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IronMQ

iron.io

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Spec score 8.2 #12 of 39 in Message Broker Software

What it is

IronMQ is a persistent message queue for communication between services and components in distributed applications. It supports push and pull queues, long polling, error queues, alerts, and triggers, as well as dead-letter queues and ordering within each queue. Delivery is described as best-effort and one-time, a behavior application teams should account for in message handling. Its HTTPS and REST-based APIs support HTTP/REST, Amazon SQS, and OpenStack Marconi protocols. During an outage, queues can automatically point to alternative availability zones without code changes. Deployment options include shared, dedicated, and on-premise environments. Documentation lists client libraries for Go, Ruby,.NET, Java, PHP, Python, Node, and Rust, plus community-supported Apache Camel and Clojure libraries. Iron.io says OAuth and SSL protect data in transit, and recommends client-side encryption for especially sensitive payloads at rest. The free Basic plan includes 100K API requests per month, limited queues, and a 64k message size limit. Entry costs $399 a month; a full-feature 14-day trial is offered for non-dedicated clusters.

Spec sheet

Purpose
IronMQ is a persistent message queue for communication between services and components in distributed applications.Read 7 Oct 2026 · iron.io
Intended users
The maker positions Enterprise for mission-critical applications requiring custom configurations and compliance requirements.Read 7 Oct 2026 · try.iron.io
Trial
The pricing page advertises a free full-feature 14-day trial and says it is available only for non-dedicated clusters.Read 7 Oct 2026 · try.iron.io
API
IronMQ uses HTTPS and REST-based APIs.Read 7 Oct 2026 · iron.io
Integrations
The developer documentation lists Amazon SQS Protocol integration and client libraries for Go, Ruby, .NET, Java, PHP, Python, Node, and Rust.Read 7 Oct 2026 · dev.iron.io
Security
The FAQ says Iron.io uses OAuth authentication and SSL to protect data in transit, and recommends client-side encryption for especially sensitive payloads at rest.Read 7 Oct 2026 · dev.iron.io
Support
The pricing page lists basic, standard, premium, and enterprise support by plan, and the product page cites 24/7 customer service for enterprise customers.Read 7 Oct 2026 · try.iron.io
Founded
2010Read 28 Sep 2026 · iron.io
Community libraries
The client libraries page also lists community-supported Apache Camel and Clojure libraries.Read 7 Oct 2026 · dev.iron.io
Delivery
The maker describes delivery as best-effort one-time delivery.Read 7 Oct 2026 · iron.io
Deployments
The maker offers shared, dedicated, and on-premise deployment options.Read 7 Oct 2026 · iron.io
Failover
Queues can automatically point to alternative availability zones during an outage without code changes.Read 7 Oct 2026 · iron.io
Plan limits
The Basic plan includes 100K API requests per month, limited queues, and a 64k message size limit; overage charges apply above plan request amounts.Read 7 Oct 2026 · try.iron.io
Queue modes
IronMQ supports push queues, pull queues, long polling, error queues, alerts, and triggers.Read 7 Oct 2026 · iron.io

Plans and prices

Basic Free Public cluster · 100K API requests/mo · reduced redundancy · limited rate and queues · 64k message size · basic support Read 7 Oct 2026 · try.iron.io
Entry $399 a month $399/mo Dedicated 1 node · 100M API requests/mo · reduced redundancy · 3,000/s · limited queues · 128k message size · standard support Read 7 Oct 2026 · try.iron.io
Standard $799 a month $799/mo Dedicated cluster · 200M API requests/mo · highly redundant · 10,000/s · unlimited queues · 256k message size · standard support Read 7 Oct 2026 · try.iron.io
Premium $1,249 a month $1,249/mo Dedicated cluster · 500M API requests/mo · highly redundant · configurable rate/s · unlimited queues · 512k message size · premium support Read 7 Oct 2026 · try.iron.io
Enterprise Priced on request Contact for Quote Dedicated or on-premise · unlimited requests · highly redundant · configurable rate/s · unlimited queues · custom message size · enterprise support Read 7 Oct 2026 · try.iron.io

Every IronMQ plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Supports push and pull queues and long polling.
  • Failover can redirect queues across availability zones.
  • Client libraries cover eight listed languages.
  • A full-feature 14-day trial is available for non-dedicated clusters.

Limits

  • Delivery is best-effort and one-time.
  • Basic allows 100K API requests per month.
  • Basic message size is limited to 64k.
  • Overage charges apply above plan request amounts.

Who it suits

IronMQ suits teams connecting services in distributed applications, with shared, dedicated, and on-premise deployment options. Enterprise is positioned for mission-critical applications needing custom configurations and compliance requirements.

Verdict

IronMQ offers several queue modes, deployment choices, and client libraries. Its delivery model and plan limits are important considerations when sizing a deployment.

Where Specifiction places it

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