Kafka Zookeeper INVALID_ACL error encountered when accessing a Zookeeper node.

An invalid ACL was specified for a node.

Understanding Kafka Zookeeper

Apache Kafka is a distributed event streaming platform used by thousands of companies for high-performance data pipelines, streaming analytics, data integration, and mission-critical applications. Zookeeper is a centralized service for maintaining configuration information, naming, providing distributed synchronization, and providing group services. It is a critical component of Kafka, ensuring the coordination and management of Kafka brokers.

Identifying the INVALID_ACL Symptom

When working with Kafka Zookeeper, you may encounter the INVALID_ACL error. This error typically manifests when attempting to access or modify a Zookeeper node, resulting in a failure message indicating that the Access Control List (ACL) is invalid.

Common Observations

  • Access denied errors when trying to read or write to a node.
  • Log entries indicating ACL issues.
  • Inability to perform operations that require specific permissions.

Explaining the INVALID_ACL Issue

The INVALID_ACL error occurs when the specified ACL for a Zookeeper node is not valid. ACLs in Zookeeper are used to control access to nodes, specifying which users or systems can perform operations on them. An invalid ACL can result from incorrect syntax, unsupported permissions, or misconfigured user credentials.

Understanding ACLs

ACLs in Zookeeper are composed of a scheme, an ID, and a set of permissions. Common schemes include world, auth, digest, and ip. Each scheme has specific requirements and formats. For example, the digest scheme requires a username and password hash.

Steps to Resolve the INVALID_ACL Issue

To resolve the INVALID_ACL error, follow these steps:

Step 1: Review Current ACLs

First, review the current ACLs set on the node. You can use the Zookeeper CLI to list the ACLs:

zkCli.sh -server localhost:2181
getAcl /path/to/node

This command will display the current ACLs for the specified node.

Step 2: Validate ACL Syntax

Ensure that the ACL syntax is correct. Refer to the Zookeeper Access Control documentation for valid ACL formats and examples.

Step 3: Correct Invalid ACLs

If you identify any invalid ACLs, correct them using the following command:

setAcl /path/to/node scheme:id:permissions

Replace scheme:id:permissions with the correct values. For example, to set a digest ACL, use:

setAcl /path/to/node digest:user:passwordhash:cdrwa

Additional Resources

For further reading and examples, consider the following resources:

By following these steps and utilizing the resources provided, you should be able to resolve the INVALID_ACL error and ensure proper access control in your Kafka Zookeeper setup.

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