Kafka is here with Surge

Event-driven systems deserve infrastructure that keeps up. Today we're launching Surge, our managed messaging service, with Apache Kafka as the first engine.

What's new

Managed Kafka clusters

You can now create Apache Kafka resources directly from your project. Choose a cluster layout, size your nodes, set topic defaults, and Viduli handles provisioning, lifecycle, and the day-to-day cluster surface - so you spend less time on brokers and more time on the events that move your product.

Surge runs on Kafka 4+ with KRaft, so you get modern Kafka without ZooKeeper overhead.

Flexible node layouts

Start simple or go production-oriented:

• Combined nodes - Controllers and brokers on the same pool, great for testing and lighter workloads
• Independent pools - Separate controller and broker nodes when you need clearer scaling and production-style operation

Topic management in the console

Create, update, and delete topics from the Topics tab on your Kafka resource. Set partitions, replication, cleanup policy, and other defaults once at the cluster level, then apply them consistently as your streams grow.

Built into the Viduli workflow

Kafka sits alongside your apps, databases, and caches as a first-class resource. Start, stop, and configure clusters from the project overview and resource details view - same lifecycle patterns you already know.

How to try it

1. Open your project overview
2. Click New Resource and select Surge
3. Choose Apache Kafka
4. Pick a layout, configure topic defaults, review cost, and confirm

Provisioning starts right away. For field-level details, see the Surge docs.

Kafka clusters require a payment method, and each project can currently hold one Kafka cluster. We're excited to see what you stream next.