In this episode, we dive into the trade-offs between Kafka and MQTT for streaming industrial data from edge devices to the cloud. I share field experience where MQTT shines in constrained environments, and why Kafka takes over when you need durability, replay, and analytics. We walk through a hybrid pattern (MQTT at the edge + Kafka in the cloud) and talk about pitfalls of trying to run Kafka directly on edge gateways. If you're wrestling with questions like “Should I push Kafka down to the plant?” or “Can MQTT scale to my analytics needs?”, this is one you’ll want to hear. It’s practical, real, and no hype — just what works (and when). For more in-depth stories and insights, visit iiotblog.com.