Thank you, Harish. Everything looks good, and nice work on the PoweredBy page and scrollspy. I’ll leave the decision about missing menus/sub-menus to others. The rest looks good to me.
I don’t have any further comments. Thanks, Murali On Thu, Dec 4, 2025 at 7:32 AM Harish Vishwanath <[email protected]> wrote: > Thanks for the feedback Murali! I'm glad to hear the home page is looking > great. > > Regarding the missing sub-menus and navigation structure, I'd like to > clarify the design approach taken with the new Hugo-based site, which > aligns with what is documented in the KIP-1133 ( > > https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=340036497#KIP1133:AKDocumentationandWebsiteinMarkdown-AKversionspecificdocumentation > ) > > > 1. Content Organization & Navigation: Unlike the original website, the new > source is organized into modular sections. Large, monolithic pages > (like `ops.html` or `configuration.html`) have been split into smaller, > more manageable pages. > > - Left Sidebar:Automatically displays these sections and pages as the > primary navigation menu. > - Right Sidebar (TOC): Displays the headings (H2, H3, etc.) within the > current page. > > 2. Why not merge TOC into the Left Sidebar? I explored integrating the TOC > headings directly into the left sidebar menu to mimic the previous > "sub-menu" feel. However, this resulted in an excessively deep hierarchy > that became cluttered and difficult to navigate. It also proved technically > challenging to apply selectively to only certain sections without > complicating the build logic. > > Instead of a deep nested menu, I've implemented a hybrid navigation (with > left sidebar and right toc navbar) system to make finding content easier: > > Further, I added the following enhancements: > > - Sticky & Seamless Scrolling: Both the Left Sidebar and Right TOC are now > sticky. They scroll seamlessly with the main content but can also be > scrolled independently. > - Smart Scrollspy: Right TOC automatically highlights the current location. > If the user is viewing a deep subheading (e.g., H4) that isn't in the TOC, > it intelligently highlights the parent section so that context is > preserved= > . > - Offline Search: fast, local search (using Lunr.js) that indexes the > latest documentation. This makes finding specific details instantaneous, > often faster than navigating a complex menu. > - Powered By Page: I have updated the "Powered By" page to match the > spacing, width, and order of the cards as you suggested. > > Here is a gif showing this in action: > https://gist.github.com/hvishwanath/461fd54c792b84fd23bbc952560b9235 > > > The latest changes are live at https://kafka.staged.apache.org/. I believe > this combination of structured page navigation, context-aware TOC, and fast > search provides strong support for navigation and offers a good user > experience. > > Thanks again for all your review, feedback and suggestions. Looking forward > to starting the vote thread soon. > > Regards, > Harish > > > On Wed, Nov 26, 2025 at 3:09 AM Muralidhar Basani via dev < > [email protected]> wrote: > > > Nice work Harish. > > The home page is looking great. > > > > A few final bits. > > Sub menus are missing > > > > APIs > > > > Producer API > > Consumer API > > Share Consumer API (Preview) > > Streams API > > Connect API > > Admin API > > > > > > Configurations > > > > Sub menus for > > Configuration providers > > Kafka connect configs > > > > > > Design > > > > Motivation > > Persistence > > Efficiency > > The Producer > > The Consumer > > Message Delivery Semantics > > Using Transactions > > Share Groups > > Replication > > Log Compaction > > Quotas > > > > > > Operations > > Operations includes several menus and submenus. This gives a clear > view > > and makes them easily accessible. > > > > Kafka Connect > > Submenus are missing under User Guide and Connect Development Guide. > > > > Can we align the "Powered by" page similarly to the existing page, > matching > > the spacing and page width? > > > > With these changes, I believe we will be ready for the cut-over. We have > a > > few minor improvements, but those can wait. > > > > Thanks, > > Murali > > > > On Tue, Nov 25, 2025 at 4:09 PM Harish Vishwanath < > > [email protected]> > > wrote: > > > > > Thank you Murali for the detailed feedback. I have addressed all your > > > comments and the site is live at https://kafka.staged.apache.org/ > > > > > > Regards, > > > Harish > > > > > > > > > On Sat, Nov 15, 2025 at 12:19 AM Muralidhar Basani > > > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > Great work Harish. > > > > > > > > We are getting there. > > > > > > > > A few more items for the home page: > > > > > > > > 1. Not sure why we changed the menu item from 'Powered by' to > > > > 'Testimonials'? If this was agreed upon in kip or any PRs, it's fine. > > > > Otherwise, we should stick to the 'Powered by' menu item. > > > > > > > > 2. Instead of big search text box, replace it with a magnifying glass > > > icon. > > > > On click, it should display a text box underneath. > > > > > > > > 3. With the above change (point 2), we can wrap the 'DOWNLOAD' menu > as > > a > > > > gradient button. > > > > > > > > 4. Better we keep the same menu items > > > > > > > > Get Started > > > > Docs > > > > Powered