---
title: Topics and Events Overview
description: Learn about the Scaleway Topics and Events messaging system
tags: messaging sns aws queuing publish-subscribe message-queue topic notification simple notification service
dates:
  validation: 2025-10-16
  posted: 2023-01-04
---

## What is Scaleway Topics and Events?

Scaleway Topics and Events is a managed messaging service that facilitates the sending of notifications or messages to a large number of subscribers, including email addresses, webhooks, and more. Topics and Events uses an in-house implementation of AWS SNS protocol

## What is SNS?

**S**imple **N**otification **S**ervice, or SNS, is a managed messaging service developed by AWS. It was released in 2010, and enables users to interconnect their applications and systems using a [publish/subscribe](/topics-and-events/concepts#publishsubscribe) pattern. Many publishers can send messages to [topics](/topics-and-events/concepts#topic), while consumers, e.g. applications, can subscribe to topics to receive all (or a subset) of messages sent to this topic. 

## What is the relationship between Scaleway Topics and Events, and AWS SNS?

Scaleway has developed its own service based on AWS SNS protocol. Scaleway Topics and Events does not have any dependencies on the AWS SNS infrastructure or offering, we use our own stack which is fully self-hosted and developed in-house.

Scaleway Topics and Events makes it easy to migrate your existing SNS-connected applications by providing a dedicated protocol gateway.

<Message type="note">
  Some SNS features are not yet available with Scaleway Topics and Events. Supported subscribers are currently limited to:
    - HTTP/S clients
    - [Serverless Functions](https://www.scaleway.com/en/serverless-functions/)
    - Scaleway queues in the same [Project](/organizations-and-projects/concepts/#project)

  Refer to the [developers documentation](https://www.scaleway.com/en/developers/api/topics-and-events/sns-api/) for more information.
</Message>

## Topics and Events credentials

You must [create credentials](/topics-and-events/how-to/create-credentials/) that give your applications permission to connect to the Scaleway Topics and Events service.

Credentials are scoped to your Topics and Events service at [Project](/organizations-and-projects/concepts/#project)-level. You can choose to give each set of credentials the required level of permissions:

  - **Read**: receive messages from queues and topics.
  - **Write**: send messages to queues and publish in topics.
  - **Manage**: create or edit resources (such as queues and topics).

## Topics and subscriptions

You can [create topics](/topics-and-events/how-to/create-manage-topics/) and [subscriptions](/topics-and-events/how-to/create-manage-subscriptions/) via the Scaleway console.

## Further actions

All further actions such as sending messages etc. can be done using the AWS CLI or AWS SDKs. Check out our documentation to help you get started with the [AWS CLI](/topics-and-events/api-cli/connect-aws-cli/) or [AWS SDKs](/topics-and-events/api-cli/python-node-topics-events/).

## Topics and Events Resources

The following resources may be helpful:

  - [Official SNS Documentation](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/sns/latest/dg/welcome.html)
  - Further information on supported API features:
    - [SNS](/topics-and-events/reference-content/topics-and-events-support/)
  - [Creating a simulated CPU monitor notification system with Scaleway Topics and Events](/tutorials/sns-instances-notification-system/)
  - [Official AWS CLI Documentation](https://aws.amazon.com/cli/)
  - [Official AWS SDK Documentation](https://aws.amazon.com/developer/tools/)