Dead Letter Queue | Technology Glossary Definitions

What is a dead letter queue?

A dead letter queue (DLQ) is a holding area within message queue software meant to handle messages that cannot be delivered or processed successfully. When a message experiences an issue during delivery, such as invalid formatting, expiration, or an unavailable destination, it’s redirected to the DLQ instead of being lost or discarded.

The message queue software monitors the status of these messages as they move through the system, detecting any errors or failures along the way. When there’s an issue with the message, the tool will identify it and automatically move it to the DLQ. An administrator can then inspect the message and analyze the contents and metadata to identify the problem.

Once the issues are resolved, the message can be reprocessed and returned to the message queue for delivery. If a message is determined to be irrecoverable or obsolete, it can be discarded from the DLQ.

The goal of a DLQ is to be a safety net, ensuring that failed messages are captured, analyzed, and managed appropriately. This, in turn, will enhance system reliability and fault tolerance.

Discover more about message queues and how they can simplify an IT infrastructure.

Mara Calvello

Mara Calvello is a Content and Communications Manager at G2. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Elmhurst College (now Elmhurst University). Mara writes content highlighting G2 newsroom events and customer marketing case studies, while also focusing on social media and communications for G2. She previously wrote content to support our G2 Tea newsletter, as well as categories on artificial intelligence, natural language understanding (NLU), AI code generation, synthetic data, and more. In her spare time, she's out exploring with her rescue dog Zeke or enjoying a good book.