How to run ElasticMQ locally with Docker?

Clone the repository and run 'docker compose up' to start the SQS-compatible server on port 9324 and the Web UI on port 3000, using the provided configuration in 'examples/elasticmq.conf' for easy setup.

ElasticMQ vs RabbitMQ for local development?

ElasticMQ is specifically designed as an SQS drop-in for testing AWS integrations, while RabbitMQ is a general-purpose broker with broader protocols but different semantics. Choose ElasticMQ if you need exact SQS compatibility for AWS-based apps.

Can ElasticMQ persist messages to a database?

Yes, enable the 'messages-storage' feature in configuration with a JDBC URI (e.g., H2) to persist queues and messages to SQL, allowing state recovery after restarts, though it's optional and adds setup steps.

How to auto-create queues in ElasticMQ?

Add an 'auto-create-queues' section with 'enabled = true' in your HOCON config file, optionally with a template for default attributes, so queues are created on-demand during requests without manual pre-configuration.

Is ElasticMQ good for production use?

It's primarily aimed at development and testing; for production, consider managed services like AWS SQS due to ElasticMQ's in-memory nature, single-node limitations, and lack of built-in high availability or scaling features.

How to monitor ElasticMQ queues?

Use the built-in Web UI (accessible at http://localhost:3000 with Docker Compose) for real-time statistics, or configure MBeans and the health check endpoint ('/health') for programmatic monitoring in containerized environments.

Open-Awesome

ElasticMQ (.8k)

Apache-2.0Scalav1.7.1

An in-memory message queue system with an Amazon SQS-compatible interface, designed for testing and local development.

Visit Website GitHub

2.8k stars201 forks0 contributors

What is ElasticMQ (.8k)?

ElasticMQ is an in-memory message queue system that provides an Amazon SQS-compatible REST interface. It allows developers to simulate SQS behavior locally or in testing environments without relying on AWS infrastructure. The system supports both stand-alone and embedded deployment, making it versatile for development, integration testing, and hybrid cloud scenarios.

Target Audience

Developers and teams building applications that use Amazon SQS, particularly those needing a local or test environment for message queue operations. It's also valuable for integration testing and CI/CD pipelines where external dependencies should be minimized.

Value Proposition

ElasticMQ offers a faithful, open-source alternative to Amazon SQS with zero external dependencies, enabling faster development cycles and reliable testing. Its embeddable nature and SQS compatibility reduce the complexity of switching between local and cloud environments.

Overview

In-memory message queue with an Amazon SQS-compatible interface. Runs stand-alone or embedded.

Use Cases

Best For

Local development and testing of SQS-dependent applications
Integration testing in CI/CD pipelines without AWS costs
Simulating SQS behavior in hybrid or multi-cloud architectures
Educational purposes for learning message queue patterns
Embedding a message queue within Scala/JVM applications
Creating self-hosted, SQS-compatible messaging systems

Not Ideal For

Production systems requiring guaranteed high availability and fault tolerance like AWS SQS
Applications dependent on the full Amazon SQS API feature set (e.g., advanced dead-letter queue policies, server-side encryption)
Large-scale, distributed messaging workloads needing horizontal scaling beyond a single node
Teams operating exclusively outside the JVM ecosystem who prefer managed or non-Scala solutions

Pros & Cons

Pros

SQS Compatibility

Implements a subset of the Amazon SQS REST interface, allowing existing SQS clients to work seamlessly without code changes, as demonstrated in the AWS SDK integration examples for Java and Python.

Flexible Deployment

Supports stand-alone, embedded, and Dockerized modes, including a Docker Compose setup with a Web UI, making it easy to integrate into local development and CI/CD pipelines.

Asynchronous Performance

Built on Pekko for fully non-blocking, actor-based architecture, delivering high throughput (over 25,000 messages per second in-memory in performance tests) suitable for testing scenarios.

Optional Persistence

Offers configurable persistence to SQL databases (H2) or HOCON files, enabling data survival across restarts for more robust integration testing beyond pure in-memory use.

Cons

Partial SQS Implementation

Only supports a subset of SQS features, as admitted in the README, meaning advanced operations like message attributes filtering or quota management might be missing, requiring workarounds.

In-Memory Default Limitations

By default, queues and messages are stored in-memory, leading to data loss on server restart unless persistence is explicitly configured, which adds setup complexity.

Configuration Overhead

Relies on Typesafe Config and HOCON files for advanced features like auto-creation and persistence, which can be unintuitive for users unfamiliar with these tools and error-prone in custom setups.

Open Source Alternative To

ElasticMQ (.8k) is an open-source alternative to the following products:

Amazon SQS

Amazon SQS (Simple Queue Service) is a fully managed message queuing service that enables you to decouple and scale microservices, distributed systems, and serverless applications.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Projects

Apache Kafka Streams

Apache Kafka - A distributed event streaming platform

A realtime distributed messaging platform

Stars25,759

Forks2,899

Last commit9 months ago

Apache RocketMQ

Apache RocketMQ is a cloud native messaging and streaming platform, making it simple to build event-driven applications.

Stars22,425

Forks11,986

Last commit2 days ago

NATS (k)

High-Performance server for NATS.io, the cloud and edge native messaging system.

Stars19,662

Forks1,787