Amazon SQS: Standard vs FIFO Infographic

Amazon SQS

Decoupling applications with Standard vs FIFO Queues

Standard Queues

The default queue type. Offers maximum throughput and best-effort ordering.

  • Unlimited Throughput: Nearly infinite transactions per second.
  • At-Least-Once: Message delivered at least once (duplicates possible).
  • Best-Effort Ordering: Messages usually arrive in order sent.

FIFO Queues

First-In-First-Out. Designed for applications where order and uniqueness are critical.

  • High Throughput: Up to 3,000 messages/sec (with batching).
  • Exactly-Once: No duplicates; messages processed exactly once.
  • Strict Ordering: First message in is the first message out.

The Delivery Logic

STANDARD: “Jumbled Delivery” Producer Standard Queue Consumer

Messages may arrive out of order or more than once.

FIFO: “Strict Sequence” Producer FIFO Queue 3 2 1 Consumer

Messages are processed exactly once, in the order they were sent.

When to use Standard

Best for decoupling live-stream data, processing logs, or any task where processing speed is more important than strict sequence.

When to use FIFO

Critical for banking transactions, inventory updates, or any workflow where the order of operations must be preserved to prevent errors.

Developer Tip

FIFO queue names must end with the .fifo suffix. Standard queues do not have this requirement.

© 2023 Cloud Visualization Architecture • Amazon Web Services Educational Guide

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