Discovering virtual topics

The catalog

All virtual topics published to the Event Endpoint Management catalog are available in the Event Endpoint Management UI home page (Catalog) and you can use the catalog to find out more about what each virtual topic is used for by clicking the virtual topic name.

The information that is documented for each virtual topic can include the following detail:

• A description of the event data that is available from the virtual topic.

• Tags that describe the content of the topic through keywords.

• The number of replicas and partitions that the corresponding source topic has. This information is useful for Kafka application developers planning how their application can consume from the virtual topic.

• Contact information that topic owners can use to communicate with developers responsible for consuming applications.

• Schema details if the topic uses one. Schemas define the structure of the data in a message to ensure that the correct and expected structure is used.

• Sample messages to show what information the topic holds.

• Sample code snippets for various client types and access instructions to help with setting up your application to consume event data from the selected virtual topic.

  Note: The sample code snippets that are provided must be updated with information specific to your client such as your subscription credentials. For more information about configuring a client application to consume from a selected topic, see information about how to set up your applications to consume event data.

Access to the event data from virtual topics is granted by subscribing an application to each virtual topic. The application credentials can be used to access the virtual topic through the Event Gateway. For more information, see how you can subscribe to virtual topics.

Searching the catalog

You can search for a specific virtual topic within the catalog by entering your search text next to the search icon . If your search text is matched with a word or consecutive words from the following fields, the matched content is returned in the catalog:

• Virtual topic alias
• Virtual topic name
• Description
• Tags
• Contact information
• Schema content
• Schema description
• Sample messages

Partial matches that start with the same consecutive characters as a virtual topic alias or name are also returned.

Exporting virtual topic details

To export a virtual topic as an AsyncAPI document, complete the following steps:

1. In the catalog, select the virtual topic that you want to work with. A new window is displayed with more information about the virtual topic.
2. Click Export AsyncAPI.
3. Select the version of the AsyncAPI specification to use when exporting the document.
4. Click Export.

The virtual topic details are downloaded and saved to your computer. The AsyncAPI document contains the same information about the virtual topic as presented in the catalog, and can be used in downstream tools to generate code snippets or socialize the virtual topic further.

Code accelerator samples

Expand the Code accelerator section to access sample Java, Node.JS, and kcat client template code.

Update the template code with your client credentials to verify access to your topics. For more information about configuring a client application to access a virtual topic, see information about how to set up your applications to access virtual topics.

Discovering virtual topics in Developer Portal

Virtual topics that you publish to Developer Portal are displayed in the portal's Asset gallery. The Asset gallery provides a similar experience to the Event Endpoint Management catalog, it displays the virtual topic details, schemas, sample messages, and code accelerator.

To discover virtual topics in Developer Portal:

1. Log in to Developer Portal.
2. Go to the Asset gallery.
3. Search for the published virtual topic that you want to work with.
4. Click on the virtual topic to view its details, including:
   • Description and documentation
   • Schema information
   • Sample messages
   • Code accelerator samples
   • Subscription options

For more information about subscribing to virtual topics in Developer Portal, see Using Developer Portal.