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  4. Message Queue
  5. Amazon SQS vs IBM MQ

Amazon SQS vs IBM MQ

OverviewDecisionsComparisonAlternatives

Overview

Amazon SQS
Amazon SQS
Stacks2.8K
Followers2.0K
Votes171
IBM MQ
IBM MQ
Stacks118
Followers187
Votes11

Amazon SQS vs IBM MQ: What are the differences?

Introduction

In this markdown, we will discuss the key differences between Amazon Simple Queue Service (Amazon SQS) and IBM MQ. Both Amazon SQS and IBM MQ are messaging systems that enable applications to communicate and send messages asynchronously. However, there are several key differences between the two solutions.

  1. Deployment Model: Amazon SQS is a fully managed service and is delivered as a cloud-based solution. It handles all aspects of infrastructure management, including scaling, monitoring, and maintenance. On the other hand, IBM MQ is a traditional on-premises messaging system that requires installation and configuration on the customer's infrastructure.

  2. Messaging Protocols: Amazon SQS primarily supports the HTTP/HTTPS protocol for sending and receiving messages. It also provides an integration with the Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS), enabling push-based message delivery. In contrast, IBM MQ supports multiple messaging protocols such as TCP/IP, HTTP, and WebSphere MQ. These protocol options provide flexibility in integrating with various types of applications and environments.

  3. Message Persistence: In Amazon SQS, messages are stored redundantly across multiple availability zones to ensure durability. However, Amazon SQS is eventually consistent, meaning there might be a slight delay in receiving messages. IBM MQ, on the other hand, ensures message persistence through message logging and transactional support, making it suitable for applications that require strict delivery guarantees.

  4. Message Ordering: Amazon SQS guarantees at-least-once delivery of messages but does not inherently provide strict ordering of messages. It supports message grouping, where related messages can be grouped together, but the order within the group is not preserved. IBM MQ, however, provides built-in support for ordered message delivery, ensuring that messages are processed in the order they were sent.

  5. Message Size Limit: Amazon SQS has a maximum message size limit of 256KB for standard queues and 2GB for FIFO queues. It allows larger messages to be stored in Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) and references them in the message. On the other hand, IBM MQ has a configurable maximum message size, allowing larger messages to be handled within the messaging system itself.

  6. Scalability and Elasticity: Amazon SQS is built for high scalability and elasticity, automatically handling the scaling of resources based on the workload. It can handle a large number of concurrent requests and offers virtually unlimited message queues. In contrast, IBM MQ requires manual scaling and configuration of resources to handle increased workloads, making it less suitable for rapid scaling and dynamic environments.

In summary, Amazon SQS is a cloud-based, fully managed messaging service that provides ease of use, scalability, and integration with other AWS services. IBM MQ, on the other hand, is a traditional on-premises messaging system with support for multiple protocols, strict message ordering, and granular control over message persistence. The choice between the two solutions depends on factors such as deployment preferences, messaging requirements, and scalability needs.

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Advice on Amazon SQS, IBM MQ

MITHIRIDI
MITHIRIDI

Software Engineer at LightMetrics

May 8, 2020

Needs adviceonAmazon SQSAmazon SQSAmazon MQAmazon MQ

I want to schedule a message. Amazon SQS provides a delay of 15 minutes, but I want it in some hours.

Example: Let's say a Message1 is consumed by a consumer A but somehow it failed inside the consumer. I would want to put it in a queue and retry after 4hrs. Can I do this in Amazon MQ? I have seen in some Amazon MQ videos saying scheduling messages can be done. But, I'm not sure how.

303k views303k
Comments

Detailed Comparison

Amazon SQS
Amazon SQS
IBM MQ
IBM MQ

Transmit any volume of data, at any level of throughput, without losing messages or requiring other services to be always available. With SQS, you can offload the administrative burden of operating and scaling a highly available messaging cluster, while paying a low price for only what you use.

