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r/apachekafka rules, stats, and what to post

A source-backed Rankhog guide to r/apachekafka: public rules, community context, posting fit, and startup-promotion risk before you publish.

Members
22,131
Community age
Created Oct 2015, 11 years
To post
No minimum in the rules
To comment
No minimum in the rules
Self-promotion
Allowed with conditionsSelf-promotion is allowed only if you engage with the community and reply to questions and comments.
Links
Allowed with conditionsIf you post a video or blog link, you must include a synopsis explaining its relevance to Apache Kafka.
Promo risk
HighFrom the rules, not from removal counts

Checked October 29, 2026 from the community's public Reddit pages:

Check a post for r/apachekafka

By Anthony Riera, founder and operator of Rankhog.

Subreddit guides combine public Reddit source URLs, captured rules, visible verification dates, and Rankhog's account-safety workflow.

Rule summary

  • Self promotion requires participation: Self-promotion of (blogs/videos/software projects) is okay, if, and only if, you engage with the community. So if you post a blog post, or video, or "here's our new cool tool", that's fine, so long as you actually reply to questions and comments.
  • No spam / trolling / shitposting / douchebaggery: No spam / trolling / shitposting / douchebaggery
  • If you post a video or blog, you must include a synopsis including its relevance to Apache Kafka: We want r/apachekafka to be more than just a set of links to click out to. By including a synopsis you help people decide if they want to follow the link, and also indicate that you're here to be part of the community and not just drive-by link dump ;)
  • Posts must be directly relevant to Kafka users and developers: This is an Apache Kafka sub, and as such content should be directly relevant to Kafka users and developers.
  • Do not try to make sales in comments: This subreddit is for people using Kafka to assist other people using Kafka. It is not a place for you to approach prospective customers.
  • No vendor spam: Vendor spam about Kafka alternatives, piggy-backing on Kafka protocol support, is not welcome, nor is product content that is not related to Kafka.
  • Vendors must use the "Vendor" user flair: if you work for a vendor, you must: 1. Add the user flair "Vendor" to your handle 2. Edit the flair to include your employer's name. For example: "Vendor - Confluent" 3. Check the box to "Show my user flair on this community"
  • AI-generated content must be disclosed: You must disclose when the content of your post was substantially AI-generated by selecting the (AI) version of your post flair (e.g. `Blog (AI)`). Trivial use of AI (spelling, grammar, formatting, dictation) does not need disclosing. Failure to label AI-generated content may result in removal or a ban.

Works well

  • A technical blog post about a Kafka problem you solved, with a synopsis in the post body explaining what readers will learn and why it matters to Kafka users
  • A video walkthrough of a Kafka setup, migration, or debugging session, posted with a written summary so people can decide before they click
  • An announcement of a tool that helps Kafka users and developers, framed as here is something useful, followed by genuine replies to every comment and question
  • A plain question or troubleshooting thread asking the community for help with a Kafka issue, which builds the participation history the rules reward
  • A writeup of how your team uses Kafka in production, shared with honest lessons learned rather than a product pitch

Avoid

  • Posting a link to your blog or video with no synopsis about Kafka, because rule “If you post a video or blog, you must include a synopsis including its relevance to Apache Kafka” will get it removed
  • Dropping your link and never coming back to reply to questions, which breaks “Self promotion requires participation”
  • Using the comments to pitch your product to people who ask for help, which is exactly what “Do not try to make sales in comments” forbids
  • Posting about your tool that competes with Kafka or only piggybacks on the protocol, which trips “No vendor spam”
  • Working for a vendor without adding the Vendor user flair and your employer name, which ignores “Vendors must use the “Vendor” user flair”
  • Posting substantially AI-written content with a normal flair instead of the (AI) flair, which under “AI-generated content must be disclosed” can end in removal or a ban

What r/apachekafka Is For

This is the subreddit for Apache Kafka, the distributed log, and its whole ecosystem, including compatible implementations of the Kafka protocol. The people here are Kafka users and developers, so the conversation is technical and practical: how to run Kafka, how to build on it, and how to get more out of it. It is also a place where people share advice, and the rules explicitly make room for people who work on Kafka tools, blogs, and videos to share their work, as long as they do it the right way. In short, it is a working room for the Kafka community, not a general data engineering or streaming hangout.

