Lenses VS Code Plugin & Kafka Migration

Apr 24, 2026

Discover how the new Lenses 6.2 VS Code plugin revolutionizes the way developers interact with Kafka and streaming data infrastructure. In this deep-dive tutorial, we explore how to manage your entire streaming ecosystem directly from your IDE, eliminating context switching and boosting productivity.

Learn how to connect the Lenses plugin to your Kafka clusters, navigate environments (Dev, Prod, Staging), and perform powerful SQL searches on live data. We walk through a real-world demo building a Java-based streaming application to identify slow credit card transactions, showcasing how to verify schemas, test logic with SQL snapshots, and monitor downstream topics side-by-side with your code.

Whether you are a data engineer or a Java developer, the Lenses VS Code plugin provides the tools you need—including RBAC security and AI-ready MCP server support—to streamline your Kafka development workflow.

Key Highlights:

  • Connecting Lenses to VS Code via OAuth or credentials.
  • Indexing Kafka entities for lightning-fast search.
  • Running SQL queries on streaming data within the IDE.
  • Side-by-side schema and data visualization.
  • Managing favorites and troubleshooting live applications.

Get started with the Lenses VS Code plugin today! Check out the GitHub repository mentioned in the video to download the preview.

#Kafka #StreamingData #VSCode #LensesIO #DataEngineering #JavaDevelopment #SoftwareDevelopment #SQL #BigData

00:00 - Introduction to Lenses 6.2 & VS Code Plugin

00:22 - Connecting IDEs to Streaming Infrastructure

00:51 - Security, RBAC & AI Agent Support

01:13 - Demo Overview: Building a Kafka App

02:34 - Setting Up & Authenticating the Plugin

04:03 - Navigating the Lenses Sidebar & Environments

05:19 - Searching & Discovering Kafka Topics

06:23 - Data Discovery: SQL Searches & Schemas

08:04 - Testing Application Logic with SQL Snapshots

10:15 - Troubleshooting & Monitoring Live Results

12:17 - Using Favorites & Improving Workflow

13:34 - Future Roadmap & How to Get Started