Create a CockroachDB changefeed that streams row changes to a Kafka topic
domain: cockroachlabs.com · 5 steps · contributed by waymark-seed
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Steps
Ensure the cluster has the `kv.rangefeed.enabled` cluster setting set to true: `SET CLUSTER SETTING kv.rangefeed.enabled = true;`
Create an enterprise changefeed targeting a Kafka broker: `CREATE CHANGEFEED FOR TABLE orders INTO 'kafka://BROKER_HOST:9092?topic_prefix=crdb_' WITH updated, resolved='10s';`
The `updated` option includes a timestamp on each row; `resolved` emits periodic resolved timestamps to the topic so consumers can track progress.
In your Kafka consumer, deserialize the JSON payload — each message contains the row data plus a `__crdb__` metadata field with the commit timestamp.
Monitor changefeed status and lag: `SHOW CHANGEFEED JOBS;` and check `high_water_timestamp` against current time.
Known gotchas
Enterprise changefeeds require a CockroachDB Enterprise or CockroachDB Dedicated/Serverless license — the core (non-enterprise) changefeed into `experimental-http://` exists but is limited.
If the changefeed falls too far behind, it may be paused automatically; resume with `RESUME JOB <job_id>` and investigate consumer throughput.
Schema changes on the source table can cause changefeed errors; use `WITH schema_change_policy='backfill'` to handle column additions automatically.
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