Kafka is only as secure as its weakest link
While you're securing the front door with mutual TLS and SASL, self-managed Kafka leaves windows open through incomplete access controls, unmanaged secrets, and missing audit trails. Enterprise streaming in Europe demands security designed into every layer, not retrofitted when regulators arrive.
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The Kafka security gaps your auditor will find
Your Kafka works perfectly until someone asks: 'Who changed that schema?', 'Which apps accessed patient data last month?' or 'Show us your key rotation logs.' That's when theory meets regulatory reality.
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Credential sprawl chaos
Every producer needs credentials. Every consumer too. Soon you're managing hundreds of certificates across your infrastructure. Whose key is this? Where is it used? One leaked key compromises everything downstream.
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Multi-tenant isolation failures
Kafka ACLs weren't designed for enterprise multi-tenancy. When Team A accidentally reads Team B's payment data, explaining "misconfiguration" won't satisfy regulators.
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Compliance audit nightmares
Auditors want proof: Who accessed what data? When? Why? Your self-managed Kafka's authentication logs aren't audit trails. GDPR fines don't care about good intentions.
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End-to-end encryption complexity
TLS between brokers? Check. Client encryption? Check. Schema Registry security? REST Proxy authentication? Connector credentials? Your compliance checklist never ends.
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Schema evolution risks
Anyone can evolve schemas in standard registries. One wrong field deletion corrupts downstream systems. Schema governance isn't optional: production demands it.
Governance at every layer
Axual embeds security into every layer of your streaming platform. Identity management, network isolation, and audit trails.
Built in from day one for mission-critical European infrastructure.
Enterprise IAM integration
Your identity provider becomes Kafka's identity provider through Keycloak. Developers log in with their corporate credentials. Permissions sync from AD groups. Password policies enforce organizational standards. MFA just works. The same provisioning process that onboards employees now secures your streaming infrastructure.
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Fine-grained RBAC
Basic Kafka thinks in users and topics. Axual thinks in teams, environments, and operations. Finance owns payment topics across all data centers. Developers get full access in dev, read-only in prod. Schema changes need owner approval. Your organizational structure becomes your security model, enforced by design.
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Vault-based secret management
Credentials never touch configuration files. HashiCorp Vault stores certificates, keys, and connector passwords. Automatic rotation without downtime. When employees leave, revoke access per compliance requirements. Axual Platform Manager retrieves secrets on-demand. Even your infrastructure teams never see production credentials.
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Zero trust networking
Zero trust architecture protects every Axual component. Network isolation by design. mTLS everywhere with certificates that manage themselves. ZooKeeper accessible only where needed. Clean separation between data and control planes. Encrypted flows, automated security operations, enforced boundaries. Modern security that scales across your data centers. Built for regulated European organizations.
Proven in production, built for tomorrow
Security requirements intensify yearly. New regulations emerge, threats evolve, auditors demand more. Yesterday's compliance becomes tomorrow's violation. Build on architecture that adapts, not patches that accumulate.
Use cases
Empower your team to unlock insights and drive decisions with our intuitive Kafka platform.
