Queue Throughput
Standard is effectively unlimited. FIFO has hard limits.
Knowing the limits stops you from designing a system that hits a ceiling at 3 AM.
Standard queue throughput
Standard queues support nearly unlimited transactions per second per API action. SQS scales partitions transparently. Practical limits are often account quotas or downstream consumer capacity, not SQS itself.
FIFO queue throughput
FIFO queues have per-queue and per-partition limits. Throughput is measured per API action — SendMessage, ReceiveMessage, and DeleteMessage are counted separately.
- Without batching: 300 TPS per API action per queue.
- With batching (10 messages): 3,000 TPS per API action.
- Per message group: effectively 1 concurrent consumer.
High-throughput FIFO
High-throughput FIFO queues use partition-based distribution keyed by MessageGroupId hash. Each partition supports up to 300 msg/sec (3,000 with batching) per operation. AWS automatically adds or removes partitions based on traffic.
- Use many distinct MessageGroupIds for uniform distribution.
- Batch same-group messages in SendMessageBatch when possible.
- Not needed for low-volume or non-order-sensitive workloads.
Quota increases
Request quota increases via AWS Support if you hit regional or account limits. Monitor CloudWatch for throttling and OverLimit errors.
- !FIFO TPS is per API action, not per queue. Send + Receive + Delete each have separate limits.
- !High-throughput FIFO requires enabling on the queue — read partition behavior before migrating production traffic.
- !A single MessageGroupId caps at one consumer regardless of total queue throughput.