Message Store
Overview
Message Store captures and persists message information in a central repository, enabling message replay, audit trails, and historical analysis.
Problem
How can you report and query message information without consuming the messages? Messages flowing through channels are transient - once consumed, they're gone. But many scenarios require persistent storage of messages for auditing, compliance, replay, or analysis.
Solution
Use a Message Store to capture and persist copies of messages passing through the system. The store maintains messages in a central repository where they can be queried, analyzed, replayed, or used for audit purposes without affecting the primary message flow.
Key Characteristics
- Persistence: Messages stored durably
- Queryable: Search and retrieve historical messages
- Replay Capability: Re-send stored messages
- Audit Trail: Complete message history
- Non-intrusive: Doesn't affect message flow
- Centralized: Single repository for all messages
When to Use
- Regulatory compliance and audit requirements
- Message replay for error recovery
- Business intelligence and analytics
- Debugging and troubleshooting
- Historical data analysis
- Dispute resolution
- System testing with real data
Implementation Considerations
- Storage Capacity: Messages can accumulate quickly
- Query Performance: Indexing strategy is important
- Retention Policy: Define how long to keep messages
- Security: Protect sensitive message data
- Partitioning: Distribute storage for scalability
- Backup and Recovery: Ensure data durability
Related Patterns
- Wire Tap
- Message History
- Message Channel
- Message Endpoint
- Test Message