Kafka Versus AWS SQS
TradeoffMidSeniorUpdated
You need to fan out user events to ~10 downstream services and let each independently replay the last 7 days for backfill.
Short answer: Kafka. Kafka's append-only log + consumer groups + offset management is built for multi-subscriber fan-out with replay.
The Two Options
A
Kafka
B
AWS SQS
Drill This: Your Pick First
The Better Pick
Option A
Kafka
Kafka's append-only log + consumer groups + offset management is built for multi-subscriber fan-out with replay. SQS is a point-to-point queue; once consumed, messages are gone.
When the Other One Wins
AWS SQS
For a single worker fleet processing a simple work queue with no replay need, SQS is far simpler and cheaper.