docs: 26.2 What's New entries for shipped features (DOC-2395) by Feediver1 · Pull Request #1828 · redpanda-data/docs

Feediver1 · 2026-07-25T19:36:42Z

Resolves https://redpandadata.atlassian.net/browse/DOC-2395

Adds five 26.2 entries to What's New in Redpanda (get-started/release-notes/redpanda.adoc) for features whose docs have already merged to beta without an entry:

Cloud Topics enabled by default (docs DOC-2193: Cloud Topics enabled by default via cloud storage (26.2) #1786): enabled via cloud_storage_enabled; cloud_topics_enabled deprecated.
Shadowing: role synchronization (docs DOC-2292/DOC-2015: Document shadow link role synchronization (26.2) #1780): RBAC roles replicate over shadow links; links to the Role filtering section.
Shadowing: migrate schemas from Confluent Schema Registry (docs DOC-2254: Add Confluent Schema Registry schema migration via Shadowing #1776): Schema Registry HTTP API replication mode; links to the new Migrate Schemas from Confluent page.
Fetch read coalescing (docs docs: fetch read coalescing (DOC-2386) #1821): Enterprise, kafka_fetch_read_coalescing_enabled.
Per-entity client quota metrics (docs DOC-226: Document per-entity client quota metrics (26.2) #1779): kafka_per_entity_quota_metrics; links to the Track quota use per entity section.

The existing Kafka 4.x client compatibility entry is unchanged and stays last.

Review notes

Entries for features still in open PRs (deferred upgrade finalization docs: defer upgrade finalization (DOC-2013) #1818/docs: upgrade guidance for shadow-linked clusters (DOC-2217) #1819, Cloud Topics + Shadowing Scope Cloud Topics shadow link limitation to versions earlier than 26.2 #1812, Load Factor dashboard DOC-1381: Add Load Factor dashboard monitoring page (26.2) #1815) are deliberately not included here; they have been committed directly to those PR branches so each entry lands with its content. Those branches append after the Kafka entry while this PR inserts before it, so cross-PR conflicts are avoided; the three open PRs may hit a trivial both-added conflict among themselves at the same append point.
The companion cloud-docs What's New entry (Terraform shadow link management) rides cloud-docs#649.
All xref anchors verified against beta (#role-filtering, #track-quota-use-per-entity, #cloud_storage_enabled).

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

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What's New in Redpanda (updated: five new entries, all verified rendering)

Adds entries for Cloud Topics enabled by default, shadow link role synchronization, Confluent Schema Registry migration via Shadowing, fetch read coalescing, and per-entity client quota metrics. Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <[email protected]>

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coderabbitai · 2026-07-25T19:36:50Z

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mattschumpert · 2026-07-27T21:05:12Z

 * xref:cloud-data-platform:get-started:cloud-overview.adoc#redpanda-cloud-vs-self-managed-feature-compatibility[Redpanda Cloud vs Self-Managed feature compatibility]


+== Cloud Topics enabled by default


@Feediver1 we're missing some stuff:

Unfinalized Upgrades (self-managed only)
Iceberg Key/Header translation
Iceberg Topics support for Schema Contexts
Enhanced cluster health summary
New 'load factor' metrics

Some of that's in here
https://github.com/redpanda-data/cupboard/tree/main/engineering/core/toi/v26.2

Ignore the Cloud Topics scale stuff since we don't publicize scale limits.

@Feediver1 of the ones you have, I'd put them in this order.

== Shadowing: migrate schemas from Confluent Schema Registry
== Shadowing: role synchronization
== Kafka 4.x client compatibility
== Fetch read coalescing
== Per-entity client quota metrics
== Cloud Topics enabled by default

Iceberg Key/Header translation
Iceberg Topics support for Schema Contexts
^^ Will arrive in @kbatuigas' PRs for those updates. My goal here was just to capture the entries for the new features I added.

mattschumpert · 2026-07-27T21:05:53Z


+== Cloud Topics enabled by default
+
+Cloud Topics no longer require a separate cluster property. When cloud storage is enabled for your cluster (xref:reference:properties/object-storage-properties.adoc#cloud_storage_enabled[`cloud_storage_enabled`] set to `true`), you can create Cloud Topics directly. The `cloud_topics_enabled` cluster property is deprecated.


