Apache Kafka version 3.2 has been released with numerous improvements and bug fixes. A key highlight is the implementation of a built-in Authorizer that does not depend on ZooKeeper, bringing the software closer to using self-managed metadata quorum based on KRaft. Other enhancements include new leader recovery state, allowing connect APIs to list all connector plugins, and an additional endpoint for retrieving specific connector plugin configs. Aiven users can upgrade to version 3.2 with no downtime.