Databases · Flashcard
Which requirement genuinely calls for Kafka rather than a queue table in PostgreSQL?
- AIndependent consumer groups replaying a retained, ordered log at sustained high throughput
- BA single worker pool draining tasks reliably, where each task must be handled exactly once
- CA handful of background jobs that have to run in order and survive an application restart
- DA flow where the producer needs to learn whether a consumer finished handling its message
Why this is the answer
The distinguishing features are retention and independent offsets: several consumers reading the same stream at their own pace, replaying history after a bug, at a volume a single database cannot sustain. Exactly-once handling by one worker pool, a few ordered durable jobs, and request/response style completion are all comfortable for a queue table with SKIP LOCKED.
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