By > > > > Community > > > > Releases (added) > > > > Apache > > > > > > > > and Download as the last menu item. > > > > > > > > And move the 'Blog' menu under 'Community'. > > > > I think we don't need too many menu items. > > > > > > > > 6. Reduce the font size of menu items by 2 or 3 px. > > > > > > > > 7. Text color 'See full list' should be same as text color of 'Learn > > > More' > > > > > > > > 8. The size of logo in the nav bar is a bit small. Can we increase > its > > > size > > > > and move it closer to the menu items? Please see the current page. > > > > > > > > 9. Can we reduce the font size of text on cards like 'High > Throughput' > > > and > > > > 'Deliver messages at net....' and on all cards and rows below them? > > > > > > > > 10. Pls reduce the height of the footer and ensure it has a fair > > > > background. (optional) > > > > > > > > 11. Footer text hyperlinks have a blue color. Pls keep the full text > in > > > the > > > > same color. Pls see the existing documentation. > > > > > > > > Please compare the current home page with the existing home page. > > Several > > > > minute details matter. It would have been easier if we had a Figma > > > design. > > > > I can also help you with PR reviews, if you prefer it that way. > > > > > > > > Let me know what is comfortable. > > > > > > > > Thanks, > > > > Murali > > > > > > > > > > > > On Thu, Nov 13, 2025 at 3:51 PM Harish Vishwanath < > > > > [email protected]> > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > Hello Murali, thanks again for your detailed review and comments. > > > > > > > > > > I have addressed all of them in the latest update and it is live at > > > > > https://kafka.staged.apache.org/ < > > https://kafka.staged.apache.org/%29 > > > >. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Regards, > > > > > Harish > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Tue, Nov 11, 2025 at 12:38 PM Muralidhar Basani > > > > > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > Hi Harish, > > > > > > > > > > > > Thanks, I see improvements. > > > > > > > > > > > > I have a few more comments below only for home page : > > > > > > > > > > > > 1. Menu is still not responsive. I was expecting a burger icon in > > > > mobile > > > > > > mode. > > > > > > 2. Menu 'Releases' is missing in mobile mode > > > > > > 3. Font selection and sizes of menu is not matching > > > > > > 4. Is it possible to display any drop down menu just on hover of > > menu > > > > > items > > > > > > ? > > > > > > 5. Is it possible to have any sub menu items. For ex : Under DOCS > > - > > > > > > > 6. Why did we change menu 'DOCS' to 'Documentation' ? I don't > know > > > what > > > > > was > > > > > > agreed though. > > > > > > 7. Missing 'Apache' menu here, which I think it's there for a > > reason. > > > > > > 8. Logo on the top teft in home page - 'Apache Kafka' is probably > > is > > > in > > > > > > white color making it hidden. We only see half the logo, not > text. > > > > > > 9. For transportation 8 out of 10 icon, there seems to be another > > > > 'right > > > > > or > > > > > > tick' symbol on top of flight. > > > > > > 10. We see 6 of these cards like 'Manufacturing 10 out of 10' > etc, > > > but > > > > > > missing 'See full list' which should redirect to Testimonials ? > > > > > > 11. Can we make these 6 use case cards get closer and shrink in > > size > > > > > > similar to existing docs may be ? It would look better. > > > > > > 12. There are various font types used in existing docs in home > page > > > > which > > > > > > make it more professional which am missing in the staging. > > > > > > 13. There is a huge unexpected gap between text and images > > > > > > (Manufacturing...) > > > > > > 14. Text is missing 'Above is a snapshot of the number of top-ten > > > > largest > > > > > > companies using Kafka, per-industry.' > > > > > > 15. We are missing the full footer here 'The contents of this > > website > > > > > are © > > > > > > 2025 Apache Software Foundation under the terms of the Apache > > License > > > > v2. > > > > > > Apache Kafka, Kafka, and the Kafka logo are either registered > > > > trademarks > > > > > or > > > > > > trademarks of The Apache Software Foundation in the United States > > and > > > > > other > > > > > > countries.Security | Donate | Thanks | Events | License | > Privacy' > > > > > > 16. Missing ASF leaf icon at the bottom right > > > > > > 17. Can we use the same font style here for text 'Apache Kafka is > > an > > > > > > open-source distributed....' > > > > > > 18. Is there a way to highlight 'Download Kafka' which am missing > > > here. > > > > > It > > > > > > has a great look there in existing docs. > > > > > > 19. For ex let's consider this text: Mission Critical > > > > > > Support mission-critical use cases with guaranteed ordering, zero > > > > message > > > > > > loss, and efficient exactly-once processing. > > > > > > Has different font settings. > > > > > > 20. 