What is the difference between Topic and Direct exchange types in RabbitMQ?

In RabbitMQ, exchange types Direct and Topic differ in how they route messages:

• Direct Exchange: routes messages to a queue if the routing key of the message exactly matches the binding key of the queue.

• Topic Exchange: supports patterns with wildcards (* for one word, # for multiple words), allowing flexible message routing based on key patterns.

Example:

• Direct: a message with routing key "error" will only go to the queue bound with the key "error".
• Topic: a message with routing key "logs.error.system" can go to a queue with binding key "logs.*.system" or "logs.#".

Thus, Topic is more flexible and suitable for complex routing, while Direct is for exact key matches.