**Offset**: Position in partition log. Consumer commits offset to track progress. Stored in __consumer_offsets (Kafka) or external (Spark checkpoint).
**Modes**: Auto-commit (periodic) vs. manual (commitSync/commitAsync after process). Manual required for exactly-once.
**Why It Matters**: Lost offset = reprocess or skip. Exactly-once needs atomic process+commit.
**Scalability Trade-offs**: Rebalance invalidation; consumer must handle....
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