3 Cards in a row like 'High throughput' could have some side > > > space > > > > on > > > > > > both sides of the page. This is not aligned with content above. > > > > Consider > > > > > > some free space to get an elegant look. > > > > > > > > > > > > I am being too picky about this homepage, but I'm trying to give > > it a > > > > > look > > > > > > similar to our existing pages without deviating too much. > > > > > > > > > > > > So far great work in getting the content there but let's focus on > > > text, > > > > > > font colors, sizes, etc to make it much more professional. > > > > > > > > > > > > Will look at the other pages soon. > > > > > > > > > > > > Thanks, > > > > > > Murali > > > > > > > > > > > > On Tue, Nov 11, 2025 at 4:45 PM Harish Vishwanath < > > > > > > [email protected]> > > > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > Hi Murali, > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Thank you very much for taking the time to provide such > detailed > > > and > > > > > > > valuable feedback on the staging site.I was able to address all > > the > > > > > > issues > > > > > > > you raised. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > The latest version of the staging site, available at [ > > > > > > > > > > https://kafka.staged.apache.org/](https://kafka.staged.apache.org/), > > > > > > > reflects these fixes. Please take a moment to review the > updated > > > site > > > > > at > > > > > > > your convenience. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Here is a summary of the issues you pointed out and the > > > corresponding > > > > > > > updates: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > - **Responsiveness:** The staging link is now fully responsive, > > > > > > addressing > > > > > > > layout issues with the menu and logo on various devices. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > - **Favicon and Title:** The favicon and page titles are now > > > properly > > > > > > set. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > - **Homepage Cards:** > > > > > > > > > > > > > > - The repeated "Manufacturing" block on the home page has been > > > > removed. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > - The display of the 'Core capabilities' and 'Ecosystem' cards > > has > > > > been > > > > > > > adjusted to ensure they are visually distinct and include > proper > > > > > headers. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > - **Interactive Elements (Streams API):** Implemented an > > > interactive > > > > > > > carousel. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > - **- Code Snippets:** The selection for Java/Scala in code > > > snippets > > > > > is > > > > > > > now functional. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > - **- Testimonials Alignment:** The Testimonials section, > > > including > > > > > use > > > > > > > cases like Zalando and Rabobank, has been realigned, and the > card > > > > > sizing > > > > > > > has been adjusted. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > - **Next/Previous Buttons:** 'Next' and 'Previous' navigation > > > buttons > > > > > > have > > > > > > > been implemented on documentation pages to improve sequential > > > > browsing. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > - Several other improvements and refresh including the latest > > > > commits. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Regards, > > > > > > > Harish > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Mon, Nov 3, 2025 at 11:38 PM Muralidhar Basani > > > > > > > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Hi Harish, > > > > > > > > Indeed, this is a significant progress. Thank you. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I have noticed the below on a few pages I was hovering on. > > While > > > > > these > > > > > > > > could be applied on almost all pages. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > General : > > > > > > > > 1. Staging link is not fully responsive (mobile, different > > > > devices). > > > > > > > (Menu, > > > > > > > > logo for example) > > > > > > > > 2. Favicon and title are not set > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Home page : > > > > > > > > 3. I see cards like Manufacturing, Insurance, Telecom etc > > > usecases > > > > > > which > > > > > > > > are screenwide and felt like clickable. On existing docs, > these > > > > cards > > > > > > are > > > > > > > > bit small and doesn't feel like they should be nagivated to > > some > > > > > other > > > > > > > > page. And the Manufacturing block is repeated. > > > > > > > > 4. Headers are missing in the cards further below > > > > > > > > 'Core capabilities' & 'Ecosystem' > > > > > > > > I believe it's important to have a title. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > As an example I am using this page for next points. > > > > > > > > https://kafka.staged.apache.org/41/streams/introduction/ > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > 5. Video embeddings are screen wide. Could be nice if the > size > > is > > > > > > > shrinked > > > > > > > > abit. > > > > > > > > 6. There is an interactive way to select steps here 'TOUR OF > > THE > > > > > > STREAMS > > > > > > > > API' in existing docs which is missing and videos seem to be > > > there > > > > > > > without > > > > > > > > getting user's attention. > > > > > > > > 7. Code snippets > > > > > > > > I cannot see or select Java/Scala > > > > > > > > 8. Use cases like Zalando, Rabobank are moved to Testimonials > > but > > > > the > > > > > > > cards > > > > > > > > are not properly aligned. Could be nice if the card size is > > > reduced > > > > > > abit > > > > > > > > and > > > > > > > > 9. In this https://kafka.staged.apache.org/41/streams/ it > > could > > > be > > > > > > nice > > > > > > > to > > > > > > > > have a lowered font size for 'The easiest way to write > > > > > mission-critical > > > > > > > > real-time applications and microservices' > > > > > > > > 10. Interactive steps are missing for 'Write your First App' > > > which > > > > > > exist > > > > > > > in > > > > > > > > existing docs. This gives the user a good overview of the > steps > > > to > > > > be > > > > > > > done > > > > > > > > before starting. