Chapter 7. Using Kafka client serializers/deserializers

Using Service Registry decouples the process of managing schemas from the configuration of client applications. You enable an application to use a schema from the registry by specifying its URL in the client code.

For example, the schemas to serialize and deserialize messages can be stored in the registry, which are then referenced from the applications that use them to ensure that the messages that they send and receive are compatible with those schemas.

Kafka client applications can push or pull their schemas from Service Registry at runtime.

Schemas can evolve, so you can define rules in Service Registry, for example, to ensure that changes to a schema are valid and do not break previous versions used by applications. Service Registry checks for compatibility by comparing a modified schema with previous versions of schemas.

Service Registry provides full schema registry support for Avro schemas, which are used by client applications through Kafka client serializer/deserializer (SerDe) services provided by Service Registry.

A producer client application uses a serializer to put the messages it sends to a specific broker topic into the correct data format.

To enable a producer to use Service Registry for serialization, you:

After registering your schema, when you start Kafka and Service Registry, you can access the schema to format messages sent to the Kafka broker topic by the producer.

If a schema already exists, you can create a new version through the REST API based on compatibility rules defined in Service Registry. Versions are used for compatibility checking as a schema evolves. An artifact ID and schema version represents a unique tuple that identifies a schema.

A consumer client application uses a deserializer to get the messages it consumes from a specific broker topic into the correct data format.

To enable a consumer to use Service Registry for deserialization, you:

The schema is then retrieved by the deserializer using a global ID written into the message being consumed. The message received must, therefore, include a global ID as well as the message data.

For example:

# ...
[MAGIC_BYTE]
[GLOBAL_ID]
[MESSAGE DATA]

Now, when you start Kafka and Service Registry, you can access the schema in order to format messages received from the Kafka broker topic.

A Service Registry strategy is used by the Kafka client serializer/deserializer to determine the artifact ID or global ID under which the message schema is registered in Service Registry.

For a given topic and message, you can use implementations of the following Java classes:

The artifact ID returned depends on whether the key or value in the message is being serialized.

The classes for each strategy are organized in the io.apicurio.registry.utils.serde.strategy package.

The default strategy is TopicIdStrategy, which looks for Service Registry artifacts with the same name as the Kafka topic receiving messages.

For example:

public String artifactId(String topic, boolean isKey, T schema) {
    return String.format("%s-%s", topic, isKey ? "key" : "value");
}

What lookup strategy you use depends on how and where you store your schema. For example, you might use a strategy that uses a record ID if you have different Kafka topics with the same Avro message type.

Strategies to return an artifact ID

Strategies to return an artifact ID based on an implementation of ArtifactIdStrategy.

Strategies to return a global ID

Strategies to return a global ID based on an implementation of GlobalIdStrategy.

You can configure specific client SerDe services and schema lookup strategies directly into a client using the constants outlined here.

Alternatively, you can use specify the constants in a properties file, or a properties instance.

Constants for serializer/deserializer (SerDe) services

public abstract class AbstractKafkaSerDe<T extends AbstractKafkaSerDe<T>> implements AutoCloseable {
      protected final Logger log = LoggerFactory.getLogger(getClass());

      public static final String REGISTRY_URL_CONFIG_PARAM = "apicurio.registry.url"; 1
      public static final String REGISTRY_CACHED_CONFIG_PARAM = "apicurio.registry.cached"; 2
      public static final String REGISTRY_ID_HANDLER_CONFIG_PARAM = "apicurio.registry.id-handler"; 3
      public static final String REGISTRY_CONFLUENT_ID_HANDLER_CONFIG_PARAM = "apicurio.registry.as-confluent"; 4

Constants for lookup strategies

public abstract class AbstractKafkaStrategyAwareSerDe<T, S extends AbstractKafkaStrategyAwareSerDe<T, S>> extends AbstractKafkaSerDe<S> {
      public static final String REGISTRY_ARTIFACT_ID_STRATEGY_CONFIG_PARAM = "apicurio.registry.artifact-id"; 1
      public static final String REGISTRY_GLOBAL_ID_STRATEGY_CONFIG_PARAM = "apicurio.registry.global-id"; 2

Constants for converters

public class SchemalessConverter<T> extends AbstractKafkaSerDe<SchemalessConverter<T>> implements Converter {
      public static final String REGISTRY_CONVERTER_SERIALIZER_PARAM = "apicurio.registry.converter.serializer"; 1
      public static final String REGISTRY_CONVERTER_DESERIALIZER_PARAM = "apicurio.registry.converter.deserializer"; 2

Constants for Avro data providers

public interface AvroDatumProvider<T> {
      String REGISTRY_AVRO_DATUM_PROVIDER_CONFIG_PARAM = "apicurio.registry.avro-datum-provider"; 1
      String REGISTRY_USE_SPECIFIC_AVRO_READER_CONFIG_PARAM = "apicurio.registry.use-specific-avro-reader"; 2

DefaultAvroDatumProvider (io.apicurio.registry.utils.serde.avro) 1
ReflectAvroDatumProvider (io.apicurio.registry.utils.serde.avro) 2

After you have defined a schema in the appropriate format, such as Apache Avro, you can add the schema to Service Registry.

You can add the schema through:

Client applications cannot use Service Registry until you have registered your schemas.

Service Registry web console

Having installed Service Registry, you connect to the web console from the ui endpoint:

http://MY-REGISTRY-URL/ui

From the console, you can add, view and configure schemas. You can also create the rules that prevent invalid content being added to the registry.

For more information on using the Service Registry web console, see the Chapter 3, Installing Service Registry on OpenShift.

Curl example

curl -X POST -H "Content-type: application/json; artifactType=AVRO" \
  -H "X-Registry-ArtifactId: prices-value" \
  --data '{ 1
      "type":"record",
      "name":"price",
      "namespace":"com.redhat",
      "fields":[{"name":"symbol","type":"string"},
      {"name":"price","type":"string"}]
    }'
  https://my-cluster-service-registry-myproject.example.com/api/artifacts -s 2

Plugin example

<plugin>
<groupId>io.apicurio</groupId>
<artifactId>apicurio-registry-maven-plugin</artifactId>
<version>${registry.version}</version>
<executions>
  <execution>
    <phase>generate-sources</phase>
    <goals>
      <goal>register</goal>
    </goals>
    <configuration>
      <registryUrl>https://my-cluster-service-registry-myproject.example.com/api</registryUrl>
      <artifactType>AVRO</artifactType>
      <artifacts>
        <schema1>${project.basedir}/schemas/schema1.avsc</schema1>
      </artifacts>
    </configuration>
  </execution>
</executions>
</plugin>

Configuration through a (producer) client example

String registryUrl_node1 = PropertiesUtil.property(clientProperties, "registry.url.node1", 1
    "https://my-cluster-service-registry-myproject.example.com/api");
try (RegistryService service = RegistryClient.create(registryUrl_node1)) {
    String artifactId = ApplicationImpl.INPUT_TOPIC + "-value";
    try {
        service.getArtifactMetaData(artifactId); 2
    } catch (WebApplicationException e) {
        CompletionStage <ArtifactMetaData> csa = service.createArtifact(
            ArtifactType.AVRO,
            artifactId,
            new ByteArrayInputStream(LogInput.SCHEMA$.toString().getBytes())
        );
        csa.toCompletableFuture().get();
    }
}

This procedure describes how to configure a Java consumer client to use a schema from Service Registry.

This procedure describes how to configure a Java producer client to use a schema from Service Registry.