<a id="gateway-deploy-overview"></a>

# Deploy Confluent Cloud Gateway

This guide provides the overview for configuring and deploying Confluent Cloud Gateway
(Confluent Gateway). It includes requirements, supported component compatibility, and
other considerations.

Confluent Gateway runs as a stateless service, often as a set of containerized
instances within the target environment (for example, Confluent for Kubernetes, VM clusters, or
cloud-native platforms).

The general configuration tasks are provided in [Configure and Deploy Confluent Cloud Gateway](gateway-deploy.md#gateway-deploy-docker):

* Streaming domains
* Routes
* Administration and metrics

Separate guides are provided for the security-related configuration tasks.
For more information, see [Configure Security for Confluent Cloud Gateway](gateway-security.md#gateway-security):

* Secret stores
* SSL
* Passwords
* Authentication Swapping

## Requirements and considerations

Before you begin, make sure that the following requirements and
considerations are satisfied:

### System requirements

* CPU and memory:
  * Minimum: 2 vCPUs, 4 GB RAM
  * Recommended: 4 vCPUs, 8 GB RAM
* Network throughput: 45 MB/sec of sustained workload for a 1 Gigabit link
  (1 Gbps)
* Storage: 10 GB of disk space

### Network access requirements

The Confluent Gateway container must have access to necessary Apache Kafka® clusters.
Configure firewall ports for bidirectional traffic as needed.

### Docker requirements

For Docker-based deployments, confirm that Docker Desktop or Docker Engine with
Docker Compose version 2 is installed. Docker Engine version 20.x or later is
recommended.

## Supported component compatibility

### Client library compatibility

Confluent Gateway current is built on top of Kafka Client 4.0, and it
inherits the same Client/Broker Forward Compatibility guarantees as defined in
the [Kafka 4.0 documentation](https://kafka.apache.org/40/documentation/compatibility.html), enabling
interoperability between Kafka clients and brokers across supported
version ranges.

Confluent Gateway officially supports `librdkafka` versions v2.0.0 through
v2.13.0. This support enables non-Java clients to use the full range of
Confluent Gateway capabilities, including partner data sharing and disaster
recovery.

Other third-party clients that support Kafka protocol versions compatible
with 3.x and 4.0 should work through Confluent Gateway based on protocol
compatibility. However, these client libraries have not been extensively
tested with Confluent Gateway. You must validate the behavior and compatibility of
these specific library versions within your own environment.

### Unsupported vendor-specific APIs

Confluent Gateway is designed primarily to govern message flows using standard Kafka
APIs. Confluent Gateway does not support proprietary APIs from vendors. For example,
Confluent Platform-specific APIs, such as `CREATE_CLUSTER_LINKS` or `LIST_CLUSTER_LINKS`,
are not supported by Confluent Gateway.

### Confluent for Kubernetes (CFK) compatibility

CFK 3.1 and later releases are supported to deploy and manage
Confluent Gateway.

For the CFK versions and image tags, see the [CFK versions and image tags](https://docs.confluent.io/operator/current/co-plan.html#co-long-image-tags).

This table summarizes the supported releases of the components that
Confluent Gateway has dependencies on.

| Confluent Gateway Release   | current       |
|-----------------------------|---------------|
| Kafka Server Releases       | 3.x, 4.0      |
| Kafka Client Releases       | 3.x, 4.0      |
| CFK Release                 | 3.1 and later |

<a id="gateway-support-policy"></a>

## Support and maintenance policy

Starting with Confluent Gateway 1.1.0, Confluent provides a standardized support
lifecycle for Confluent Gateway with a quarterly patch cadence. Each
release receives technical support for three years from its initial
(`.0`) release date.

The following table lists the support lifecycle for each released Confluent Gateway
version.

| Confluent Gateway version   | Release date   | Standard End of Life   | Standard End of Support   |
|-----------------------------|----------------|------------------------|---------------------------|
| 1.3.0                       | July 2026      | January 2027           | July 2029                 |
| 1.2.0                       | March 2026     | September 2026         | March 2029                |
| 1.1.0                       | November 2025  | May 2026               | November 2028             |

Review the following considerations for the Confluent Gateway support policy:

* **Standard End of Life:** Marks the end of the six-month patch window
  for a version. After Standard End of Life, Confluent continues to
  provide technical support such as troubleshooting and access to
  knowledge-base articles, but does not issue new patches for that
  version.
* **Standard End of Support:** Marks the end of
  Confluent technical support for that version, three years after its
  initial release.
* **Patch cadence:** With a Confluent Enterprise license, each Confluent Gateway version
  receives up to two quarterly patch updates within the six-month patch
  window. For example, version 1.1.0 receives up to two quarterly
  patches, 1.1.1 and 1.1.2. It does not receive more patches such as a
  1.1.3.
* **Upgrades:** To get newer fixes or features after the six-month patch
  window, upgrade to the next minor or major Confluent Gateway version.