Apache Kafka Complete Practice Exam 2025 – All-in-One Prep

When the retry buffer in Kafka is full, logging to a persistent queue for later retry is a strategic approach. This method allows you to handle messages that couldn't be processed due to the buffer limitation without losing them. By persisting the failed messages in a separate queue, you can ensure that they are retried later, thereby providing a mechanism for recovery and improved reliability in message processing.

This approach aligns with effective message handling practices in Kafka, as it maintains the integrity of the message processing system while enabling flexibility in managing message flow. It ensures that no messages are discarded due to temporary processing issues or limitations in the retry buffer.

Utilizing a persistent storage option for later retries allows for more graceful error-handling strategies, whereas ignoring the full buffer would result in message loss, halting message production isn't practical, and increasing buffer size indefinitely could lead to resource management issues and potential performance degradation.