15.1 A.0 The core principle

*"Apache Kafka is primarily a Java application and therefore should be able to run on any system where you are able to install a JRE. IT HAS, HOWEVER, BEEN OPTIMIZED FOR LINUX-BASED OPERATING SYSTEMS, SO THAT IS WHERE IT WILL PERFORM BEST. RUNNING ON OTHER OPERATING SYSTEMS MAY RESULT IN BUGS SPECIFIC TO THE OS.

For this reason, when using Kafka for development or test purposes on a common desktop OS, IT IS A GOOD IDEA TO CONSIDER RUNNING IN A VIRTUAL MACHINE THAT MATCHES YOUR EVENTUAL PRODUCTION ENVIRONMENT."*

The real advice in this appendix is: match production. Everything below is a way of running Kafka on a laptop — none of it is a production recommendation.

Ch. 2 says Linux for the general case, and this appendix explains why: OS-specific bugs, and the community won't prioritize them.

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