Azure Service Bus Explorer for VS Code

A Visual Studio Code extension for browsing and managing Azure Service Bus queues, topics, subscriptions, and their messages including dead-letter queues.

Features

• Browse Service Bus Resources: Navigate through your Azure Service Bus namespaces, queues, topics, and subscriptions
• Message Counts at a Glance: View active and dead-letter message counts directly in the tree view with the format [active|dead-letter]
• Total Message Summary: See total active and dead-letter messages across all queues and topics at the namespace level
• Peek Messages: Preview messages without removing them from queues or subscriptions
• Dead-Letter Queue Management:
  • View dead-letter messages with failure reasons
  • Resubmit failed messages back to the main queue/topic
  • Delete individual messages
  • Purge entire dead-letter queues
• Message Details: View complete message content, headers, and properties
• Multiple Authentication Methods:
  • Azure AD authentication
  • Connection string authentication

Installation

1. Open VS Code
2. Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
3. Search for "Azure Service Bus Explorer"
4. Click Install

Getting Started

Adding a Namespace

1. Click the "+" icon in the Azure Service Bus Explorer view
2. Enter your Service Bus namespace:
   • Namespace name (e.g., my-servicebus)
   • Full namespace URL (e.g., my-servicebus.servicebus.windows.net)
   • Connection string (for connection string authentication)

Authentication

Azure AD Authentication

The extension uses your Azure credentials from VS Code. Make sure you're signed in to Azure through VS Code.

Connection String Authentication

Provide a connection string when adding a namespace. The connection string should include:

• Endpoint
• SharedAccessKeyName
• SharedAccessKey

Understanding the Tree View

The extension displays your Service Bus resources in a hierarchical tree:

[10|2] Total Messages                    ← Total active|dead-letter messages
├─ Queues
│  ├─ [5|1] my-queue                     ← Queue with message counts
│  │  ├─ [5] Active Messages
│  │  └─ [1] Dead Letter Queue
├─ Topics
│  ├─ [5|1] my-topic                     ← Topic with aggregated counts from all subscriptions
│  │  ├─ [3|1] subscription-1            ← Subscription with message counts
│  │  │  ├─ [3] Active Messages
│  │  │  └─ [1] Dead Letter Queue
│  │  └─ [2|0] subscription-2
│  │     ├─ [2] Active Messages
│  │     └─ [0] Dead Letter Queue

Message Count Format

• [active|dead-letter]: Format used for queues, topics, subscriptions, and namespace summary
• [count]: Format used for Active Messages and Dead Letter Queue folders
• All counts are displayed on the left side for better readability

Commands

Namespace Management

• Add Namespace: Add a new Service Bus namespace
• Remove Namespace: Remove a namespace from the explorer
• Refresh: Refresh the entire tree or a specific node

Message Operations

• Peek Messages: Preview messages without consuming them (max 50 messages)
• View Message: Open a message in a detailed view showing:
  • Message body (formatted JSON or text)
  • System properties (MessageId, EnqueuedTime, etc.)
  • Application properties
  • Dead-letter information (if applicable)

Dead-Letter Queue Operations

• Resubmit Message: Send a dead-letter message back to the original queue/topic
  • Preserves message body and properties
  • Adds metadata about the resubmission
  • Removes message from dead-letter queue
• Delete Message: Permanently delete a message from the dead-letter queue
• Purge Dead Letter Queue: Delete all messages from a dead-letter queue

Usage Examples

Viewing Messages

1. Navigate to a queue or subscription
2. Expand the "Active Messages" or "Dead Letter Queue" node
3. Messages are peeked automatically (up to 50)
4. Click on a message to view its details

Resubmitting Dead-Letter Messages

1. Navigate to a Dead Letter Queue
2. Find the message you want to resubmit
3. Right-click the message
4. Select "Resubmit Message"
5. The message will be sent back to the main queue/topic

Purging Dead-Letter Messages

1. Navigate to a Dead Letter Queue
2. Right-click on "Dead Letter Queue"
3. Select "Purge Dead Letter Queue"
4. Confirm the action
5. All messages will be permanently deleted

Requirements

• Visual Studio Code 1.85.0 or higher
• Azure Service Bus namespace
• Appropriate permissions to access Service Bus resources

Extension Settings

Namespaces are persisted in VS Code's global state and will be available across sessions.

Known Limitations

• Maximum 50 messages can be peeked at a time
• Session-enabled queues/subscriptions may have limited functionality for some operations
• Large message bodies may take time to load

Troubleshooting

Authentication Issues

• Ensure you're signed in to Azure through VS Code
• Verify your Azure credentials have appropriate permissions
• For connection strings, verify the format is correct

Can't See Messages

• Verify the queue/subscription actually has messages
• Check permissions on the Service Bus namespace
• Try refreshing the node

Resubmit/Delete Operations Fail

• Some operations may not work on session-enabled entities
• Verify you have sufficient permissions
• Check if the message still exists in the queue

Contributing

Issues and feature requests can be reported at the GitHub repository.

Release Notes

1.0.2

• Moved message counts to the left side for better readability
• Added total message summary at namespace level
• Topics now show aggregated message counts from all subscriptions
• Improved message count display format [active|dead-letter]

1.0.0

• Initial release
• Browse queues, topics, and subscriptions
• Peek messages
• Dead-letter queue management
• Resubmit and delete operations

License

See LICENSE file for details.

Enjoy managing your Azure Service Bus resources!