diff --git a/nixos/modules/services/misc/apache-kafka.nix b/nixos/modules/services/misc/apache-kafka.nix
index c856d3294c0..cff05339688 100644
--- a/nixos/modules/services/misc/apache-kafka.nix
+++ b/nixos/modules/services/misc/apache-kafka.nix
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ in {
 
     brokerId = mkOption {
       description = "Broker ID.";
-      default = 0;
+      default = -1;
       type = types.int;
     };