Apache Kafka

Connection Count Approaching Limit

warning
Resource ContentionUpdated Mar 2, 2026

When active connection count approaches configured maximum, new clients will be rejected, causing connection failures and application errors.

Technologies:
How to detect:

Monitor kafka.network.connection_count approaching max.connections.per.broker configured limit. Alert when > 80% of max connections are active.

Recommended action:

1. Increase max.connections.per.broker: Raise connection limit if resources permit. 2. Check for connection leaks: Identify clients not properly closing connections. 3. Review connection pooling: Ensure clients are reusing connections efficiently. 4. Monitor per-client connections: Identify which clients have excessive connections. 5. Enable connection quotas: Use connection rate quotas to prevent abuse. 6. Scale broker count: Distribute connections across more brokers.