AWS Service
Amazon SNS
SNS is a pub/sub notification service for fanout to subscribers.
What This Service Solves
SNS is a pub/sub notification service for fanout to subscribers.
- Use SNS to publish one message to multiple endpoints such as SQS queues, Lambda functions, HTTPS endpoints, email, or mobile push.
When You Should Not Use It
- Avoid SNS alone when consumers need durable backlog and controlled polling. Put SQS behind it.
What AWS Manages and What You Manage
AWS manages topic delivery. You manage topic policy, subscriptions, filter policies, encryption, and retry handling.
Security Implications
Topic policies and subscription confirmation matter. Encrypt topics when message content requires it.
Availability and Scaling
SNS retries delivery, but subscriber durability varies. SQS subscriptions improve resilience.
SNS scales fanout well. Filter policies reduce unnecessary downstream work.
Cost Behavior
Publishes, deliveries, and downstream invocations drive cost.
Common Integrations
- SQS
- Lambda
- EventBridge
- CloudWatch alarms
How AWS Might Present It
Certification-Specific Depth
Solutions Architect Associate
Know configuration choices, integrations, failure modes, security, operations, and cost tradeoffs.
Developer Associate
Know configuration choices, integrations, failure modes, security, operations, and cost tradeoffs.
Related Comparisons
Sources and Review Metadata
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