GETTING STARTED WITH CONFLUENT CLOUD: NEW CUSTOMER ONBOARDING

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to Confluent Cloud! As a new customer, this onboarding guide will walk you through your first steps: setting up your account, deploying your first Kafka cluster, creating topics, authenticating clients, and connecting sample applications. Let’s get you streaming data fast and securely!

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STEP 1: ACTIVATE YOUR ACCOUNT

1. Find your Confluent Cloud welcome or invitation email.
2. Click the verification link in the email.
3. Log in at https://confluent.cloud with your credentials.
4. Complete any remaining profile or organization information.

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STEP 2: SELECT YOUR CLOUD PROVIDER AND REGION

1. In the dashboard, click Add cluster.
2. Choose your preferred cloud provider: AWS, GCP, or Azure.
3. Pick a cloud region close to your application or users for best latency.
4. Click Continue.

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STEP 3: CREATE YOUR FIRST KAFKA CLUSTER

1. Select a cluster type. Basic clusters are great for onboarding and experimentation.
2. Enter a cluster name (e.g., “onboarding-demo-cluster”).
3. Review the settings and click Create cluster.
4. Wait a few minutes for your cluster to provision.

Your trial credits will be applied automatically if eligible.

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STEP 4: CREATE A KAFKA TOPIC

1. Go to your cluster overview page.
2. In the sidebar, select Topics.
3. Click Create topic.
4. Enter a topic name — for example, getting-started.
5. You can leave the partitions and other settings as default for now.
6. Click Create to finish.

Topics are where your data streams will flow!

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STEP 5: CREATE API KEYS FOR SECURE ACCESS

1. In your cluster, go to API Access.
2. Click Create key.
3. Select a service account (recommended) or your user account.
4. Choose the appropriate scope (most often "Cluster").
5. Click Create and download your API key and secret.

You’ll use these credentials to securely connect your applications.

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STEP 6: CONNECT YOUR FIRST CLIENT (EXAMPLE: PYTHON)

Update the client library configuration with your API credentials and cluster endpoint (available from your cluster overview page).

python

 

from confluent_kafka import Producer conf = { 'bootstrap.servers': '<broker-endpoint>', 'security.protocol': 'SASL_SSL', 'sasl.mechanism': 'PLAIN', 'sasl.username': '<api-key>', 'sasl.password': '<api-secret>' } p = Producer(conf) p.produce('getting-started', value='Hello, Confluent Cloud!') p.flush()

• Find sample code for other languages in our documentation.

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STEP 7: EXPLORE FURTHER FEATURES

• Connectors: In the sidebar, try adding a connector to import/export data from databases, cloud storage, or SaaS apps.
• Users & Permissions: Invite teammates by going to Organization settings > Users.
• Metrics: Explore the Metrics tab to monitor your cluster’s activity and health.
• Self-Serve Resources:
  • Confluent Cloud Quick Start
  • FAQ

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FAQ — NEW CUSTOMER ONBOARDING

Q: HOW DO I USE TRIAL CREDITS?
A: When you create your first eligible cluster, the credits will apply automatically. You can track remaining credits in your billing dashboard.

Q: CAN I DELETE A TEST TOPIC OR CLUSTER?
A: Yes, use the three-dot menu next to the resource name and select “Delete.”

Q: WHAT IF MY CLUSTER WON’T CREATE?
A: Make sure your cloud provider account is set up and check for any error messages in the UI. Try a different region if issues persist.

Q: ARE MY CONNECTIONS SECURE?
A: Yes, all Confluent Cloud traffic uses encrypted connections and requires authentication.

Q: WHERE CAN I FIND MORE HELP?
A: Use our Zendesk chat widget, browse Confluent Community forums, or visit the Getting Started docs.

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WELCOME ABOARD! WE’RE HERE TO HELP YOU SUCCEED WITH REAL-TIME DATA STREAMING. IF YOU NEED ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE, DON’T HESITATE TO REACH OUT THROUGH CHAT OR SUPPORT.