Where to Download bitnami/kafka Docker Image: Complete Guide

The official bitnami/kafka image is no longer available in the main Docker Hub repository. The images have been moved to the bitnamilegacy/kafka repository due to Bitnami’s policy of discontinuing support for free images. To resolve your issue, use the bitnamilegacy/kafka:latest image instead of bitnami/kafka:latest in your Docker Compose configuration.

Table of Contents

• Problem with official bitnami/kafka image
• Where to download current bitnami/kafka image
• Migration to bitnamilegacy/kafka
• Alternatives and solutions
• Docker Compose update instructions

Problem with official bitnami/kafka image

Bitnami is actively discontinuing support for their free Docker images, including Kafka. As stated in the official documentation, starting August 28, 2025, all existing images, including Kafka, have been moved from the main repository docker.io/bitnami to the legacy repository docker.io/bitnamilegacy. This means attempting to pull the bitnami/kafka:latest image will result in a ‘not found’ error, as it no longer exists in the main repository.

Important: This is not a technical issue on your end, but rather a consequence of Broadcom’s corporate policy (the new owner of Bitnami), which is transitioning most images to a paid model with limited access to free versions.

Where to download current bitnami/kafka image

The current bitnami/kafka image is now only available in the legacy repository:

Main source:

• Docker Hub: bitnamilegacy/kafka
• Link: https://hub.docker.com/r/bitnamilegacy/kafka

Additional sources:

• Amazon ECR Public: gallery.ecr.aws/bitnami/kafka
• GitHub Container Registry: Available through official Bitnami repositories

Note that images in the bitnamilegacy repository will not receive security updates and feature enhancements, but can be used for existing deployments until they are completely discontinued.

Migration to bitnamilegacy/kafka

To resolve your Docker Compose configuration issue, you need to make the following changes:

Updated Docker Compose configuration:

kafka:
    image: bitnamilegacy/kafka:latest  # <-- CHANGE HERE
    expose:
      - "9092"
    environment:
      KAFKA_CFG_NODE_ID: 1
      KAFKA_CFG_PROCESS_ROLES: controller,broker
      KAFKA_CFG_CONTROLLER_QUORUM_VOTERS: 1@kafka:9093
      KAFKA_CFG_LISTENERS: PLAINTEXT://:9092,CONTROLLER://:9093
      KAFKA_CFG_ADVERTISED_LISTENERS: PLAINTEXT://kafka:9092
      KAFKA_CFG_CONTROLLER_LISTENER_NAMES: CONTROLLER
      KAFKA_CFG_INTER_BROKER_LISTENER_NAME: PLAINTEXT
    networks:
      - users-service

Step-by-step migration:

1. Stop current Kafka containers:

   bash

   docker-compose down
   

2. Update image in docker-compose.yml:

   yaml

   image: bitnamilegacy/kafka:latest
   

3. Clear Docker cache (if the issue persists):

   bash

   docker system prune -a
   

4. Start the updated configuration:

   bash

   docker-compose up -d
   

Alternatives and solutions

As Bitnami transitions to a paid model, it’s worth considering alternative solutions for long-term use:

1. Official Apache Kafka

• Source: https://hub.docker.com/_/apache-kafka
• Advantages: Free, actively maintained, official
• Disadvantages: Requires more manual configuration

2. Confluent Platform

• Source: https://hub.docker.com/r/confluentinc/cp-kafka
• Advantages: Enterprise support, additional features
• Disadvantages: May require a license for production

3. Third-party managed solutions:

• Northflank provides managed solutions for Kafka and other message queues
• Other cloud providers (AWS MSK, GCP Cloud Pub/Sub, Azure Event Hubs)

Alternative comparison:

Docker Compose update instructions

If you want to use official solutions instead of Bitnami, here’s an example configuration for Confluent Kafka:

Confluent Kafka configuration:

version: '3'

services:
  zookeeper:
    image: confluentinc/cp-zookeeper:latest
    environment:
      ZOOKEEPER_CLIENT_PORT: 2181
      ZOOKEEPER_TICK_TIME: 2000

  kafka:
    image: confluentinc/cp-kafka:latest
    depends_on:
      - zookeeper
    ports:
      - "9092:9092"
    environment:
      KAFKA_BROKER_ID: 1
      KAFKA_ZOOKEEPER_CONNECT: zookeeper:2181
      KAFKA_ADVERTISED_LISTENERS: PLAINTEXT://kafka:9092
      KAFKA_OFFSETS_TOPIC_REPLICATION_FACTOR: 1
      KAFKA_AUTO_CREATE_TOPICS_ENABLE: true

  kafka-ui:
    image: provectuslabs/kafka-ui:latest
    depends_on:
      - kafka
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    environment:
      KAFKA_CLUSTERS_0_NAME: local
      KAFKA_CLUSTERS_0_BOOTSTRAPSERVERS: kafka:9092

Commands for quick migration:

1. Create a backup of your current configuration:

   bash

   cp docker-compose.yml docker-compose.backup.yml
   

2. Replace the image with bitnamilegacy/kafka or choose an alternative

3. Validate the configuration:

   bash

   docker-compose config
   

4. Restart the services:

   bash

   docker-compose up -d --force-recreate
   

5. Verify functionality:

   bash

   docker-compose logs kafka
   

Sources

1. Bitnami containers/kafka README - GitHub
2. Bitnami Legacy Kafka Docker Image
3. Northflank Blog - Bitnami Deprecates Free Images
4. Bitnami Secure Images Documentation
5. Reddit Discussion - Bitnami Image Deprecation
6. GitHub Issue - Upcoming changes to Bitnami catalog
7. Apache Kafka Official Docker Image
8. Confluent Kafka Docker Image

Conclusion

1. Main issue: The bitnami/kafka image has been moved to the bitnamilegacy/kafka repository due to Bitnami’s policy of discontinuing support for free images.

2. Solution: Replace bitnami/kafka:latest with bitnamilegacy/kafka:latest in your Docker Compose configuration.

3. Temporary nature: Remember that images in bitnamilegacy do not receive updates, so it’s advisable to plan a migration to official or managed solutions.

4. Recommendation: For long-term use, consider transitioning to official Apache Kafka or Confluent Platform images, which will be actively maintained.

5. Timeline: You have time until Bitnami completely discontinues support for legacy images, but it’s recommended to start the migration as soon as possible to avoid production environment disruptions.