It is a messaging middleware that simplifies and accelerates the integration of diverse applications and business data across multiple platforms. It offers proven, enterprise-grade messaging capabilities that skillfully and safely move information.

A queue can be created in any region.;The message payload can contain up to 256KB of text in any format. Each 64KB ‘chunk’ of payload is billed as 1 request. For example, a single API call with a 256KB payload will be billed as four requests.;Messages can be sent, received or deleted in batches of up to 10 messages or 256KB. Batches cost the same amount as single messages, meaning SQS can be even more cost effective for customers that use batching.;Long polling reduces extraneous polling to help you minimize cost while receiving new messages as quickly as possible. When your queue is empty, long-poll requests wait up to 20 seconds for the next message to arrive. Long poll requests cost the same amount as regular requests.;Messages can be retained in queues for up to 14 days.;Messages can be sent and read simultaneously.;Developers can get started with Amazon SQS by using only five APIs: CreateQueue, SendMessage, ReceiveMessage, ChangeMessageVisibility, and DeleteMessage. Additional APIs are available to provide advanced functionality.
Once-and-once-only delivery; Asynchronous messaging; Powerful protection; Simplified, smart management; Augmented security; Expanded client application options
Statistics
Stacks
2.8K
Stacks
118
Followers
2.0K
Followers
187
Votes
171
Votes
11
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 62
    Easy to use, reliable
  • 40
    Low cost
  • 28
    Simple
  • 14
    Doesn't need to maintain it
  • 8
    It is Serverless
Cons
  • 2
    Proprietary
  • 2
    Has a max message size (currently 256K)
  • 2
    Difficult to configure
  • 1
    Has a maximum 15 minutes of delayed messages only
Pros
  • 3
    Useful for big enteprises
  • 3
    Reliable for banking transactions
  • 2
    Secure
  • 1
    High Availability
  • 1
    Broader connectivity - more protocols, APIs, Files etc
Cons
  • 2
    Cost

What are some alternatives to Amazon SQS, IBM MQ?

Kafka

Kafka

Kafka is a distributed, partitioned, replicated commit log service. It provides the functionality of a messaging system, but with a unique design.

RabbitMQ

RabbitMQ

RabbitMQ gives your applications a common platform to send and receive messages, and your messages a safe place to live until received.

Celery

Celery

Celery is an asynchronous task queue/job queue based on distributed message passing. It is focused on real-time operation, but supports scheduling as well.

NSQ

NSQ

NSQ is a realtime distributed messaging platform designed to operate at scale, handling billions of messages per day. It promotes distributed and decentralized topologies without single points of failure, enabling fault tolerance and high availability coupled with a reliable message delivery guarantee. See features & guarantees.

ActiveMQ

ActiveMQ

Apache ActiveMQ is fast, supports many Cross Language Clients and Protocols, comes with easy to use Enterprise Integration Patterns and many advanced features while fully supporting JMS 1.1 and J2EE 1.4. Apache ActiveMQ is released under the Apache 2.0 License.

ZeroMQ

ZeroMQ

The 0MQ lightweight messaging kernel is a library which extends the standard socket interfaces with features traditionally provided by specialised messaging middleware products. 0MQ sockets provide an abstraction of asynchronous message queues, multiple messaging patterns, message filtering (subscriptions), seamless access to multiple transport protocols and more.

Apache NiFi

Apache NiFi

An easy to use, powerful, and reliable system to process and distribute data. It supports powerful and scalable directed graphs of data routing, transformation, and system mediation logic.

Gearman

Gearman

Gearman allows you to do work in parallel, to load balance processing, and to call functions between languages. It can be used in a variety of applications, from high-availability web sites to the transport of database replication events.

Memphis

Memphis

Highly scalable and effortless data streaming platform. Made to enable developers and data teams to collaborate and build real-time and streaming apps fast.

IronMQ

IronMQ

An easy-to-use highly available message queuing service. Built for distributed cloud applications with critical messaging needs. Provides on-demand message queuing with advanced features and cloud-optimized performance.

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