Configure the Apache Kafka Consumer connector

task australia Updated Sep 10, 2026 5 min read configure-kafka-consumer-connector.md
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Configure the Apache Kafka Consumer connector instance to create events from streaming messages collected by the Apache Kafka connector.

Before you begin

Ensure that the Event Management Connectors (sn_em_connector) plugin is installed on the ServiceNow AI Platform instance.

Role required: evt_mgmt_admin

Procedure

  1. Navigate to All > Event Management > Integrations > Connector Instances.

  2. Select New.

  3. On the form, fill in the fields.

Field

Value

Name

Descriptive and unique name for the Kafka Consumer connector.

Description

Description to be used by the Kafka Consumer event collection instance.

Connector definition

Name of the required connector definition, which in this case should be Kafka Consumer.

Host IP

The host IP.Note: This field must contain a value to complete the creation process so the placeholder 1.1.1.1 should be entered as a temporary value.

Event collection last run time

This field is automatically set to the last runtime value.

Last event collection status

This field is automatically set to the last runtime status.

Event collection schedule (seconds)

The frequency in seconds that the system checks for new events from the Kafka Consumer. The default value is 60 seconds.

Last error message

This field is automatically set to the last error message.
4. For PLAINTEXT or SASL\_PLAINTEXT, in the **Credential** field, create a Basic authentication credential. 
Use the **Kafka SSL credential** type for a new Kafka pull connector instance with **SASL\_PLAINTEXT** authentication. Go to step 5.

Use the **Kafka SSL credential** type when the Kafka server’s **sasl.enabled.mechanisms** or **sasl.mechanism** parameter's value don’t equal **PLAIN**. Go to step 5.

1.  Select the Search icon \[Omitted image "search-icon.png"\] Alt text: Search icon next to the **Credential** field.

2.  On the Credentials screen, select **New**.

3.  From the list of available credentials, select **Basic Auth Credentials**.

4.  On the Basic Authentication screen, give information for either PLAINTEXT authentication, which doesn’t require credentials, or SASL\_PLAINTEXT authentication, which requires credentials.

    -   For PLAINTEXT authentication, in the **Name** field, type any value and leave the **User Name** and **Password** fields empty.
    -   For SASL\_PLAINTEXT authentication, give a name for the credential in the **Name** field, preferably prefaced by `SASL`. Provide the user name and password In the **User Name** and **Password** fields.
5.  Select **Submit**.

  1. For a SASL_PLAINTEXT, SSL, or SASL_SSL authentication credential, in the Credential field, create a Kafka SSL credential.

    1. Select the Search icon [Omitted image "search-icon.png"] Alt text: Search icon next to the Credential field.

    2. On the Credentials screen, select New.

    3. From the list of available credentials, select Kafka SSL Credentials.

    4. On the Kafka SSL Authentication screen, fill in the Kafka SSL credentials fields.

      For the Kafka SSL credentials fields descriptions, see Kafka SSL credentials fields.

      Note: If you clear the Disable hostname verification field, then in the Additional Kafka consumer properties field, enter the value of the ssl.endpoint.identification.algorithm parameter the same as of the Kafka server parameter value. For example:

      Text
      ssl.enabled.protocols=TLSv1.2,TLSv1.1,TLSv1;sasl.jaas.config=org.apache.kafka.common.security.plain.PlainLoginModule required username=<username> password=<password>;sasl.enabled.mechanisms=PLAIN;ssl.endpoint.identification.algorithm=;

    5. Select Submit.

  2. Right-click the form header and select Save.

  3. Verify the connector instance values based on your Kafka setup and the JSON payload from the Kafka topic.

    Change the connector instance values if necessary.

Field

Description

authentication_type

The Kafka Consumer authentication type. The currently supported values are:

  • PLAINTEXT (no authentication) (Default)

  • SASL_PLAINTEXT (basic authentication – user name and password)

bootstrap_servers

The servers that establish the connection with the Kafka cluster. Values in this field should be in the form host1:port1, host2:port2, and so on (comma-separated).

This field is required.

consumer_group_name

The Consumer group name.

If the same Kafka topic is being consumed from two different instances, use different consumer group names so all events are captured for both instances.

This field is required.

time_of_event_field

The name of the field in the JSON payload/message that includes the time of the event.

If a field in the JSON payload/message includes the time of the event, that value should be the value for this parameter.

If no time field value is given, then the received time of the event in the ServiceNow instance is set as time_of_event.

The time_of_event field should be a first-level field in the JSON payload/message. Nested field names aren’t allowed.

timezone

The time zone of the time_of_event field in the JSON payload/message.

The timezone value isn’t used when the time_of_event field is empty.

For example, if the time_of_event in the payload/message is in the IST time zone, the value would be GMT+0530.

Default: GMT.

date_format

The date_time format of the time_of_event field in the JSON payload/message.

If no time field value is given, then the time when the event was received in the instance in GMT time is used. The date_time value isn’t used when the time_of_event field is empty.

Default: yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:sss.

debug

Displays debug messages. Default value: false. Specify true to see debug messages.

logPayloadForDebug

Displays payload related debug messages. Default value: false. Specify true to see payload related debug messages.

topic

The Kafka topic from which the messages are fetched.
8. In the **MID Servers for Connectors** section, specify a MID Server that is up and is valid. 
**Note:** You can configure several MID Servers. If the first server is down, the next MID Server is used. If that MID Server isn’t available, the next is selected, and so on. MID Servers are sorted according to the order that their details were entered into the **MID Servers for Connectors** section.

If you do not specify a MID Server, an available MID Server that has a matching IP range is used.

  1. Right-click the form header and select Save.

  2. Test the connection between the MID Server and the Kafka Consumer connector.

    1. Select Test Connector.

    2. If the test connection fails, verify whether the credential is valid, and that the network is connected from the MID Server to the Kafka broker.

      Note: Kafka topic name validation occurs only in Test Connector validation.

  3. After a successful test, make the connector instance active by selecting the Active check box.

  4. Select the Update button.

What to do next

After the connector is created, you must map the fields. For more information, see Map Kafka message payload attributes to alert fields.

Parent Topic:Apache Kafka Consumer Connector

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