mqueue viewer

mqueue viewer is a domain-focused instrument for teams operating distributed systems that rely on message queues. It solves the problem of quickly understanding queue state without broker-specific dashboards. The tool ingests standard queue metadata and computes real-time metrics such as backlog, throughput, and consumer lag. It targets backend engineers, SREs, and platform teams who need a lightweight, interoperable view across technologies.
Core operation is data ingestion from a queue endpoint or a sample data set. The system computes throughput as messages per unit time, backlog as the current queue depth, and item age distribution to identify aging messages. Results are presented as structured metrics that can be exported for further analysis. It supports multiple protocols through modular adapters, enabling a single viewer to cover RabbitMQ, Kafka, Redis streams, and similar systems without vendor lock-in.
Benefits include reduced time to pinpoint delays, easier cross-team communication, and a single reference view for incident reviews. The tool emphasizes accuracy, handling partial data, and graceful degradation when a data source is temporarily unavailable. It prioritizes interoperability and privacy by exposing only metadata, not message contents.
Typical use cases are live health checks during deployments, capacity planning, and performance reviews. Unique differentiators are lightweight footprint, protocol-agnostic design, real-time updates, and straightforward export formats (CSV/JSON) for integration with existing dashboards and alerting pipelines.