What is the default visibility timeout for AWS SQS?

The default visibility timeout for Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS) is indeed 30 seconds. This setting is an important feature in SQS that determines how long a message remains invisible to other consumers after being retrieved from the queue. During this period, the message is "invisible" to other consumers, ensuring that only the working consumer can process it without the risk of multiple instances attempting to process the same message simultaneously.

If the message processing is not completed within the visibility timeout period, the message becomes visible in the queue again, enabling another consumer to retrieve and process it. This design helps ensure reliability and integrity in message processing while allowing for retries if necessary.

Understanding the default behavior of the visibility timeout is crucial for effectively managing and scaling applications that rely on SQS, as it allows developers to align the timeout setting with the expected processing time of their workload. The ability to adjust the visibility timeout also provides flexibility for different message processing scenarios, making it a key aspect to consider in application design.