Kafka inahakikisha ordering ndani ya partition lakini si katika partitions zote — dhana muhimu. Ili kupata ordering kwa events zinazohusiana, unazielekeza kwenye partition sawa (kupitia key sawa). Kuelewa ordering ni muhimu kwa usahihi.
Per-partition ordering
Kafka guarantees:
✓ ORDER WITHIN a partition → events in a partition are strictly ordered (by offset);
consumers read them in order
✗ NO order ACROSS partitions → events in different partitions have no relative order
guarantee (they're processed in parallel by different consumers)
→ this is a FUNDAMENTAL Kafka property (and a common source of misunderstanding)
