partitions for new topic
--replication-factor	Replication factor for new topic

Key Takeaways

Always specify --bootstrap-server to connect to Kafka brokers.

Use --create with --partitions and --replication-factor to make new topics.

Use --list to see all topics and --describe to get topic details.

Topic deletion requires Kafka to have deletion enabled in its config.

Avoid using deprecated --zookeeper option in recent Kafka versions.