We have enhanced our data ingestion and integration processes by utilizing Kafka Streams and Kafka Connect. By leveraging Kafka for data streaming through the Managed Kafka Service (MSK), we can efficiently stream data from various sources to consumers, allowing us to scale our streaming services effectively.

We receive millions of articles each day, with the goal of scaling to billions. Kafka Streams is essential for achieving this scalability, while Kafka Connect serves as an interface that connects Kafka to various services, enabling us to retrieve, post, and ingest data seamlessly.

Additionally, we developed custom consumers and producers, opting not to use Kafka Connect directly. Instead, we created a tailored Kafka Connect solution that provides us with the flexibility to adjust connections and configurations as needed.

In summary, by leveraging Kafka Streams for scalability and a customized Kafka Connect for flexibility, we have significantly improved our data ingestion and integration processes.