Broker Bytes In/Out Imbalance Suggests Uneven Load Distribution
warningWhen some brokers show significantly higher network traffic than others, it indicates uneven partition distribution or leadership imbalance, causing inefficient resource utilization.
Compare kafka.network.bytes_in_rate and kafka.network.bytes_out_rate across brokers. Alert when any broker exceeds cluster average by >50% sustained over 15 minutes.
1. Check partition distribution: Use kafka.broker.partition_count to verify even distribution. 2. Review leadership: Use kafka.broker.leader_count to check if leaders are balanced. 3. Run partition reassignment: Redistribute partitions to balance load. 4. Run preferred leader election: Balance leadership across brokers. 5. Monitor hot topics: Identify if specific high-traffic topics are concentrated. 6. Consider rack awareness: Ensure rack-aware replica placement is working.