IBM MQ Vs Apache Kafka: Best messaging protocol for Enterprises

Asynchronous applications use general-purpose tools like message queueing solutions, and to work effectively enterprises needed a completely new messaging protocol that would revolutionize the entire messaging world that would help IT systems communicate with each other synchronously.

In this article, I have picked two prominent messaging protocols IBM MQ and Apache Kafka. You will get to witness its advantages, limitations, and prices, APIs, latest version and many more. So, be with me and check out all the important points to get the best messaging protocols for enterprises.

Let’s begin the article with IBM MQ.

IBM MQ:

IBM MQ is an official message middleware that shortens the integration of varied applications and data spread throughout numerous platforms. It employs a message queue to share the information and offers a distinct messaging service for cloud systems, IoT gadgets, and various mobile environments.

Latest Version: IBM MQ 9.2 LTS, released on 23 July 2020

Core Components of IBM MQ:

The main components of IBM MQ are:

1. Message: Messages are clusters of binary or data that have special meanings to participating programs. In message queuing protocols, many extra elements are added and removed like storage, routing before the delivery.
2. Queue: Queues are something like object or storage box that keeps the messages.
3. Queue manager: Queue managers are the real boss that transfers messages to other queue managers via message channels. It manages storage, timing, triggering to make the data transfer smooth and hassle-free.

IBM MQ Features:

• No direct connections: Message queuing is the process in which two different programs use an application to communicate with each other. Program A puts messages on the queue and another Program B receives the message from the same queue, without making a direct connection. All the messages are sent electronically, so if somehow any failure gets to happen, all the data, messages are kept until the link gets restored.

• Time-independent communication : Messaging queuing performs time-independent communication, as programs requesting others to do work do not need to wait for the reply, once the message arrives at the queue, the program processes it. And if the receiver is not ready to accept the message program keeps the message on the queue.

• Small programs : Message queuing supports many small programs that perform the task, and the requesting programs send messages to these small programs to perform their task.

• Message-driven processing : Once the message arrives on a queue, it initiates an application known as Triggering and gets stopped after processing the message.

• Message priority : Message queuing has the power to prioritize the messages as per the request. In message queuing, a program receives the message either from the queue or in a specific manner.

• Security : On WebSphere MQ on UNIX systems, Linux® systems, Windows systems, and IBM® i, a security manager named object authority manager (OAM) is provided, to maintain the security.

APIs supported by IBM MQ:

• IBM Message Queue Interface (MQI) for C, COBOL, Java, C++
• Java Message Service (JMS)
• XMS for C/C++ and .NET
• Representational State Transfer
• SOAP

Advantages of IBM MQ:

• With IBM MQ, no need to notify the customers about every payment.
• IBM MQ caters you backup facilities.
• With IBM MQ there is high-end data encryption, no data loss has been reported yet.
• IBM MQ offers the best operational services and has effective integration.
• IBM MQ is robust, easy to use, and simple to configure.

Disadvantages of IBM MQ:

• There is a need for file transfer, not all data gets on queue.
• The requirement to virtualize the MQ workflow.
• The cost of IBM MQ is its enemy, as it is not open source.
• IBM products have high licensing costs and support costs are also expensive.

Apache Kafka :

Apache Kafka is an Open-Source Data platform, written in Scala and Java developed by Apache Software Foundation. The platform manages a huge amount of data and promises to deliver complete data/information from one point to another. It publishes all the data/records in a fault-tolerant manner and incredibly offers a high-throughput, and low-latency platform to manage data.

Apache Kafka first adds the data to the queue and the receivers fetch it from the queue, but if the database gets offline, the data stays on the queue until user consumes it.

Latest Version: Apache Kafka 3.0.0, released on September 21, 2021

Apache Kafka Features:

• Best for the short term: Users can store their data/information over the short term.

• Easy to Configure: Apache Kafka is easy to configure, users can configure all its properties.

• No data duplication: Apache Kafka ensures you that no duplication of data takes place.

• Fast processing: Kafka has a high-throughput platform for handling data.

• Zero Downtime: Kafka has zero downtime need for upgrading. Kafka cluster health can be easily monitored by tools to allow preventative maintenance.

• High-Volume: Kafka efficiently handles any amount of data right from bytes to petabytes.

APIs supported by Apache Kafka:

• Producer API
• Consumer API
• Connector API
• Streams API
• Admin API

Advantages of Apache Kafka:

• Apache Kafka has amazing features along with a huge community and support.
• The most significant feature of Apache Kafka is that it beautifully handles a large amount of data.
• Apache Kafka is robust and delivers messages quickly.
• Apache Kafka offers high performance.
• Multiple subscribers can consume the data.

Disadvantages of Apache Kafka:

• Graphical user environment lacks.
• Kafka is complex and needs a little bit of a learning curve
• More adapters are needed for different systems
• Enterprise version of Apache Kafka is expensive

Final Words:

Apache Kafka is an open-source framework, which means it is free whereas IBM MQ is a licensed product.

Apache Kafka handles a huge volume of data, user-friendly but IBM MQ users should have better knowledge about it.

Both these two message queuing protocols have separate fan-base.

Summing up, by saying choose the best that falls under your budget and fulfil all your organizational needs with perfection!!

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