Declare. Apply. Automate.
Manage your Kafka resources the same way you manage your infrastructure.
Documentation • Install • Tutorials • Slack
Jikkou (jikkou / 実行 — execution in Japanese) is an open-source tool that lets you manage Apache Kafka resources declaratively using YAML files, the same way kubectl manages Kubernetes resources.
Stop writing scripts. Stop clicking through UIs. Define your desired state, and Jikkou makes it happen.
| Declarative | Define Topics, ACLs, Schemas, Connectors, and Quotas as code in simple YAML files |
| GitOps-Ready | Version-control your Kafka configuration and automate changes through CI/CD |
| Stateless | No database needed — Jikkou uses your Kafka platform as the source of truth |
| Safe | Built-in dry-run mode, validations, and reconciliation engine prevent accidents |
| Extensible | Plugin-based architecture with providers, validators, transformations, and templates |
| Multi-Platform | Works with Apache Kafka, Confluent Cloud, Aiven, Amazon MSK, Redpanda, and more |
# Via SDKMan (recommended)
sdk install jikkou
# Or via Docker
docker pull streamthoughts/jikkouSee the full installation guide for native binaries, Homebrew, and more.
# kafka-topics.yaml
apiVersion: 'kafka.jikkou.io/v1beta2'
kind: 'KafkaTopic'
metadata:
name: 'my-topic'
spec:
partitions: 12
replicas: 3
configs:
min.insync.replicas: 2jikkou apply --files ./kafka-topics.yamlThat's it. Jikkou computes the diff and applies only the necessary changes:
TASK [CREATE] Create a new topic my-topic (partitions=12, replicas=3) - CHANGED
EXECUTION in 2s 661ms
ok: 0, created: 1, altered: 0, deleted: 0, failed: 0
| Apache Kafka | Schema Registry | Kafka Connect | Cloud Providers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Topics & Configs | Avro Schemas | Connectors | Aiven (ACLs, Quotas) |
| ACLs | JSON Schemas | AWS Glue Schemas | |
| Quotas | Protobuf Schemas | ||
| Consumer Groups | |||
| Brokers & Users | |||
| KTable Records |
Jikkou follows a simple reconciliation loop:
- Read your resource definitions from YAML files (with Jinja templating support)
- Compute the differences between desired state and actual cluster state
- Apply only the minimal set of changes needed
- Report what was created, updated, or deleted
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| CLI | Run as a command-line tool — perfect for local development and CI/CD pipelines |
| API Server | Run as a REST API server — ideal for platform teams and automation |
| Docker | Available as container images on Docker Hub |
| Native Binary | GraalVM-compiled native executables for instant startup |
Full documentation is available at jikkou.io.
For build instructions, development setup, and contribution guidelines, see:
- CONTRIBUTING.md — How to contribute, coding guidelines, commit conventions
- AGENTS.md — Detailed development guidelines, build commands, and architecture
# Build and run all tests
./mvnw clean verify
# Build without tests
./mvnw clean verify -DskipTests
# Apply code formatting
./mvnw spotless:applyRequirements: Java 25, Docker (for integration tests), GraalVM (for native builds)
Jikkou is built by its community. Thank you to everyone who has contributed!
Want to see your name here? Check out the contribution guide and open issues.
If you find Jikkou useful, please consider:
- Giving it a star on GitHub to help others discover it
- Joining the Slack community to ask questions and share feedback
- Contributing code, documentation, or bug reports
Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0.
Developed with ❤ by Florian Hussonnois and the Jikkou community.