"you can create Cloud Topics immediately by setting the storage mode during topic creation"

mattschumpert · 2026-07-27T21:09:54Z

+
+== Shadowing: role synchronization
+
+Shadow links can now replicate RBAC roles from the source cluster to the shadow cluster, alongside topics, ACLs, consumer group offsets, and Schema Registry data. Configure role filters to select which roles to sync, so authorization is already in place on the shadow cluster when you fail over.


"Shadow links can now replicate cluster roles from the source cluster to the shadow cluster, alongside topics, ACLs, consumer group offsets, and Schema Registry data. This ensures equivalent RBAC is in place on the shadow cluster prior to failover. Configure role filters to select which roles to sync.

(we call them 'cluster roles' in Cloud to to clarify in the Cloud context these roles apply to things within a single cluster, so might as well stick to that term for the noun)

mattschumpert · 2026-07-27T21:11:08Z

+== Shadowing: migrate schemas from Confluent Schema Registry
+
+Shadowing can now replicate schemas over the Schema Registry HTTP API, including from a Confluent Schema Registry. A shadow link continuously replicates subjects, versions, and compatibility settings into the shadow cluster's Schema Registry, so your applications keep working after cutover without a separate schema migration step. You can also replicate only selected contexts or subjects, and map source contexts to different destination contexts.
+


@Feediver1
Let's add "Both Confluent Cloud and Confluent Platform are supported"

mattschumpert · 2026-07-27T21:18:35Z

+
+== Fetch read coalescing
+
+When many consumers fetch the same partitions, each broker repeats the same read work for every consumer. Fetch read coalescing merges these redundant reads on each shard, reducing read CPU and fetch-response memory under high consumer fan-out. This Enterprise feature is disabled by default: enable it with the `kafka_fetch_read_coalescing_enabled` cluster property.


'memory consumption'

^^ Not sure where this applies @mattschumpert ? Do you want the heading revised here on line 30? Seems unrelated.

mattschumpert · 2026-07-27T21:22:48Z

+
 == Kafka 4.x client compatibility

 Redpanda version 26.2 validates a broader set of non-Java Apache Kafka® clients at their current versions that support Kafka 4.x, in addition to the Apache Kafka Java client. Newly validated clients include `confluent-kafka-go` and Sarama for Go, and `kafka-python` and `confluent-kafka-python` for Python. Validation confirms connectivity and correctness across core Kafka APIs, such as produce, consume, and transaction operations.


kafka-python was already supported (for a long time), though the current docs say 'kafka-python-ng'. can you advise @nguyen-andrew ?

mattschumpert · 2026-07-27T21:26:09Z

+
+== Per-entity client quota metrics
+
+Aggregate quota metrics can confirm that throttling is happening, but not which client is throttled. Redpanda can now label throttle-time and throughput metrics with the identity of the throttled entity, so you can identify throttled clients by name and right-size quota values based on observed use. These metrics are disabled by default: enable them with the `kafka_per_entity_quota_metrics` cluster property.


"Aggregate quota metrics can confirm that throttling is happening at a broker level, but don't reveal which user, client, or group of clients is utilizing a quota, and/or being throttled. Redpanda can now label throttle-time and throughput metrics with the identity of the throttled entity, so you can identify throttled users and clients by name and right-size quota values based on observed use. These metrics are disabled by default: enable them with the kafka_per_entity_quota_metrics cluster property.

(you may also want to update this language in the feature docs page @Feediver1 )

Same for this one @mattschumpert --which feature does this apply to? It's right after the Shadowing: role synchronization heading, but refers to metrics.

Ah--so it looks like it applies to == Per-entity client quota metrics below, on line 54. Right?

