Get Started with the Tarmac AWS SQS Client

Install Tarmac

Download the installer for your platform from the download page. macOS gets a universal .dmg that runs on Apple Silicon and Intel. Windows gets an MSI or a Setup .exe. Every build is the same full app. The download page also shows each installer's SHA-256 checksum so you can verify the file you received.

Every clean install starts in Free. Free needs no Tarmac account, email, payment method, or card. It includes cached and live queue reads. Deletes, sends, redrives, and other changes you make to the queue need Tarmac Pro.

Accept the policies on first launch

The first time you open Tarmac, it asks you to review and accept the End User License Agreement, Terms & Conditions, and Privacy Policy. Each link opens in your browser. Tarmac will not run until you accept, and declining closes the app. You won't be asked again on later launches unless the policies change.

Keep Tarmac updated

Tarmac checks for a newer version once after startup. When a newer signed version is available, it asks before it downloads anything. Choose Install update to download, install, and relaunch. Choose Later to defer it for this launch.

On Windows, Tarmac may close itself when its signed installer starts.

You can check again at any time from File → Check for Updates…. A manual check also tells you when your current version is up to date, or when the check failed and needs a retry.

1. Connect to AWS

On first launch Tarmac asks for a connection. Pick a region, then use an AWS profile including SSO profiles, environment variables, or an AWS-compatible endpoint such as LocalStack. AWS-compatible endpoints use access keys. Tarmac requires a successful Test connection before it lets you save, and it shows how long the test took.

Start with the narrowest IAM permissions that cover the work you plan to do. If you're not sure what your credentials can do, select a queue and read the Access chip next to its name. Click it for the per-operation ledger and a copyable least-privilege snippet for confirmed gaps. See Connecting to AWS.

2. Pick a queue

The queue list shows queues in the selected region, grouped into Standard, FIFO, and Dead-letter sections. Use the filter box or the type filter (All / Standard / FIFO / DLQ) to narrow the list.

3. Fetch messages into the cache

Set a Count and Visibility (min) in the Operations panel, then press Fetch Messages. Count ranges from 1 to 10,000 and defaults to 100. Visibility ranges from 1 to 720 minutes and defaults to 15. Tarmac keeps receiving until it hits your count, the queue looks empty, you cancel, or a size limit is hit.

When Tarmac receives messages, SQS hides them from other consumers for the visibility timeout you chose. The default of 15 minutes gives you room to inspect from the cache. Your consumers cannot see those messages while the timer runs, so size the window to your review. Everything you receive is cached locally, so you can search and re-read it without fetching again.

4. Inspect a message

Click a message to open the inspector. Body pretty-prints the payload and unwraps nested JSON strings. Attributes lists message attributes. System shows sent time, receive count, and FIFO group and deduplication IDs. Raw shows the message as raw JSON. Messages with a retrieved S3 payload get an S3 tab, and SNS-wrapped messages get an Envelope tab. Use the search box, facet filters, and date range to slice the cache. See Search & Filtering.

5. Stage, review, and publish

Staged message actions need Pro. In Free the controls stay visible but disabled, under a Tarmac Free - Read-only notice explaining that mutations require Tarmac Pro. With Pro, stage a Delete, Send, or Edit & Send from the inspector or the message list. Edit & Send handles one message at a time, and queue redrive starts separately from Queue Tools. Staged actions accumulate per queue, counted on the badge on the Staged workspace mode. Nothing touches SQS until you open Staged, review the batch, and press Publish Actions. Each action reports success or failure on its own, and failures stay staged so you can retry. See Staged Actions.

Try Pro

Choose Try Pro when you need to change a queue. Only checkout starts a Pro trial. Eligible customers get 14 consecutive calendar days of Pro after entering a payment method, with no charge at trial start, and the annual subscription you selected starts automatically unless you cancel before the date shown at checkout. If you have had a trial before, you may be charged immediately. Paste the key from checkout into Tarmac. See Settings for pricing, device management, and recovery.

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