What is an MQTT to Kafka bridge?

An MQTT to Kafka bridge is a component that consumes messages from an MQTT broker and forwards them to a Kafka cluster. This allows IoT devices that communicate via MQTT to have their data processed by backend systems and big data platforms that use Kafka as a high-throughput data bus.

Why use EMQX for MQTT to Kafka integration?

EMQX is a massively scalable MQTT broker that can handle millions of concurrent device connections. Its built-in data integration engine provides a native, high-performance bridge to Kafka, offering features like data transformation, guaranteed delivery, and bi-directional data flow without requiring complex custom code.

Can EMQX transform data before sending it to Kafka?

Yes. EMQX includes a powerful SQL-based rule engine that allows you to process data in-flight. You can filter, reformat, enrich, and transform MQTT message payloads and metadata before they are published to a Kafka topic, ensuring the data is in the correct format for downstream consumers.

MQTT to Kafka Integration: A Seamless IoT Data Bridge

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The Perfect Pair for IoT Data Streaming

MQTT and Kafka are two complementary technologies that form the backbone of modern, large-scale IoT data architectures. Here's why you need both.

MQTT: The Standard for IoT Connectivity

MQTT is a lightweight, efficient protocol designed to connect millions of constrained and unreliable devices at the edge. It excels at collecting data from sensors and machines.

Massive device fan-in
Low network bandwidth usage
Handles unreliable networks

Kafka: The Standard for Data Streaming

Kafka is a distributed streaming platform designed for high-throughput, fault-tolerant data pipelines. It excels at processing and distributing large data streams to backend enterprise systems.

High-throughput data pipelines
Fault-tolerant data storage
Connects to big data systems

The Unified MQTT to Kafka Bridge Architecture

Explore the decoupled, scalable architecture that connects millions of IoT devices to your Kafka data streams with EMQX.

Built for Enterprise-Grade IoT Data Pipelines

Leverage a rich set of features designed for mission-critical, high-performance data integration between IoT and your big data platform.

High-Throughput Ingestion

Process millions of MQTT messages per second and stream them to Kafka with low latency, ensuring no data bottlenecks between your devices and your data lake.

Guaranteed Data Reliability

Ensure zero data loss with features like message buffering and QoS level management, even if Kafka or network connections are temporarily unavailable.

Real-time Data Transformation

Use a powerful, SQL-based rule engine to filter, enrich, and transform MQTT messages into the ideal format before they are published to Kafka topics.

Flexible Topic Mapping

Easily map MQTT topics to specific Kafka topics, with dynamic routing based on topic, client ID, or message payload content.

Bi-directional Data Bridging

Enable a two-way data flow, allowing you to not only ingest data into Kafka but also stream commands and updates from Kafka back to your IoT devices.

Operational Monitoring

Get real-time metrics and detailed logs on data throughput, message latency, and the health of the Kafka integration.

Powering IoV with 1M+ MQTT Connections to Kafka

SAIC Volkswagen chose EMQX to build its new-generation IoV platform. EMQX's high reliability and scalability in handling massive MQTT data, combined with its powerful data bridging to Kafka, support their needs for real-time diagnostics, OTA updates, and driver analysis.

1M+ Concurrent Connections

100k+ Messages per Second

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From MQTT to Kafka in 3 Simple Steps

With just a few clicks, you can configure the data bridge to stream MQTT messages into Kafka using EMQX's powerful rule engine and flow designer.

Connect Devices

Connect millions of IoT devices and sensors to EMQX using the MQTT protocol.

Process & Transform

Use the rule engine to filter and transform MQTT data into the desired format for Kafka.

Stream to Kafka

Reliably stream the processed data into your designated Kafka topics.

Step 2 of 0

Works with any Kafka-compatible Platform

EMQX provides native, out-of-the-box integration with the most popular Kafka-compatible streaming platforms in the industry.

Kafka-compatible platforms including Apache Kafka, Confluent, Redpanda, Amazon MSK, Azure Event Hubs, Pulsar, AutoMQ, and IBM Event Streams

Real-World Use Cases for MQTT and Kafka

From connected cars to smart factories, see how the EMQX and Kafka integration powers data-intensive applications.

Connected Vehicles

Ingest telematics data from millions of vehicles via MQTT and stream it to Kafka for real-time fault diagnosis, driver behavior analysis, and predictive maintenance.

Smart Manufacturing

Collect data from thousands of factory-floor sensors and PLCs. Stream it to Kafka to feed MES, SCADA, and machine learning models for quality control and operational intelligence.

Fleet Telemetry

Collect and stream high-frequency telematics data from commercial vehicle fleets into Kafka for real-time tracking, route optimization, and operational analytics.

Dive Deeper into MQTT & Kafka

Explore our collection of technical resources to master the integration.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Talk to our experts to learn how EMQX can provide a scalable, reliable, and secure data bridge between your IoT devices and your Kafka cluster.

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