Apache Kafka has released version 3.1.0, which includes numerous improvements and new features. Some key updates include support for topic IDs in FetchRequest, enhanced naming consistency for client metrics, a built-in implementation of interfaces defined in KIP-255 for authentication and token retrieval, two new metrics exposed by ZooKeeper and KRaft controller, and more. The release also includes various bug fixes and improvements beyond the listed KIPs. This was a community effort with contributions from 114 authors and reviewers.