Interceptors play a critical role in the Apache Kafka ecosystem, with use cases around observability, logging, and simple transformations with Kafka producers and consumers. This lightning talk explores the concrete need for interceptors and implementing interceptors with librdkafka clients.

Most non-JVM Kafka clients are based on librdkafka, making it one of the most popular libraries for Kafka clients. Traditionally, the development of custom interceptors has primarily revolved around JVM-based languages, leaving non-JVM clients, particularly those relying on librdkafka, in a void. This session addresses this gap by focusing on the imperative role of interceptors and demonstrating how librdkafka can serve as a robust solution for crafting custom interceptors in non-JVM environments.

The interceptor API is currently only available for the C langauge clients. The session aims to provide factual insights into the step-by-step process of developing custom interceptors for both producers and consumers using librdkafka for other languages, ensuring attendees acquire practical knowledge to address specific use cases in their Kafka deployments.