Both move data between components, but they’re built for different jobs, and the DEA-C01 tests when each applies.
Streaming vs messaging
Kinesis is for real-time streaming: ordered records, multiple consumers reading the same stream, and replay of retained data — think analytics on clickstreams or IoT. SQS is a message queue: a message is processed once by one consumer and then gone, for decoupling tasks. Multiple consumers, ordering, and replay → Kinesis. Simple decoupled task processing → SQS.
Test yourself
Several independent applications must each read the same real-time event stream and you need the ability to replay records. Which service?
- Amazon SQS
- Amazon Kinesis Data Streams
- Amazon SNS
- Amazon MQ
👉 Click to reveal the answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Kinesis lets multiple consumers read the same stream and replay retained data — built for real-time analytics. SQS (A) delivers each message to one consumer and then removes it (no replay/multi-reader); SNS (C) pushes notifications; Amazon MQ (D) is a managed message broker.
Related topics
Kinesis Data Streams · Amazon SQS · Amazon MSK (Kafka)
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