Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Apache ActiveMQ VS Amazon SNS

Compare Apache ActiveMQ VS Amazon SNS and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Apache ActiveMQ logo Apache ActiveMQ

Apache ActiveMQ is an open source messaging and integration patterns server.

Amazon SNS logo Amazon SNS

Fully managed pub/sub messaging for microservices, distributed systems, and serverless applications
  • Apache ActiveMQ Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-01
  • Amazon SNS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-21

Apache ActiveMQ features and specs

  • Open Source
    ActiveMQ is open-source under the Apache License, making it free to use and modify. This can lead to cost savings compared to commercial solutions.
  • Wide Protocol Support
    ActiveMQ supports multiple messaging protocols, including AMQP, MQTT, OpenWire, Stomp, and others, allowing for flexible integration with various systems and applications.
  • Java Integration
    Written in Java, ActiveMQ integrates well with JVM-based applications and other Apache projects like Camel and Karaf, making it a good fit for Java-centric environments.
  • High Availability
    Features like broker clustering, network of brokers, and failover support provide robust high availability options, ensuring message delivery even in case of failures.
  • Performance and Scalability
    ActiveMQ can handle a large number of messages and users by scaling horizontally, making it suitable for both small and enterprise-level applications.
  • Admin Console
    ActiveMQ provides a web-based admin console for easy management and monitoring of the message broker, simplifying administrative tasks.

Possible disadvantages of Apache ActiveMQ

  • Complex Configuration
    The initial setup and configuration can be complex, especially for newcomers. It often requires a steep learning curve to understand all the available options and optimizations.
  • Resource Intensive
    ActiveMQ can be resource-intensive, particularly in high-throughput scenarios, which may necessitate more robust hardware for optimal performance.
  • Latency
    In certain configurations, ActiveMQ may exhibit higher latency compared to other brokers, which might not make it suitable for use cases requiring real-time guarantees.
  • Java Dependency
    As a Java-based solution, ActiveMQ requires the JVM, which can be a downside for organizations that have standardized on other technology stacks.
  • Community Support
    While there is a community around ActiveMQ, it may not be as large or as active as those for other, similar open-source projects. This can lead to slower responses to issues and fewer community-based resources.
  • Documentation
    Though comprehensive, the documentation can sometimes be difficult to navigate, making it challenging for users to find specific information quickly.

Amazon SNS features and specs

  • Scalable
    Amazon SNS can handle a high-throughput of messages, making it suitable for large-scale applications.
  • Flexible
    Supports multiple message delivery formats and protocols, including HTTP/S, SQS, Lambda, SMS, and email.
  • Easy Integration
    Seamlessly integrates with various AWS services such as EC2, S3, and Lambda, simplifying the overall architecture.
  • Real-time Notifications
    Provides near-instantaneous notifications, ideal for time-sensitive applications.
  • Reliability
    Offers high availability and durability, ensuring that messages are reliably delivered.
  • Cost-effective
    Pay-as-you-go pricing model can be cost-effective for various use cases.
  • Security Features
    Supports fine-grained access control and encryption to ensure secure message delivery.

Possible disadvantages of Amazon SNS

  • Complexity
    May require a learning curve to fully understand and configure, particularly for those not familiar with AWS services.
  • Potential Latency
    Message delivery can occasionally have latency issues, particularly over less reliable network connections.
  • Limited Message Size
    SNS has a limit of 256KB per message, which may be restrictive for certain use cases.
  • Cost Overhead
    While it can be cost-effective, costs can accumulate with high volume and usage, especially if you are not optimizing your resources.
  • Vendor Lock-in
    Using SNS ties you to the AWS ecosystem, which might be a disadvantage if you are looking for a multi-cloud or cloud-agnostic solution.
  • Limited Protocols for Direct Communication
    Although several protocols are supported, certain specific or legacy protocols may not be directly compatible.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Apache ActiveMQ and Amazon SNS)
Data Integration
100 100%
0% 0
Push Notifications
0 0%
100% 100
Stream Processing
75 75%
25% 25
Web Push Notifications
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Apache ActiveMQ and Amazon SNS. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Apache ActiveMQ and Amazon SNS

