Final answer:
Amazon SQS indeed supports message metadata, which are known as message attributes, allowing for up to 10 structured metadata items per message to aid in filtering and routing without impacting the message size limit.
Step-by-step explanation:
Yes, Amazon SQS supports message metadata. In Amazon SQS, metadata are referred to as message attributes. These attributes allow you to include structured metadata (such as timestamps, tokens, or identifiers) with a message, which can be useful for filtering, handling, or routing the messages downstream.
The message attributes are optional and are not included in the size restriction for the message body, which means they allow you to include additional context without affecting the payload. Each message can have up to 10 metadata attributes, which can be names with associated string, binary, or number data types. For example, you might add a 'customerID' attribute to messages to associate them with particular users without having to include that information within the message body itself.
It's important to note that when you retrieve a message from Amazon SQS, you must explicitly specify that you want to receive message attributes; otherwise, they will not be delivered along with the message. This helps to optimize performance and cost, as you only pay to transfer data that you actually need.