# Logstash with Kafka: Unable to decode avro
**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/logstash-with-kafka-unable-to-decode-avro/32457
**Category:** Logstash
**Created:** [October 19, 2015, 7:13am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/logstash-with-kafka-unable-to-decode-avro/32457 "2015-10-19T07:13:50Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@mgarg](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/mgarg)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2015, 7:13am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/logstash-with-kafka-unable-to-decode-avro/32457/1 "2015-10-19T07:13:50Z")
I am trying to consume serialized avro events from a Kafka Queue. The kafka queue is populated using a simple java producer. For clarity I am sharing the three components:
Avro schema file
{"namespace": "example.avro",
"type": "record",
"name": "User",
"fields": [
{"name": "name", "type": "string"},
{"name": "favorite\_number", "type": ["int", "null"]},
{"name": "favorite\_color", "type": ["string", "null"]}
]
}
Logstash Config file
input {
kafka {
zk\_connect =\> "localhost:2181"
topic\_id =\> "MemoryTest"
type =\> "standard\_event"
group\_id =\> "butiline\_dash\_prod"
reset\_beginning =\> true
auto\_offset\_reset =\> smallest
codec =\> {
avro =\> {
schema\_uri =\> "/opt/ELK/logstash-1.5.4/bin/user.avsc"
}
}
}
}
output {
if [type] == "standard\_event" {
stdout {
codec =\> rubydebug
}
}
}
Problem
The pipeline fails at logstash level. When a new event is pushed into Kafka, I get following on logstash console:
Alyssa�blue {:exception=\> # \< NoMethodError: undefined method `decode' for ["avro", {"schema_uri"=>"/opt/ELK/logstash-1.5.4/bin/user.avsc"}]:Array>, :backtrace=>["/opt/ELK/logstash-1.5.4/vendor/bundle/jruby/1.9/gems/logstash-input-kafka-1.0.0/lib/logstash/inputs/kafka.rb:169:in`queue\_event'", "/opt/ELK/logstash-1.5.4/vendor/bundle/jruby/1.9/gems/logstash-input-kafka-1.0.0/lib/logstash/inputs/kafka.rb:139:in `run'", "/opt/ELK/logstash-1.5.4/vendor/bundle/jruby/1.9/gems/logstash-core-1.5.4-java/lib/logstash/pipeline.rb:177:in`inputworker'", "/opt/ELK/logstash-1.5.4/vendor/bundle/jruby/1.9/gems/logstash-core-1.5.4-java/lib/logstash/pipeline.rb:171:in `start\_input'"], :level=\>:error}
---
### Author:  [@mgarg](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/mgarg)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2015, 10:18am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/logstash-with-kafka-unable-to-decode-avro/32457/2 "2015-10-19T10:18:13Z")
Finally figured out the error. Instead of this (As suggested on Logstash website - [https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/logstash/current/plugins-codecs-avro.html](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/logstash/current/plugins-codecs-avro.html))
codec =\> {
avro =\> {
schema\_uri =\> "/opt/ELK/logstash-1.5.4/bin/user.avsc"
}
}
The correct syntax is (as suggested in the plugin's documentation [https://github.com/logstash-plugins/logstash-codec-avro/blob/master/DEVELOPER.md](https://github.com/logstash-plugins/logstash-codec-avro/blob/master/DEVELOPER.md)):
codec =\> avro {
schema\_uri =\> "/opt/ELK/logstash-1.5.4/bin/user.avsc"
}
I guess the syntax is changed.
---
### Author:  [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2017, 5:26am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/logstash-with-kafka-unable-to-decode-avro/32457/3 "2017-07-06T05:26:12Z")