Amazon MQ vs Amazon SQS: What are the differences?

Introduction

In this article, we will explore the key differences between Amazon MQ and Amazon SQS in the context of their messaging systems.

1. MQ Broker vs. Message Queue: Amazon MQ is a fully managed message broker service that supports the Apache ActiveMQ and RabbitMQ messaging protocols. It provides a powerful broker-based messaging system that allows for advanced features like message filtering, prioritization, and redelivery policies. On the other hand, Amazon SQS is a managed message queuing service that decouples the components of a distributed application by allowing them to communicate asynchronously. Unlike Amazon MQ, it does not provide a full-fledged broker system and relies on simple message queues instead.

2. Protocol Support: Amazon MQ supports both the Apache ActiveMQ and RabbitMQ protocols, which have been widely used in enterprise messaging scenarios. It provides compatibility with existing applications built using these protocols, allowing for a smooth transition to the managed service. In contrast, Amazon SQS uses a proprietary protocol and does not support the ActiveMQ or RabbitMQ protocols directly. However, it does provide SDKs and client libraries for different programming languages to simplify the integration process.

3. Message Persistence: Amazon MQ allows you to choose the level of message persistence based on your use case requirements. It supports both durable and non-durable messaging, where durable messages are stored on disk to ensure reliability even in the event of a system failure. On the other hand, Amazon SQS ensures message durability by storing messages redundantly across multiple availability zones of the region, eliminating the risk of message loss.

4. Message Delivery: Amazon MQ supports both message push and message pull models. In the push model, the messaging system actively delivers messages to consumers, while in the pull model, consumers actively poll the broker to retrieve messages. This flexibility allows you to design your applications based on the specific requirements. In contrast, Amazon SQS exclusively uses a message pull model, where consumers actively retrieve messages from the queue. The pull model is more suitable for scenarios where the consumer needs to control the rate of message processing.

5. Throughput and Scalability: Amazon MQ provides greater throughput and scalability compared to Amazon SQS. It supports a higher number of messages per second and concurrent connections, making it suitable for high-volume, high-throughput applications. On the other hand, Amazon SQS is designed for high elasticity, automatically scaling up or down based on the incoming load. It can handle large bursts of traffic without any manual intervention, making it a good choice for applications with unpredictable workloads.

6. Deployment Complexity: Amazon MQ requires more configuration and management compared to Amazon SQS. As a fully managed message broker service, Amazon MQ requires you to provision and manage the underlying broker instances, including capacity planning, scaling, and installation of updates. In contrast, Amazon SQS abstracts away the infrastructure management, allowing you to focus solely on the messaging logic.

In summary, Amazon MQ provides a robust message broker system with support for multiple protocols, advanced features, and high throughput. On the other hand, Amazon SQS offers a simpler message queuing system with seamless scalability and reliability, ideal for decoupling components in distributed applications.