Improving Kafka Performance: Switching from ext4 to XFS for 80% Faster Writes

Explore a detailed analysis of how Allegro improved Kafka produce tail latency by over 80% through switching from ext4 to xfs file systems. Dive into the intricacies of Kafka's operation, producer write speeds, and protocol tracing. Examine kernel system calls, journaled file systems, and the process of optimizing ext4 before the ultimate switch to XFS. Gain valuable insights into performance optimization techniques and file system comparisons in this comprehensive 32-minute video tutorial, complete with time-stamped sections for easy navigation through topics like Kafka fundamentals, bottleneck identification, and file system improvements.

Intro
Summary
How Kafka Works?
Producers Writes are Slow
Tracing Kafka Protocol
Tracing Kernel System Calls
Journaled File Systems
Improving ext4
Switching to XFS