Apache Kafka 3.9.2 is now the default version on Heroku

Change effective on 17 June 2026

Apache Kafka version 3.9.2 is now the default version for Apache Kafka on Heroku. You can provision a Kafka cluster with this version with the --version 3.9.2 flag:

$ heroku addons:create heroku-kafka:standard-0 -a example-app -- --version 3.9.2

Over the next few weeks, we’ll upgrade all existing basic Apache Kafka on Heroku plans that aren’t on the latest version to 3.9.2. Customers receive an email notifying them before the upgrade takes place. We urge customers to upgrade their cluster to the latest version as soon as possible with kafka:upgrade:

$ heroku kafka:upgrade --version 3.9.2

See the Kafka documentation for notable changes when upgrading to 3.9.2. For more information on the version history, see Apache Kafka on Heroku.