[VOTE] 4.1.0 RC1

[Mickael Maison]

Hello Kafka users, developers and client-developers,

This is the second candidate for release of Apache Kafka 4.1.0.

The release brings many new features and improvements:
- Mechanism for plugin to register metrics
- Allow running multiple versions of connector plugins
- Queue are now in preview access
- New Streams rebalance protocol in early access
- Support for OAuth jwt-bearer grant type
- Improved metadata replication

Release notes for the 4.1.0 release:
https://dist.apache.org/repos/dist/dev/kafka/4.1.0-rc1/RELEASE_NOTES.html

*** Please download, test and vote by Friday July 25.

Kafka's KEYS file containing PGP keys we use to sign the release:
https://kafka.apache.org/KEYS

* Release artifacts to be voted upon (source and binary):
https://dist.apache.org/repos/dist/dev/kafka/4.1.0-rc1/

* Docker release artifacts to be voted upon:
apache/kafka:4.1.0-rc1
apache/kafka-native:4.1.0-rc1

* Maven artifacts to be voted upon:
https://repository.apache.org/content/groups/staging/org/apache/kafka/

* Javadoc:
https://dist.apache.org/repos/dist/dev/kafka/4.1.0-rc1/javadoc/

* Tag to be voted upon (off 4.1 branch) is the 4.1.0 tag:
https://github.com/apache/kafka/releases/tag/4.1.0-rc1

* Documentation:
https://kafka.apache.org/41/documentation.html
PR (https://github.com/apache/kafka-site/pull/702) is not merged yet

* Protocol:
https://kafka.apache.org/41/protocol.html
PR (https://github.com/apache/kafka-site/pull/702) is not merged yet

* Successful CI builds for the 4.1 branch:
Unit/integration tests: https://github.com/apache/kafka/actions/runs/16415760777
System tests: The environment I use for running the system tests is
under maintenance. If someone can run the system tests, go ahead.
Otherwise I'll send an update once I'm able to run them.

* Successful Docker Image Github Actions Pipeline for 4.1 branch:
Docker Build Test Pipeline (JVM):
https://github.com/apache/kafka/actions/runs/16415783067
Docker Build Test Pipeline (Native):
https://github.com/apache/kafka/actions/runs/16415786103

Thanks,
Mickael

[Mickael Maison]

Hi,

Quick update regarding the system tests. My environment is back but
now we're hitting https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/KAFKA-19501.

Debian buster which is used in the system tests is out of support and
it's apt repository has now been archived. It worked till last week
but now it's gone so we get an error when building the Docker image.
We had only updated trunk to use bullseye. I've just backported the
fix to 4.1: https://github.com/apache/kafka/commit/d5a3acda897890379edb8819f15b144fcea564b0

The fix is only in tests/docker/Dockerfile and tests/docker/ducker-ak.
My understanding is that these files are not part of any of the
release artifacts.
So I'm considering keeping the RC1 artifacts and running the system
tests with the fix.

Let me know if my understand is incorrect, or if you'd prefer building
a new RC regardless. Obviously if we find issues with RC1, we'll do
another RC anyway.

Thanks,
Mickael

[Josep Prat]

Hi Mickael,

I don't think we need a new RC just because of these files. Technically speaking these files are part of the source tarball (which we release), but as they are test files, I wouldn't consider them as a blocker that would grant a new RC.

Best,

--

Josep Prat Sr. Engineering Director, Streaming Services, Aiven josep...@aiven.io   |   +491715557497 aiven.io   |

Aiven Deutschland GmbH Alexanderufer 3-7, 10117 Berlin Geschäftsführer: Oskari Saarenmaa, Hannu Valtonen,  Kenneth Chen Amtsgericht Charlottenburg, HRB 209739 B