Rules That Matter Before Posting

The rule that decides everything here is “Self promotion requires participation”, which says blogs, videos, and tool announcements are fine if, and only if, you engage with the community and reply to questions and comments. If you share a video or blog, “If you post a video or blog, you must include a synopsis including its relevance to Apache Kafka” requires you to write a real synopsis inside your post, not just dump a link. “Posts must be directly relevant to Kafka users and developers” sets the topic bar, and the moderators say they remove anything not relevant to Kafka. “Do not try to make sales in comments” draws a hard line between helping people and hunting for customers, so keep selling out of the thread. If your company makes a Kafka tool or service, “Vendors must use the “Vendor” user flair” requires the Vendor flair with your employer name showing on your handle. “No vendor spam” bans content about Kafka alternatives and any product content that is not related to Kafka. Finally, “AI-generated content must be disclosed” means substantially AI-written posts need the (AI) version of the post flair, like Blog (AI), or you risk removal or a ban.

What To Post

The good shapes here are simple. A technical blog post about a real Kafka problem you solved, posted with a synopsis written in your own words that explains what the reader will learn and why it matters to Kafka users. A video walkthrough of something Kafka related, again with a synopsis in the post itself. A tool announcement if your tool serves Kafka users and developers, framed as here is what this does for people who work with Kafka. Then the part most people skip: come back and answer every question and comment on your post, because that is not optional here, it is rule number one. If AI wrote a big chunk of your post, pick the (AI) flair. If your company sells a Kafka product, set the Vendor flair with your employer name before you post anything.

What To Avoid

The fastest removals come from four things, and the moderator one-liner names them plainly: posts that are not relevant to Kafka, vendor spam, undisclosed AI content, and self-promotion without community engagement. So do not post about a competing streaming product or something that merely piggybacks on the Kafka protocol, that is what “No vendor spam” kills. Do not dump a bare link with no synopsis, because “If you post a video or blog, you must include a synopsis including its relevance to Apache Kafka” exists to stop drive-by link dumping. Do not post and vanish, because “Self promotion requires participation” makes replying to comments part of the deal. Never slide into someone's thread to pitch them, “Do not try to make sales in comments” treats that as approaching prospective customers. If you work for a vendor and skip the flair, you are breaking “Vendors must use the “Vendor” user flair” even if the post itself is fine. And if AI wrote most of your post and you skip the (AI) flair, “AI-generated content must be disclosed” says that can mean removal or a ban.

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Common questions about r/apachekafka

Can I promote my own blog or tool here at all?

Conditionally. The rule “Self promotion requires participation” allows blog posts, videos, and tool announcements as long as you engage with the community and reply to questions and comments.

Can I post about my Kafka-adjacent product?

Yes. Posts must be directly relevant to Kafka users and developers, so a tool that helps Kafka teams fits, but “No vendor spam” rules out content about Kafka alternatives or products that only ride on the protocol.

I work at a company that sells Kafka tooling. What do I need to do first?

Yes, but rule “Vendors must use the “Vendor” user flair” requires you to add the Vendor user flair, edit it to include your employer name, and turn on show my user flair on this community.

What exactly counts as a synopsis?

A synopsis that helps people decide whether to click and shows how the content relates to Apache Kafka. Rule “If you post a video or blog, you must include a synopsis including its relevance to Apache Kafka” is explicit about this.

Can I use AI to help write my post?

It is allowed, but “AI-generated content must be disclosed” means you must pick the (AI) version of your post flair, like Blog (AI). Trivial use for spelling or grammar does not need a label.

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