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Code & Deliveryabbreviation · /pʌb sʌb/

pub/sub

In simple English

Pub/sub is a fundamental architectural pattern used to build scalable, loosely-coupled systems. In this pattern, publishers produce messages and send them to a message broker or event hub without knowing who will consume them. Subscribers express interest in specific topics or message types and receive notifications when relevant messages arrive. This decoupling means publishers and subscribers do not need to know about each other, and they can operate at different times. Pub/sub is widely used in microservices, real-time applications, logging systems, and event-driven architectures. Common implementations include Apache Kafka, RabbitMQ, AWS SNS/SQS, Google Pub/Sub, and Azure Service Bus. You will hear engineers discuss pub/sub patterns when designing systems that need to process events, notifications, or data streams at scale.

Learn what the pub/sub messaging pattern is and how it is used in distributed systems and microservices architecture.

At a glanceCEFR B2
Commonness4/5
Versatility4/5
FormalityCasualFormalNeutral
Spoken ↔ WrittenSpokenWrittenBoth
Directness ↔ DiplomaticDirectDiplomaticDirect
RegionUS and UK
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Say it like this

✓We are using a pub/sub model for our notifications system.
✓The team decided to implement pub/sub to scale the platform.
✓Let us switch to pub/sub to decouple these services.

Real examples

in a standup

"We migrated the order processing to a pub/sub system so the payment and inventory services can work independently."

in a code review

"This pub/sub implementation needs to handle message ordering and ensure no events are lost."

in a team meeting

"Using pub/sub will allow us to add new subscribers without modifying the publisher code."

Don't say this

Handle with care. Pub/sub is a messaging pattern, not a task or action verb. Do not use it as 'we need to pub/sub this' to mean review or publish code. It refers to a specific architectural pattern.

✕We need to pub/sub the new feature before deployment.
✓We need to publish the new feature before deployment.— Pub/sub is an architectural pattern, not an action. Use publish, deploy, or release instead.
✕The pub/sub handles all our data.
✓The pub/sub system handles all our event messaging.— Be specific about what pub/sub does. It handles messaging and events, not general data.
✕Can you pub/sub this request?
✓Can you publish this message to the event topic?— Pub/sub is not a verb action in this context. Be more specific about what you are asking.

Other forms

noun

pub/sub

"The pub/sub architecture decouples our services."

noun

publisher

"The publisher sends messages to the topic."

noun

subscriber

"Each subscriber receives only the messages it cares about."

Often used with

pub/sub patternUsed to describe the architectural design approach
pub/sub systemUsed to describe the infrastructure or platform implementing pub/sub
pub/sub messagingUsed to emphasize the message-passing nature of the pattern
publish to a topicThe action a publisher takes in pub/sub
subscribe to a topicThe action a subscriber takes to receive messages

Similar words

event-driven architectureBroader architectural approach; pub/sub is one way to implement it
message brokerThe infrastructure component that enables pub/sub; not a perfect synonym but closely related
asynchronous messagingDescribes the communication style; pub/sub is a specific pattern for async messaging

Opposites

request-replysynchronous communicationtightly coupled architecture

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Practice

Try it

4 quick exercises

Pick the most natural phrasing

1. You are explaining the system design to a colleague. Which sentence sounds most natural?

Complete the sentence

2. In a _______ system, producers do not need to know about consumers.

Spot the mistake

3. Which sentence uses pub/sub incorrectly?

Rewrite naturally

4. Rewrite using the term pub/sub: 'We want a system where the order service sends messages and the email service receives them without knowing about each other.'

Questions

Quick poll

Have you said "pub/sub" in a standup this week?

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