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Create a free tier Aiven for Apache Kafka® service

You can create a free tier Aiven for Apache Kafka® service to learn Kafka, test producers and consumers, or run small proof-of-concept workloads.

For details about throughput, topic limits, and feature restrictions, see Free tier service limitations.

Prerequisites​

note

Each organization can have only one free tier Kafka service.

Create a free tier Kafka service​

The free tier includes fixed throughput, topic limits, and Karapace Schema Registry and REST Proxy. The cloud provider is managed automatically; you can select only a region group.

  1. In the Aiven Console, open the project and select Services.
  2. Click Create service.
  3. Select Aiven for Apache Kafka®.
  4. In Service tier, select Free. The free tier includes:
    • Up to 250 KiB/s total throughput
    • Up to 5 topics, each with two partitions
    • Karapace Schema Registry and REST Proxy
  5. Review the Cloud section. The cloud provider is managed automatically for the free tier. You can select only a region group.
  6. In Service basics, enter a Service name.
  7. Review the Service summary.
  8. Click Create service.

When the status changes to Running, your free tier Kafka service is ready to use.

To stream sample data, use the sample data generator in the Aiven Console. It produces test messages to your Kafka service. For details, see Generate sample data for Aiven for Apache Kafka®.

To connect your application, use Quick connect to get setup steps and sample code for common programming languages.

After service creation​

  • If no data is produced or consumed for 24 hours, the service is powered off automatically. You receive a notification before shutdown, and you can power on the service from the Aiven Console.
  • You can upgrade the service at any time to enable:
    • Cloud and region selection
    • Higher throughput and storage
    • Kafka Connect and service integrations
    • Support for tiered storage

Upgrade the free tier service​

You can upgrade from the free tier at any time to remove throughput, storage, and feature limits. Before upgrading, add a payment card to the project's billing group.

Upgrade from the service overview:

  1. Open your service’s Overview page.
  2. In Service usage, click Upgrade.
  3. Select a service tier, cloud, region, and plan.
  4. Click Upgrade service.

Or upgrade from service settings:

  1. In your service, click Service settings.
  2. In the Service summary section, click Upgrade.
  3. Select a service tier, cloud, region, and plan.
  4. Click Upgrade service.

Upgrades apply immediately. The service state becomes Rebuilding and remains accessible. When the state switches to Running, the new plan is active. Paid services cannot be downgraded to the free tier.

For more information, see Change a service plan.

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