21/12/2024, 18:39 Kafka vs Message Queue: A Quick Comparison 2024

Cloud Architecture

An in-depth Comparison between Kafka and Message Queue

Mayank Patel 3 min read

Aug 31, 2021 Last updated Jul 1, 2024

Kafka is a pub-sub tool generally used for message processing, scaling, and
efficient handling of large amounts of data.

On the other note, Java Message Service, also known as JMS, is a messaging
service created for handling data of more complex systems based on enterprise
integration patterns.

Both Kafka and JMS queue are considered as successful solutions and have
helped different organizations to communicate effectively through internal teams
and servers.

Our primary focus in this article is on Kafka vs java messaging service and how
these tools differ from each other in detail.

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developed by LinkedIn and later open-sourced. Explore some of the key features
of Apache Kafka:

Scalability: Kafka is built to scale horizontally which allows it to handle large

volumes of data across many partitions and brokers.
Durability: The messages are stored on disk and they can be replicated by
multiple brokers to ensure their high durability.
Performance: Apache Kafka is optimized for high throughput and low
latency. Plus, it is capable of processing millions of messages per second.
Publish-Subscribe Model: Kafka uses a topic-based and publish-
subscribe model where producers write data to topics and consumers
subscribe to those topics to read the data.
Stream Processing: Kafka integrated with tools like Kafka Streams and
Apache Flink for real-time stream processing.

What is a Message Queue?

There are many Traditional Message Queues available in the market. Some of the
most popular Message Queues (MQs) are RabbitMQ and ActiveMQ. They are
mainly designed for reliable communication between distributed systems. Here
are the key features of traditional MQs:

Message Delivery Guarantees: Message Queues provide robust

mechanisms for message delivery. It ensures that all messages are
delivered at least once, at most once, or exactly once depending on the
configuration.
Routing: Message Queues are known for providing complex routing
capabilities like point-to-point and publish-subscribe patterns.
Acknowledgements: MQs provide support for message
acknowledgements and retries to handle message failures to ensure their
reliability.
Transactional Support: Many Traditional Message Queues support
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Plug-and-Play Integration:
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21/12/2024, 18:39 Kafka vs Message Queue: A Quick Comparison 2024

and protocols.

Programming Style
One of the main differences between Kafka and java messaging services is their
programming style. JMS runs on imperative programming style, while Kafka has a
reactive programming style.

Content Integration
In the case of Kafka, its system arranges messages in the same order as they were
sent from the partition level. But, in the case of JMS, such a provision does not
exist, so you need to split the messages as needed.

Types of Message Programming

The second factor that proves the main differences between Kafka and java
messaging service is the type of messages. JMS queue works on push type where
the enterprise can send messages to their customers.

On the other hand, Kafka is a pull type message system in which customers can
pull messages from the broker.

Filter method
In Apache Kafka, you cannot set filters for exact words at the broker level. If you
want to set filters, you have to work at the application level in Kafka.

But, when it comes to Kafka vs JMS queue, you can set the filter desired by the JMS
message selectors. This functionality reduces the additional steps of application-
level filtering.

Routing system
Kafka enables a simpletoand
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Messages are stored in Kafka for a specific period regardless of whether

customers receive them. In Kafka vs JMS queue, JMS offers a disk or in-memory-
based storage facility. And once the message is read, it is permanently deleted.

Queue
Apache Kafka does not allow you to queue, if you are considering Kafka vs JMS
queue. The Pub-sub model is the only way to send messages. But with a JMS-
based system, you can queue messages through its routing system.

Also read: LoopBack vs NestJS: Best Nodejs Server Side Framework of 2024

Division of Subjects
Apache Kafka allows you to categorize functionality as independently split lugs.
This ensures high throughput for Kafka. But, while in the case of JMS-based tools,
the splitting is not done sequentially. In the case of JMS-based tools, it leads to
throughput output.

Message Logs
Apache Kafka implements a mechanism that allows brokers to decide which
message to read first in JMS. JMS uses the first-out approach due to its
functionality. The ability and readability options are the important advantage of
Apache Kafka, giving it an edge over JMS.

Scalability and Availability

From the above differences between Kafka and java messaging service, it is clear
that Apache Kafka is more scalable than JMS. Also, Apache Kafka’s availability is
high due to its ability to auto-replicate messages without compromising on
simplicity.

Read more: ReactJS Vs React Native: What’s the Difference?

Comparison between Kafka vs Message Queue in

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Architecture It provides a It provides point-to-point and

distributed log-based publish or subscribe models.
system with brokers,
producers, and
consumers.
Data Storage Apache Kafka has Message Queue has in-memory or
persistent log storage persistent storage that can’t be
so that data can be retained for a long time.
retained for a
configurable time.
Message The consumers read It has an acknowledgement
Communication from topics and offset mechanism for message
management for each consumption.
consumer group.
Performance It provides high- It provides good performance but
performance it often struggles with very high
throughput and low throughput scenarios.
latency that is perfect
for handling large-
scale data streams.
Scalability It is horizontally It is scalable but it does require
scalable and it can more effort to achieve horizontal
handle thousands of scalability.
partitions across
multiple brokers .
Reliability Apache Kafka offers Traditional Message Queue offers
strong durability reliability through
guarantees with data acknowledgements and
replication and fault persistent storage.
tolerance.
Use Cases It can be used for real- It can be used for task queues,
time data processing, background job processing, and
event sourcing, log simple event distribution.
aggregation, and
stream processing.
Ease of Use Apache Kafka has Traditional Message Queue has
higher complexity simpler setup and usage which
which requires an comes with more intuitive for
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Maintenance It requires more effort It is easier to maintain with built-in

to manage clusters, tools for monitoring and
monitor brokers, and management.
handle partition
rebalancing.
Community and It has a large It has strong community support
Support community and and it is well-documented that is
extensive widely used.
documentation that is
widely adopted in the
industry.
Learning Curve It has a hard learning Traditional Message Queue has an
curve due to complex easy learning curve and it is more
architecture and user-friendly.
configurations.
Durability Apache Kafka is Highly It is durable depending on the
durable with configuration. But its durability is
configurable retention less than Kafka.
policies and multiple
replication strategies.
Throughput It has very high Message Queue has Moderate to
throughput which is high throughput depending on
suitable for handling the implementation and setup.
millions of messages
per second.
Latency Apache Kafka is Usually, it has low latency but it
popular because of its can increase due to high loads.
low latency and it is
designed for real-time
streaming data.

Final thoughts
Both Kafka and JMS are prominent message management solutions. However, it is
always better to use more advanced platforms and architectures like Kafka.

Before deciding Kafka vs JMS queue and which product to use, it is important to
consider
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Contact Now

Frequently Asked Questions - FAQs

What is the difference between message queues

and Kafka?

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RabbitMQ message queue?

Mayank Patel
CEO

Mayank Patel is an accomplished software engineer and entrepreneur

with over 10 years of experience in the industry. He holds a B.Tech in
Computer Engineering, earned in 2013.

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