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > https://kafka.staged.apache.org/41/security/ > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > 11. Content is repeated for example : > > > > > > > > Security Overview > > > > > > > > Security Overview > > > > > > > > May be some other description if already exists. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > 12. In general on all these category pages, it could be nice > to > > > > have > > > > > > > brief > > > > > > > > intro of that the page is about. > > > > > > > > Ex on https://kafka.staged.apache.org/41/streams/ > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > 13. Pages like Donate ( > > > > > > > > https://kafka.staged.apache.org/community/apache/donate/) > > > doesn't > > > > > lead > > > > > > > to > > > > > > > > anywhere instead of > > > > > https://www.apache.org/foundation/sponsorship.html > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > 14. Under the Configuration menu section, it would be > > beneficial > > > to > > > > > > have > > > > > > > > submenus such as 'Broker configs' and 'Topic configs'. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > 15. For menu APIs, it would be nice to have submenus. Could > be > > > > > applied > > > > > > > for > > > > > > > > all other menus. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Is it possible to have 'Next' and 'Previous' buttons on pages > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I can imagine we cannot have the exact look and feel and > > > > > functionality > > > > > > > what > > > > > > > > we have in existing docs, but I feel certain aspects are > > > important > > > > to > > > > > > > > achieve here as well to engage the user experience. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Thanks, > > > > > > > > Murali > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Tue, Nov 4, 2025 at 6:03 AM Harish Vishwanath < > > > > > > > [email protected] > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Hi all, > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Back in April, I started a discussion with KIP-1133: AK > > > > > Documentation > > > > > > > and > > > > > > > > > Website in Markdown. (Link: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/KAFKA/KIP-1133%3A+AK+Documentation+and+Website+in+Markdown > > > > > > > > > ). > > > > > > > > > The KIP proposes migrating the Kafka website and its > > > > documentation > > > > > > from > > > > > > > > the > > > > > > > > > current system (which uses raw HTML files) to a modern, > > > > > > Markdown-based > > > > > > > > > system. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I'm happy to report that since the KIP was approved, > > > significant > > > > > > > progress > > > > > > > > > has been made, and a version is now ready for community > > review. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > *Progress Highlights:* > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > 1. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > *Staging Site:* A full version of the website, built > from > > > > > > Markdown, > > > > > > > is > > > > > > > > > now live at: *https://kafka.staged.apache.org/ > > > > > > > > > <https://kafka.staged.apache.org/>* > > > > > > > > > 2. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > *Source Code:* The Markdown source is available on the > > > > markdown > > > > > > > branch > > > > > > > > > of the kafka-site repository: > > > > > > > > > https://github.com/apache/kafka-site/tree/markdown > > > > > > > > > 3. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > *CI/CD Pipeline:* A GitHub Actions pipeline is fully > > > > > configured. ( > > > > > > > > > https://github.com/apache/kafka-site/actions) > > > > > > > > > - > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > It automatically builds and deploys commits/PRs from > > the > > > > > > markdown > > > > > > > > > branch to the staging site. > > > > > > > > > - > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > It also builds a Docker image for easy local preview. > > You > > > > can > > > > > > run > > > > > > > > it > > > > > > > > > locally with: docker run -p 8080:80 > > > > > > > > > ghcr.io/apache/kafka-site:markdown > > > > > > > > > 4. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > *Conversion Tooling:* An automation pipeline was > developed > > > to > > > > > > > perform > > > > > > > > > the HTML-to-Markdown conversion, which can be found > here: > > > > > > > > > https://github.com/hvishwanath/ak2md > > > > > > > > > 5. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > *Local Development:* Makefiles are included to ease > local > > > > > > > development > > > > > > > > > and iteration. > > > > > > > > > 6. