// What runs on ZooKeeper / pinot
Does Apache Pinot use ZooKeeper?
Required (through Helix)Yes. Pinot uses Apache Helix for cluster management, and Helix uses ZooKeeper as its state store. Pinot's documentation calls ZooKeeper a first-class citizen of a Pinot cluster.
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What Apache Pinot uses ZooKeeper for
- Cluster state and ideal state for segments, through Helix.
- Table configuration and schemas.
Which ZooKeeper version ships with Apache Pinot
From the zookeeper.version property in pom.xml at the release tag (Helix 1.3.2).
| Release | ZooKeeper | ZooKeeper line status | Open ZooKeeper CVEs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pinot 1.5.1 | 3.9.5 | Supported (latest 3.9.6) | 3 (CVE-2026-59739, CVE-2026-59969, CVE-2026-79993) |
CVE counts are ZooKeeper's own advisories matched against the upstream version. The Apache ZooKeeper project does not assess end-of-life lines against new advisories, so "not assessed" means unknown, not safe.
What ZooKeeper 3.9.5 is exposed to
CVE-2026-59739 · CVSS 7.5 · fixed in 3.8.7, 3.9.6
Reconnect watch replay skips the ACL check and leaks restricted paths; an incomplete fix of CVE-2024-23944.
CVE-2026-59969 · CVSS 7.5 · fixed in 3.8.7, 3.9.6
Quorum TLS in FIPS mode does not verify peer hostnames, so a CA-trusted certificate for another host can join the quorum.
CVE-2026-79993 · CVSS 7.5 · fixed in 3.8.7, 3.9.6
The deleteContainer request skips session and ACL checks, so an unauthenticated client can delete empty persistent, container or TTL znodes.
Find the ZooKeeper Pinot is using
grep -iE 'zk|zookeeper' conf/pinot-controller.conf
Can Apache Pinot run without ZooKeeper?
No.
Pinot 1.5.1 is the latest release.
Your options
Keep the ensemble current
Pinot 1.5 builds against ZooKeeper 3.9.5, which predates the September 2026 fixes in 3.9.6.
Most teams buy this at the product level: keep the Apache Pinot estate supported, including the ZooKeeper under it. See Apache Pinot support.
Frequently asked questions
Does Pinot need ZooKeeper?
Yes, through Apache Helix, which stores Pinot's cluster state in ZooKeeper.
Keep Apache Pinot and the ZooKeeper under it supported.
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