Publisher Subscriber Model

Quick Reference: Async Processing


Quick Reference

PatternCouplingUse Case
Pub/SubLooseEvent-driven systems
Point-to-PointTightTask queues
Request-ReplyTightRPC-like

Clear Definition

Pub/Sub (Publisher-Subscriber) is a messaging pattern where publishers send messages without knowing subscribers. Subscribers express interest in message types and receive relevant messages. This decouples components and enables scalable, event-driven architectures.

šŸ’” Key Insight: Pub/Sub enables loose coupling and horizontal scaling by decoupling message producers from consumers.


Core Concepts

Components

  • Publisher: Produces messages
  • Subscriber: Consumes messages
  • Broker: Routes messages
  • Topic/Channel: Message category

Benefits

  • Decoupling: Publishers don't know subscribers
  • Scalability: Add subscribers easily
  • Flexibility: Multiple subscribers per topic
  • Resilience: Failed subscriber doesn't affect others

Use Cases

  1. Event-Driven Systems: Microservices communication
  2. Real-time Updates: Notifications, feeds
  3. Log Aggregation: Centralized logging
  4. CQRS: Command Query Responsibility Segregation

Best Practices

  1. Design Topics: Organize by domain/event type
  2. Idempotency: Handle duplicate messages
  3. Ordering: Consider message ordering needs
  4. Monitoring: Track subscription health

Quick Reference Summary

Pub/Sub: Decoupled messaging pattern for event-driven systems.

Key Benefit: Loose coupling and horizontal scalability.

Use For: Event-driven architectures, real-time updates, microservices.


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