• A communication mechanism that enables asynchronous data exchange between distributed systems or application components by temporarily storing messages in a queue structure until they can be processed by receiving components. Messages are typically processed in “first in, first out” order (FIFO), allowing producers to send messages without waiting for immediate consumption, and enabling receivers to process messages at their own pace. A message queue provides decoupling, reliability, and scalability benefits by buffering communication between services, handling load balancing, and often providing features like message persistence, delivery guarantees, and failure recovery.

1. Related terms: Callback queue · Dead letter queue · First in, first out · Publish–subscribe pattern
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