Kafka Exception InvalidPartitionsException
org.apache.kafka.common.errors.InvalidPartitionsException
Non-retriable
Admin
InvalidPartitionsException is a Kafka exception (org.apache.kafka.common.errors.InvalidPartitionsException).
Common Causes
- kafka-topics.sh or AdminClient called with --partitions 0 or a negative value due to a config template bug or environment variable not being set
- Application code computing partition count dynamically returned 0 (e.g., empty config file, division error)
- Typo or misconfiguration in IaC/Terraform Kafka provider setting partitions to 0
Solutions
- Ensure partition count is explicitly set to >=1; add validation in deployment scripts before invoking topic creation
- Set a safe default in application config so partition count cannot be 0 even if the environment variable is missing
- Audit IaC configs (Terraform, Helm values) for topic definitions and add input validation or variable constraints
Example Stack Trace
org.apache.kafka.common.errors.InvalidPartitionsException: Number of partitions is below 1.Diagnostic Commands
# Describe topic partitions, leaders, and ISR
kafka-topics.sh --bootstrap-server localhost:9092 --describe --topic <topic-name> 2>&1
# Search logs for related error messages
grep -r 'num.partitions\|partitions' /opt/kafka/config/ | grep -v '^Binary'Related
Protocol error: INVALID_PARTITIONS (code 37)
Related Admin exceptions: InvalidConfigurationException · InvalidReplicationFactorException · InvalidTopicException · PolicyViolationException · ThrottlingQuotaExceededException · TopicExistsException · UnsupportedVersionException
Hitting
InvalidPartitionsException in production? Conduktor Console gives you real-time visibility into clients, consumer groups, and broker health. Browse every Kafka exception or protocol error code.