Apache ActiveMQ Reviews

6 Best Kafka Alternatives: 2022’s Must-know List
ActiveMQ is a flexible, open-source, multi-protocol messaging broker that supports many protocols. This makes it easy for developers to use a variety of languages and platforms. The AMQP protocol facilitates integration with many applications based on different platforms. However, ActiveMQ’s high-end data accessibility capabilities are complemented by its load balancing,...
Source: hevodata.com
Top 15 Alternatives to RabbitMQ In 2021
It is a managed information broker for Apache ActiveMQ which has simple installation and it runs message broker in cloud. It doesn’t need any special look after regular management and maintenance of the message system. It is utilized to send bulk message services.
Source: gokicker.com
Top 15 Kafka Alternatives Popular In 2021
Apache ActiveMQ is a popular, open-source, flexible multi-protocol messaging broker. Since it has great support for industry-based protocols, developers get access to languages and platforms. It helps in connecting clients written in languages like Python, C, C++, JavaScript, etc. With the help of the AMQP protocol, integration with many applications with different platforms...

Amazon SNS Reviews

6 Best Notification Infrastructure for Modern Applications
Lastly, let’s not forget Simple Notification Service by Amazon, a web service that supports application-to-application (A2A) and application-to-person (A2P) communication between distributed environments, microservices, and event-driven serverless applications.
Source: geekflare.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Amazon SNS should be more popular than Apache ActiveMQ. It has been mentiond 55 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Apache ActiveMQ mentions (7)

View more

Amazon SNS mentions (55)

  • Event-Driven Architecture on AWS
    Event Routers: Services like Amazon SQS (A managed message queuing), Amazon SNS (A pub/sub messaging), AWS Step Functions (An orchestrate serverless workflows) and Amazon EventBridge (A serverless event bus) act as event routers, establishing the paths and flow for messages within the architecture. They enable seamless handling and distribution of events, ensuring that each message reaches its intended destination... - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Serverless Site Health Check Notification System
    This blog details how you can use some key serverless components from AWS like Amazon Eventbridge, AWS Lambda, and Simple Notification Service to setup a system that will monitor your site (which can be running anywhere) and send emails, text messages, slack messages, and more when the reachability status of your site changes. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • WebSockets, gRPC, MQTT, and SSE - Which Real-Time Notification Method Is For You?
    Compare this to a stateless communication mechanism like Amazon SNS or other Webhook implementation where the connection is not persistent and the communication is one-way. These are intended to be used as a response to an event and inform subscribers without maintaining a continuous connection or keeping memory of previous interactions. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Programmatically reacting to S3 bucket external access exposures
    Let's make it simple and add an SNS topic target to the rule. We can add multiple different subscribers to the topic. Any time when Access Analyzer creates a new finding, SNS can, for example, send an email or a customized Slack message. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Receiving Slack notifications when CloudTrail logging gets turned off
    Of course, Slack is not the only way to receive notifications. EventBridge integrates with many target services, both AWS and 3rd parties. For example, we can set up email or phone text message alerts in SNS, or add a different target if business needs require. - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Apache ActiveMQ and Amazon SNS, you can also consider the following products

RabbitMQ - RabbitMQ is an open source message broker software.

Amazon SQS - Amazon Simple Queue Service is a fully managed message queuing service.

IBM MQ - IBM MQ is messaging middleware that simplifies and accelerates the integration of diverse applications and data across multiple platforms.

OneSignal - Customer engagement platform used by over 1 million developers and marketers; the fastest and most reliable way to send mobile and web push notifications, in-app messages, emails, and SMS.

Apache Kafka - Apache Kafka is an open-source message broker project developed by the Apache Software Foundation written in Scala.

AWS Lambda - Automatic, event-driven compute service