Port 9092: Kafka
Port 9092 is the default port for an Apache Kafka broker, the distributed event-streaming platform used to move high volumes of data between systems in real time. Producers and consumers both connect on this port unless a cluster is configured otherwise.
| Port number | 9092 |
|---|---|
| Service | Apache Kafka broker |
| Protocol | TCP |
| Category | Message queues |
| Default encryption | No |
How do I check whether port 9092 is open?
Port 9092 carries TCP, so a connection either completes its handshake or it does not, which makes the check definitive.
| Question | Command | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Is it open on a remote host? | nc -vz example.com 9092 | A TCP handshake either completes or it does not, so netcat gives a definitive answer in one line. |
| Same check on Windows | Test-NetConnection example.com -Port 9092 | Built into PowerShell. TcpTestSucceeded in the output is the answer; telnet is not installed by default on modern Windows. |
| What is listening locally? | ss -tlnp | grep ':9092 ' | Lists the process bound to port 9092 on Linux. On macOS use lsof -nP -iTCP:9092 -sTCP:LISTEN, on Windows netstat -ano | findstr :9092 |
Replace example.com with the host you are testing. A blocked port and a port with nothing listening on it look identical from the outside, so if a service should be running, check locally before blaming the firewall.
Frequently asked questions
What is port 9092 used for?
Port 9092 is the default port for an Apache Kafka broker, the distributed event-streaming platform used to move high volumes of data between systems in real time. Producers and consumers both connect on this port unless a cluster is configured otherwise.
Is port 9092 TCP or UDP?
Port 9092 (Kafka) uses TCP.
Is port 9092 secure?
Port 9092 is not encrypted by default. Where possible, use an encrypted alternative or tunnel it over TLS or a VPN.
Should I open port 9092 on my firewall?
Only if you specifically need Kafka. Expose it to the smallest set of trusted sources, and never open database or Windows-service ports to the whole internet.