Order the DOC-2395 entries as requested: Shadowing (Confluent SR migration, role sync) ahead of Kafka 4.x, then fetch read coalescing, per-entity quota metrics, and Cloud Topics enabled by default. Beta's surrounding entries (Iceberg, cluster health, Tiered Storage v2, new configuration properties) keep their positions. Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <[email protected]>

Feediver1 · 2026-07-28T02:27:19Z

Updated in ef389d14: merged current beta (clean — resolves the stale insert-point flagged in review) and reordered the six core entries as requested:

Shadowing: migrate schemas from Confluent Schema Registry
Shadowing: role synchronization
Kafka 4.x client compatibility
Fetch read coalescing
Per-entity client quota metrics
Cloud Topics enabled by default

Beta's surrounding entries keep their positions: the Iceberg pair and cluster health metrics lead the page, Tiered Storage v2 (#1813) and the new-configuration-properties section close it.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

kbatuigas

No blockers, but please double check if this needs a fresh rebase on beta!

Feediver1 requested a review from a team as a code owner July 25, 2026 19:36

Feediver1 requested a review from mattschumpert July 27, 2026 19:59

mattschumpert approved these changes Jul 27, 2026

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This was referenced Jul 27, 2026

docs: sweep rpk redpanda admin deprecation for 26.2 (DOC-2121) #1832

Open

Document Tiered Storage v2 (26.2) #1813

Merged

docs: defer upgrade finalization (DOC-2013) #1818

Merged

Feediver1 and others added 2 commits July 27, 2026 22:26

Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/beta' into DOC-2395-whats-new-26-2

8b486e9

kbatuigas approved these changes Jul 28, 2026

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Feediver1 mentioned this pull request Jul 28, 2026

Scope Cloud Topics shadow link limitation to versions earlier than 26.2 #1812

Merged

4 tasks

		* xref:cloud-data-platform:get-started:cloud-overview.adoc#redpanda-cloud-vs-self-managed-feature-compatibility[Redpanda Cloud vs Self-Managed feature compatibility]


		== Cloud Topics enabled by default


		== Cloud Topics enabled by default

		Cloud Topics no longer require a separate cluster property. When cloud storage is enabled for your cluster (xref:reference:properties/object-storage-properties.adoc#cloud_storage_enabled[`cloud_storage_enabled`] set to `true`), you can create Cloud Topics directly. The `cloud_topics_enabled` cluster property is deprecated.


		== Shadowing: role synchronization

		Shadow links can now replicate RBAC roles from the source cluster to the shadow cluster, alongside topics, ACLs, consumer group offsets, and Schema Registry data. Configure role filters to select which roles to sync, so authorization is already in place on the shadow cluster when you fail over.

		== Shadowing: migrate schemas from Confluent Schema Registry

		Shadowing can now replicate schemas over the Schema Registry HTTP API, including from a Confluent Schema Registry. A shadow link continuously replicates subjects, versions, and compatibility settings into the shadow cluster's Schema Registry, so your applications keep working after cutover without a separate schema migration step. You can also replicate only selected contexts or subjects, and map source contexts to different destination contexts.


		== Fetch read coalescing

		When many consumers fetch the same partitions, each broker repeats the same read work for every consumer. Fetch read coalescing merges these redundant reads on each shard, reducing read CPU and fetch-response memory under high consumer fan-out. This Enterprise feature is disabled by default: enable it with the `kafka_fetch_read_coalescing_enabled` cluster property.


		== Kafka 4.x client compatibility

		Redpanda version 26.2 validates a broader set of non-Java Apache Kafka® clients at their current versions that support Kafka 4.x, in addition to the Apache Kafka Java client. Newly validated clients include `confluent-kafka-go` and Sarama for Go, and `kafka-python` and `confluent-kafka-python` for Python. Validation confirms connectivity and correctness across core Kafka APIs, such as produce, consume, and transaction operations.


		== Per-entity client quota metrics

		Aggregate quota metrics can confirm that throttling is happening, but not which client is throttled. Redpanda can now label throttle-time and throughput metrics with the identity of the throttled entity, so you can identify throttled clients by name and right-size quota values based on observed use. These metrics are disabled by default: enable them with the `kafka_per_entity_quota_metrics` cluster property.

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