Implementation:Apache Kafka KafkaAdminClient IncrementalAlterConfigs

Knowledge Sources	Apache Kafka
Domains	Administration, Configuration
Last Updated	2026-02-09 12:00 GMT

Overview

Concrete tool for incrementally altering Kafka resource configurations via the AdminClient API provided by KafkaAdminClient.

Description

The KafkaAdminClient.incrementalAlterConfigs method sends an IncrementalAlterConfigsRequest to the appropriate broker. It routes requests based on resource type: BROKER_LOGGER goes to the specific broker, BROKER configs may go to the controller, and topic configs go to the least loaded broker or controller.

Usage

Use via kafka-configs.sh --alter or programmatically through the Admin interface.

Code Reference

Source Location

• Repository: Apache Kafka
• File: clients/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/clients/admin/KafkaAdminClient.java
• Lines: L2845-2920

Signature

public AlterConfigsResult incrementalAlterConfigs(
    Map<ConfigResource, Collection<AlterConfigOp>> configs,
    final AlterConfigsOptions options
)

Import

import org.apache.kafka.clients.admin.Admin;
import org.apache.kafka.clients.admin.AlterConfigOp;
import org.apache.kafka.clients.admin.AlterConfigsResult;
import org.apache.kafka.common.config.ConfigResource;

I/O Contract

Inputs

Name	Type	Required	Description
configs	Map<ConfigResource, Collection<AlterConfigOp>>	Yes	Map of resource to config operations (SET, DELETE, APPEND, SUBTRACT)
options	AlterConfigsOptions	No	Options for the alter request

Outputs

Name	Type	Description
AlterConfigsResult	AlterConfigsResult	Contains KafkaFuture<Void> per resource; completes when config is applied

Usage Examples

Alter Topic Config via CLI

bin/kafka-configs.sh --bootstrap-server localhost:9092 \
  --alter --entity-type topics --entity-name my-topic \
  --add-config retention.ms=172800000

Alter Config Programmatically

import org.apache.kafka.clients.admin.*;
import org.apache.kafka.common.config.ConfigResource;

try (Admin admin = Admin.create(props)) {
    ConfigResource resource = new ConfigResource(ConfigResource.Type.TOPIC, "my-topic");
    AlterConfigOp op = new AlterConfigOp(
        new ConfigEntry("retention.ms", "172800000"),
        AlterConfigOp.OpType.SET
    );
    admin.incrementalAlterConfigs(Map.of(resource, List.of(op))).all().get();
}

Related Pages

Implements Principle

• Principle:Apache_Kafka_Topic_Configuration_Alteration