Single Message Transforms (SMTs)
Learn how Kafka Connect Single Message Transforms reshape records inline between connectors and Kafka without writing a stream processor.
What Are SMTs?
Single Message Transforms (SMTs) are lightweight functions applied to each record as it flows through a Kafka Connect connector.
They let you tweak data — rename fields, add metadata, route topics — without a separate processing job.
Where SMTs Run
SMTs run inside the connector worker:
- For a source connector, after reading from the system and before writing to Kafka.
- For a sink connector, after reading from Kafka and before writing to the target.
All lessons in this course
- Introduction to Kafka Connect
- Source Connectors for Ingestion
- Sink Connectors for Export
- Single Message Transforms (SMTs)