How do I process messages in parallel with sqs-consumer?

Use the batchSize option in ConsumerOptions along with handleMessageBatch to process multiple messages concurrently. Ensure your handler correctly returns message arrays for acknowledgment, as detailed in the batch processing section of the README.

What's the best way to handle graceful shutdowns in sqs-consumer?

Set pollingCompleteWaitTimeMs to allow time for in-flight messages, listen for events like 'waiting_for_polling_to_complete', and call consumer.stop() without abort: true. The README provides a code example for handling signals like SIGINT and SIGTERM.

SQS Consumer or AWS SDK: which is better for my project?

SQS Consumer is better for rapid development with built-in reliability features like error handling and shutdowns. Use the AWS SDK directly if you need full, low-level control over SQS interactions or have unique requirements beyond the library's abstraction.

How do I configure dead-letter queue integration with sqs-consumer?

The library doesn't directly configure dead-letter queues; instead, it leaves messages on the queue when errors are thrown. Set up an SQS redrive policy on your queue to move failed messages to a dead-letter queue after retries, as mentioned in the error handling section.

Can I update options like polling wait time dynamically in sqs-consumer?

Yes, use the consumer.updateOption(option, value) method. However, changes to pollingWaitTimeMs only take effect on the next polling cycle, which is a limitation noted in the API documentation.

Does sqs-consumer work with FIFO queues in production?

Not reliably tested; the library warns that FIFO support is untested and may not maintain ordering guarantees. For production-critical FIFO use, consider thorough testing or alternative solutions, and use suppressFifoWarning: true to hide warnings if needed.

sqs-consumer — Node.js Amazon SQS Library

What is sqs-consumer?

SQS Consumer is a Node.js library that provides a high-level abstraction for building applications that consume messages from Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS). It eliminates the need to write boilerplate code for polling queues, handling message visibility, and managing acknowledgments, allowing developers to concentrate on implementing business logic in a simple async handler function.

Target Audience

Node.js developers building event-driven or serverless applications on AWS that need to reliably process messages from SQS queues without managing low-level SDK calls.

Value Proposition

Developers choose SQS Consumer because it drastically reduces the complexity of SQS integration, offers robust error handling and graceful shutdown features out-of-the-box, and provides fine-grained control over message acknowledgment behavior, making it a production-ready solution for SQS-based workflows.

Build Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS) based applications without the boilerplate

Use Cases

Best For

Processing messages from SQS queues in Node.js applications with minimal setup
Implementing reliable message consumers with configurable error and retry logic
Building event-driven microservices that consume from AWS SQS
Creating SQS consumers that require graceful shutdown and in-flight message completion
Handling batch message processing from SQS with controlled acknowledgment
Developing applications that need to work with both standard and FIFO SQS queues

Not Ideal For

Projects requiring fully tested and guaranteed support for FIFO SQS queues, as the library explicitly warns this is untested
Teams that need to implement highly custom SQS polling strategies or message visibility logic not exposed by the library's abstraction
Applications built in non-Node.js environments or those requiring cross-platform compatibility beyond Node.js

Pros & Cons

Pros

Simplified SQS Integration

The library abstracts away complex polling, visibility timeouts, and acknowledgment logic, allowing developers to focus solely on business logic in an async handler function, as shown in the basic usage example.

Robust Error Handling

Seamlessly integrates with SQS redrive policies; processing errors leave messages on the queue for automatic retry or dead-letter queuing, reducing manual error management overhead.

Graceful Shutdown Control

Supports configurable wait times (pollingCompleteWaitTimeMs) to complete in-flight message processing before stopping, with detailed events for monitoring shutdown progress, ensuring reliable application termination.

Flexible Acknowledgment Rules

Offers fine-grained control over message deletion via return values from the handler, with options for batch processing and strict acknowledgment modes, providing adaptability for different use cases.

Cons

Untested FIFO Support

The README admits FIFO queue support is not explicitly tested and may not work reliably, requiring users to suppress warnings and potentially face ordering or reliability issues in production.

Complex Acknowledgment Semantics

Acknowledgment behavior based on return values (e.g., undefined vs. empty object) is nuanced and subject to breaking changes, such as the deprecation of void returns and future strictReturn defaults, which can lead to confusion or bugs.

Node.js Lock-in

Limited to Node.js applications, making it unsuitable for projects using other runtimes or those aiming for a more generic, platform-agnostic message processing solution.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is sqs-consumer?

Target Audience

Node.js developers building event-driven or serverless applications on AWS that need to reliably process messages from SQS queues without managing low-level SDK calls.

Value Proposition

Use Cases

Best For

Processing messages from SQS queues in Node.js applications with minimal setup
Implementing reliable message consumers with configurable error and retry logic
Building event-driven microservices that consume from AWS SQS
Creating SQS consumers that require graceful shutdown and in-flight message completion
Handling batch message processing from SQS with controlled acknowledgment
Developing applications that need to work with both standard and FIFO SQS queues

Not Ideal For

Projects requiring fully tested and guaranteed support for FIFO SQS queues, as the library explicitly warns this is untested
Teams that need to implement highly custom SQS polling strategies or message visibility logic not exposed by the library's abstraction
Applications built in non-Node.js environments or those requiring cross-platform compatibility beyond Node.js

Pros & Cons

Pros

Simplified SQS Integration

Robust Error Handling

Seamlessly integrates with SQS redrive policies; processing errors leave messages on the queue for automatic retry or dead-letter queuing, reducing manual error management overhead.

Graceful Shutdown Control

Flexible Acknowledgment Rules

Cons

Untested FIFO Support

The README admits FIFO queue support is not explicitly tested and may not work reliably, requiring users to suppress warnings and potentially face ordering or reliability issues in production.

Complex Acknowledgment Semantics

Node.js Lock-in

Limited to Node.js applications, making it unsuitable for projects using other runtimes or those aiming for a more generic, platform-agnostic message processing solution.

Frequently Asked Questions

sqs-consumer

What is sqs-consumer?

Overview

Use Cases

Best For

Not Ideal For

Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Projects

Found a gem we're missing?

sqs-consumer

What is sqs-consumer?

Overview

Use Cases

Best For

Not Ideal For

Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Projects

Found a gem we're missing?