How to Set Delay Seconds in AWS SQS Queues

To set delay seconds in AWS SQS, use the DelaySeconds attribute when creating or updating a queue or when sending a message. This value delays the visibility of messages by the specified number of seconds (0 to 900).

Syntax

The DelaySeconds attribute controls how long a message is hidden from consumers after being sent to the queue. It can be set at the queue level or per message.

• Queue-level delay: Applies to all messages in the queue.
• Message-level delay: Applies only to the specific message.

Values range from 0 (no delay) to 900 seconds (15 minutes).

json

QueueAttributes = {
  "DelaySeconds": "60"  # Delay all messages by 60 seconds
}

SendMessageParams = {
  "DelaySeconds": 30  # Delay this message by 30 seconds
}

Example

This example shows how to create an SQS queue with a 45-second delay for all messages and how to send a message with a 10-second delay using AWS SDK for Python (boto3).

python

import boto3

sqs = boto3.client('sqs')

# Create queue with 45 seconds delay
response = sqs.create_queue(
    QueueName='MyDelayedQueue',
    Attributes={
        'DelaySeconds': '45'
    }
)
queue_url = response['QueueUrl']

# Send a message with 10 seconds delay
send_response = sqs.send_message(
    QueueUrl=queue_url,
    MessageBody='Hello with delay',
    DelaySeconds=10
)

print('Queue URL:', queue_url)
print('Message ID:', send_response['MessageId'])

Output

Queue URL: https://sqs.<region>.amazonaws.com/<account-id>/MyDelayedQueue
Message ID: <unique-message-id>

Common Pitfalls

• Setting DelaySeconds above 900 seconds causes an error because the maximum delay is 15 minutes.
• Confusing queue-level delay with message-level delay: queue delay applies to all messages by default, but message delay overrides it for individual messages.
• Not specifying DelaySeconds when sending a message means the queue-level delay applies.
• Trying to set delay on FIFO queues without enabling delay support will fail.

python

Wrong:

sqs.send_message(
    QueueUrl=queue_url,
    MessageBody='Test',
    DelaySeconds=1000  # Invalid, exceeds max 900
)

Right:

sqs.send_message(
    QueueUrl=queue_url,
    MessageBody='Test',
    DelaySeconds=300  # Valid delay
)

Quick Reference

Setting	Description	Valid Range
DelaySeconds (Queue Attribute)	Default delay for all messages in the queue	0 to 900 seconds
DelaySeconds (SendMessage Parameter)	Delay for individual message overriding queue delay	0 to 900 seconds
Maximum Delay	Maximum allowed delay for messages	900 seconds (15 minutes)

Key Takeaways

Set DelaySeconds between 0 and 900 seconds to delay message visibility in SQS.

Queue-level delay applies to all messages unless overridden by message-level delay.

Message-level DelaySeconds overrides the queue delay for that specific message.

FIFO queues require delay support enabled to use DelaySeconds.

Delays longer than 900 seconds are not allowed and cause errors.