Alternatives to Kowl

Kowl is a modern web user interface that helps developers monitor and troubleshoot Apache Kafka clusters. It provides features such as topic browsing, partition inspection, message search, and real-time message streaming. However, one limitation of Kowl is that it doesn't have built-in support for Kafka schema registry.

1. Burrow: Burrow is a Kafka monitoring tool that helps monitor Kafka consumer lag for each consumer group. It features offset tracking, status reporting, and lag checking. Burrow is open source and easily integrates with Kafka clusters, making it a versatile tool. Pros include detailed lag monitoring, while cons may include lack of a graphical user interface.
2. Kafka Manager: Kafka Manager is an open-source tool for managing Apache Kafka clusters. It provides dashboards for monitoring and managing topics, brokers, and consumer groups. Kafka Manager offers a user-friendly interface but might lack some advanced features compared to Kowl.
3. Kafka Web Console: Kafka Web Console is a web-based tool for managing and monitoring Kafka clusters. It offers features like topic management, consumer group status, and message browsing. Kafka Web Console is straightforward to use but may not have as many features as Kowl.
4. Kafdrop: Kafdrop is a Kafka UI for monitoring and managing Apache Kafka clusters. It offers real-time stream browsing, topic management, and consumer group status. Kafdrop is known for its simple and intuitive interface but may lack some advanced features.
5. KafkaCat: KafkaCat is a command-line tool for interacting with Apache Kafka clusters. It allows users to produce and consume messages, list topics, and query metadata. KafkaCat is lightweight and efficient, but it might not be as user-friendly as Kowl.
6. Kafka Eagle: Kafka Eagle is an open-source tool for monitoring Apache Kafka clusters. It offers features like cluster overview, topic management, and consumer lag monitoring. Kafka Eagle provides a comprehensive solution for Kafka monitoring but may have a steeper learning curve than Kowl.
7. Kangaroo: Kangaroo is a self-service platform for Apache Kafka that offers centralized management and monitoring capabilities. It provides features like topic browsing, schema management, and access control. Kangaroo is scalable and secure but may require additional setup compared to Kowl.
8. Kafka Tool: Kafka Tool is a GUI application for managing and monitoring Apache Kafka clusters. It includes features like topic management, message browsing, and consumer group monitoring. Kafka Tool is user-friendly but may not have as many advanced features as Kowl.
9. Kafka Lens: Kafka Lens is a Kafka management and monitoring tool that offers features like topic browsing, message search, and schema registry integration. It provides a modern and intuitive user interface but might have limitations in terms of scalability compared to Kowl.
10. Kafkaspy: Kafkaspy is a lightweight web UI for Apache Kafka that focuses on message production and consumption. It offers features like topic browsing, message inspection, and consumer lag monitoring. Kafkaspy is easy to set up but may lack some advanced monitoring capabilities of Kowl.