MCQs on Setting Up Kafka | Apache Kafka MCQs Questions

This comprehensive set of Apache Kafka MCQs Question focuses on setting up and configuring Kafka for real-world scenarios. These questions cover key topics like installation, single-node versus multi-node clusters, configuring Zookeeper and brokers, managing cluster resources, and security basics such as authentication and encryption. Perfect for students, developers, and professionals, this guide ensures mastery of Apache Kafka’s foundational setup. Use these MCQs to excel in exams, interviews, or real-world implementations of Kafka in distributed systems.

---

Chapter 3: Setting Up Kafka – MCQs

Topic 1: Kafka Installation and Configuration

1. Which command is used to start a Kafka broker?
   a) kafka-server-start.sh
   b) kafka-broker-init.sh
   c) kafka-broker-start.sh
   d) kafka-init.sh
2. What file is primarily used to configure a Kafka broker?
   a) broker.properties
   b) server.config
   c) server.properties
   d) broker.config
3. Which dependency is required to run Kafka on a machine?
   a) Python
   b) Java
   c) Ruby
   d) Node.js
4. What is the purpose of the zookeeper.connect property in Kafka?
   a) Configures broker to connect to a Zookeeper cluster
   b) Specifies the port for broker communication
   c) Enables data replication
   d) Sets up the Kafka log directory
5. Which command is used to install Apache Kafka using a package manager?
   a) apt install kafka
   b) brew install kafka
   c) yum kafka setup
   d) install-kafka.sh

---

Topic 2: Single-Node vs Multi-Node Cluster Setup

6. What is the main drawback of a single-node Kafka cluster?
   a) High latency
   b) Lack of fault tolerance
   c) Expensive setup cost
   d) Difficult to configure
7. How many brokers are recommended for a minimum viable Kafka cluster?
   a) 1
   b) 2
   c) 3
   d) 5
8. In a multi-node cluster, what ensures fault tolerance?
   a) Leader election among brokers
   b) Single partition for all topics
   c) Reduced replication factor
   d) Kafka Connect
9. What property should be set to enable replication in Kafka?
   a) replication.enable
   b) min.insync.replicas
   c) replication.factor
   d) replication.allow
10. Which command is used to start Kafka in a multi-node setup?
    a) kafka-cluster-start.sh
    b) kafka-multi-node.sh
    c) kafka-server-start.sh
    d) start-multi-cluster.sh

---

Topic 3: Configuring Zookeeper and Kafka Brokers

11. What is the primary role of Zookeeper in a Kafka cluster?
    a) Storing application data
    b) Managing distributed configurations and leader election
    c) Handling consumer offsets
    d) Encrypting messages
12. Which file is used to configure Zookeeper in Kafka?
    a) server.properties
    b) zookeeper.config
    c) zoo.properties
    d) zookeeper.properties
13. What is a typical default port used by Zookeeper?
    a) 9092
    b) 2181
    c) 7070
    d) 8080
14. What does the log.dirs property in a Kafka broker configuration specify?
    a) Path for storing Kafka logs
    b) Location of Zookeeper logs
    c) Temporary files for producers
    d) Backup location for consumers
15. How can Zookeeper be scaled in a Kafka cluster?
    a) Adding more brokers
    b) Increasing the replication factor
    c) Setting up a Zookeeper quorum
    d) Adding more partitions

---

Topic 4: Managing Cluster Resources

16. Which of the following helps manage resources in a Kafka cluster?
    a) Partitioning and replication
    b) Using consumer groups
    c) Leader election
    d) All of the above
17. What does the num.network.threads property configure in Kafka?
    a) Maximum number of partitions per broker
    b) Number of I/O threads handling requests
    c) Maximum log size
    d) Number of producers allowed
18. How can Kafka storage usage be optimized?
    a) Decreasing the number of partitions
    b) Configuring log retention policies
    c) Using a single topic
    d) Disabling replication
19. Which property controls the maximum size of a message in Kafka?
    a) message.size.max
    b) log.retention.max.size
    c) max.message.bytes
    d) message.max.size
20. What does Kafka use to distribute partitions across brokers?
    a) Partition balancing algorithms
    b) Consumer offsets
    c) Zookeeper replication
    d) Broker IDs

---

Topic 5: Security Basics: Authentication, Authorization, and Encryption

21. Which protocol is commonly used to secure communication in Kafka?
    a) SSH
    b) TLS/SSL
    c) HTTPS
    d) AES
22. What is the purpose of the ssl.keystore.location property in Kafka?
    a) Specifies the path to Kafka logs
    b) Configures SSL encryption for broker communication
    c) Manages log retention policies
    d) Specifies the path for consumer offsets
23. How does Kafka handle client authentication?
    a) Through OAuth tokens
    b) Using SSL certificates or SASL mechanisms
    c) By verifying IP addresses
    d) Through Zookeeper
24. What is a recommended practice for securing Kafka topics?
    a) Disabling producer authentication
    b) Setting topic-level ACLs
    c) Avoiding encryption
    d) Keeping default configurations
25. Which Kafka property enables topic encryption at rest?
    a) topic.security.encryption
    b) log.dirs
    c) ssl.enable
    d) Not directly supported; use external tools
26. How does Zookeeper authentication differ from Kafka authentication?
    a) Zookeeper only uses SSL
    b) Zookeeper uses Kerberos or DIGEST-MD5
    c) Kafka uses certificates only
    d) Zookeeper does not support authentication
27. What does enabling SASL in Kafka provide?
    a) Encrypted communication
    b) Authentication and authorization mechanisms
    c) Increased storage capacity
    d) Faster message delivery
28. Which file format is used for SSL certificates in Kafka?
    a) PEM
    b) JSON
    c) YAML
    d) CSV
29. How can you authorize a producer to publish to a Kafka topic?
    a) By granting producer-level ACL permissions
    b) By configuring Zookeeper settings
    c) By using Kerberos authentication only
    d) By disabling consumer offsets
30. What is the primary advantage of securing Kafka communication?
    a) Faster partition replication
    b) Preventing unauthorized data access
    c) Improved log retention policies
    d) Automatic scaling of clusters

---

Answer Key

Qno	Answer
1	a) kafka-server-start.sh
2	c) server.properties
3	b) Java
4	a) Configures broker to connect to a Zookeeper cluster
5	b) brew install kafka
6	b) Lack of fault tolerance
7	c) 3
8	a) Leader election among brokers
9	c) replication.factor
10	c) kafka-server-start.sh
11	b) Managing distributed configurations and leader election
12	d) zookeeper.properties
13	b) 2181
14	a) Path for storing Kafka logs
15	c) Setting up a Zookeeper quorum
16	d) All of the above
17	b) Number of I/O threads handling requests
18	b) Configuring log retention policies
19	c) max.message.bytes
20	a) Partition balancing algorithms
21	b) TLS/SSL
22	b) Configures SSL encryption for broker communication
23	b) Using SSL certificates or SASL mechanisms
24	b) Setting topic-level ACLs
25	d) Not directly supported; use external tools
26	b) Zookeeper uses Kerberos or DIGEST-MD5
27	b) Authentication and authorization mechanisms
28	a) PEM
29	a) By granting producer-level ACL permissions
30	b) Preventing unauthorized data access