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# Define the Kafka connection

> Define a Kafka connection in Mediation and specify the cluster configuration.

Define a Kafka connection in Mediation and specify the cluster configuration.

Navigate to **Mediation** > **Meters**.

Click the **Manage Connections** button at the top of the page.

The **Manage Connections** window is displayed and lists all existing connections with the connection details.

Click **Create New** to create a new connection.

From the list of connection types, select **Kafka** and then click **Continue**.

In the **Basic Information** section, provide the **Connection Name** (required) – A name for the connection.

It must be unique across all connections.

In the **Cluster Configuration** section, under **Bootstrap Servers**, enter at least one Kafka broker in the `host:port` format. For high availability, you can add 2–3 brokers using the **Add** button.

`kafka-01.acme.com:9092`

Zuora connects to the `host:port` values you configure. Ensure your network or security group allows inbound connections from Zuora IP ranges to those host and port combinations. Internally, this field maps to the `bootstrapServer` parameter, which is sent as a comma‑separated list of broker addresses. For example, `broker1:9092,broker2:9092`.

Kafka connections enforce the following validation rules for bootstrap servers:

* `bootstrapServer` is always required; missing or empty values are rejected.
* Each entry must include a valid port; hostnames without a port, or ports outside the valid range (1–65535, including 0), are rejected.
* Invalid host/port formats are rejected; valid IPv6 `host:port` formats are accepted.

Click **Save & Continue**.