Message queue
A message queue buffers messages until a consumer takes them for processing.
Jobs wait for processing capacity
A message queue sits between a sender and the processing application. It can absorb differences in load over time. In a fictional example, a portal queues PDF-generation jobs; a background service processes them while the portal accepts further requests.
“In the queue” does not mean “PDF ready”. Waiting, running and failed work should also be visible. Retention, acknowledgement and redelivery depend on the system and its configuration. Multiple consumers can share work; strict ordering and exactly-once processing do not follow automatically. Check how a redelivered job can be processed without producing a duplicate business outcome.
Sources
Related terms
- Message brokerA message broker accepts messages and routes them to recipients according to defined rules.
- IdempotencyAn idempotent operation has the same intended effect on system state when repeated identically as when performed once.
- Retry strategyA retry strategy defines which failures to retry, the waiting intervals and the limit on further attempts.
- Transactional inboxA transactional inbox uses durable message records to protect local processing against duplicate deliveries.
- Message acknowledgementA message acknowledgement tells the broker that a delivery has been received or processed according to the agreed rule.
- Retry jitterRetry jitter varies waiting times randomly to spread retries and reduce simultaneous requests from many clients.
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