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > *Developer README:* Comprehensive instructions on how to > > > build > > > > > the > > > > > > > > site > > > > > > > > > and make updates are available in the README: > > > > > > > > > > > > https://github.com/apache/kafka-site/blob/markdown/README.md > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > *Call for Review (Now - Nov 30):* > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I would like to formally invite the community to review the > > > > staging > > > > > > > site > > > > > > > > > and the Markdown source code. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > - > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > *What to look for:* Please compare the staging site ( > > > > > > > > > https://kafka.staged.apache.org/) with the live site ( > > > > > > > > > https://kafka.apache.org/) and look for any rendering > > > issues, > > > > > > > broken > > > > > > > > > links, content discrepancies, or formatting errors. > > > > > > > > > - > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > *How to fix:* If you find any issues, please feel free > to > > > > > submit a > > > > > > > PR > > > > > > > > > directly against the markdown branch. This is a great > > > > > opportunity > > > > > > to > > > > > > > > fix > > > > > > > > > any small typos or formatting issues you may have seen > in > > > the > > > > > > docs. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > This has been a huge undertaking, and you will likely spot > > > minor > > > > > > issues > > > > > > > > > like broken links or rendering quirks. Many of these stem > > from > > > > > > > > > inconsistencies in the original HTML source, which I have > > done > > > my > > > > > > best > > > > > > > to > > > > > > > > > detect and fix via automation. I strongly encourage the > > > community > > > > > to > > > > > > > view > > > > > > > > > these as non-gating issues that can be easily fixed > > > > post-migration, > > > > > > > > rather > > > > > > > > > than blockers for the cut-over itself. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > *Proposed Cut-over Plan:* > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > To move this forward, I propose the following plan: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > 1. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > *Now – Nov 30: Community Review Period* > > > > > > > > > - > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > The community reviews the staging site and source > code. > > > > > > > > > - > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Fixes are submitted as PRs directly to the markdown > > > branch. > > > > > > > > > 2. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > *Dec 1: Final Sync* > > > > > > > > > - > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I will perform one final refresh from the main > > repository > > > > to > > > > > > pull > > > > > > > > in > > > > > > > > > any last-minute documentation changes from the HTML > > > source. > > > > > > > > > 3. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > *First Week of Dec: Start [VOTE] Thread* > > > > > > > > > - > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I will start a formal vote thread to ask the > community > > to > > > > > > approve > > > > > > > > the > > > > > > > > > cut-over to the new Markdown-based site. > > > > > > > > > 4. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > *If the Vote Passes:* > > > > > > > > > - > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > We will migrate the source documentation in the docs > > > > > directory > > > > > > of > > > > > > > > the > > > > > > > > > apache/kafka repository to Markdown for versions *3.5 > > and > > > > > > newer*. > > > > > > > > > - > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Older versions (pre-3.5) will be left as-is (HTML) in > > the > > > > > kafka > > > > > > > > repo > > > > > > > > > to avoid disruption. > > > > > > > > > - > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > The GitHub Actions will be updated to deploy the > > markdown > > > > > > branch > > > > > > > to > > > > > > > > > the live production site. > > > > > > > > > - > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > A key benefit of this change: any future bug fixes > > needed > > > > for > > > > > > > > *older* > > > > > > > > > (pre-3.5) documentation can be made directly in the > > > > > kafka-site > > > > > > > > > repository, decoupling them from the main Kafka > release > > > > > > process. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Finally, I want to extend a huge and sincere thank you to > > > *David > > > > > > > Arthur*. > > > > > > > > > His guidance, detailed code reviews, help in refactoring > the > > CI > > > > > > > pipeline, > > > > > > > > > and merging PRs over the last several months have been > > > invaluable > > > > > in > > > > > > > > > getting this KIP to its current state. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Please take a look at the staging site and let me know your > > > > > thoughts. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Regards, > > > > > > > > > Harish > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
