Synchronous vs. Asynchronous Communication
This page will help you decide what communication approach to use between services or components.
Answer a few questions → Get a clear recommendation.
Options you can choose from:
Synchronous Communication (sync)
The client calls the service and waits for a response before it can continue. Typically HTTP REST, gRPC, SOAP.
Asynchronous Communication (async)
The client sends a message or event and does not expect an immediate response. Typically message queue, event bus, Kafka, RabbitMQ, AWS SNS/SQS.
Answer a few simple questions below. 👇
Based on your answers, you will receive specific recommendations that you can click on to view in detail.
Decision questions
Answer honestly based on the current state of the system and requirements.
1. What type of client-service interaction do you need?
2. How important is it that all parts of your system always have the same up-to-date data?
3. How frequent and large are the messages exchanged between parts of your system?
4. How important is resilience to outages?
5. How many services or components need to work together?
6. What is your team's experience with these communication approaches?
Result
Based on your answers, see the recommended solution below. 👇
Each option has its own page where you will find:
- when it is appropriate
- when it is not
- typical usage
- most common mistakes
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Important note
⚠️ Both approaches are valid and often combined in a single system. The choice depends on response time requirements, data consistency needs, number of services, and team experience.
Consider the result as a recommendation, not a dogma.
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