Backlog and Smart Pipelining

AMPS queues are designed for high-volume applications that need minimal latency and overhead. One of the features that helps performance is the subscription backlog feature, which allows applications to receive multiple messages at a time. The subscription backlog sets the maximum number of unacknowledged messages that AMPS will provide to the subscription.

When the subscription backlog is larger than 1, AMPS delivers additional messages to a subscriber before the subscriber has acknowledged the first message received. This technique allows subscribers to process messages as fast as possible, without ever having to wait for messages to be delivered. The technique of providing a consistent flow of messages to the application is called smart pipelining.

Subscription Backlog

The AMPS server determines the backlog for each subscription. An application can set the maximum backlog that it is willing to accept with the max_backlog option. Depending on the configuration of the queue (or queues) specified in the subscription, AMPS may assign a smaller backlog to the subscription. If no max_backlog option is specified, AMPS uses a max_backlog of 1 for that subscription.

In general, applications that have a constant flow of messages perform better with a max_backlog setting higher than 1. The reason for this is that, with a backlog greater than 1, the application can always have a message waiting when the previous message is processed. Setting the optimum max_backlog is a matter of understanding the messaging pattern of your application and how quickly your application can process messages.

To request a max_backlog for a subscription, you explicitly set the option on the subscribe command, as shown below:

Command cmd = new Command("subscribe")
                  .setTopic("my_queue")
                  .setOptions("max_backlog=10");