AWS SQS Delete Queue

⚠️ DESTRUCTIVE ACTION WARNING ⚠️

This action permanently deletes SQS queues and all messages in them.

• All queued messages will be permanently lost
• Deletion is irreversible and immediate
• Carefully verify the queue-url parameter before use
• Consider using queue policies or AWS Backup for important data
• Test thoroughly in non-production environments first

A GitHub Action to delete AWS SQS queues. Primarily intended for test workflows and temporary queue cleanup.

Features

• Delete queues - Permanently delete SQS queues (standard or FIFO)
• Simple integration - Easy to use in GitHub Actions workflows
• URL validation - Basic validation of queue URL format

Prerequisites

Configure AWS credentials before using this action.

Option 1: AWS Credentials (Production)

- name: Configure AWS Credentials
  uses: aws-actions/configure-aws-credentials@v4
  with:
    role-to-assume: arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/my-github-actions-role
    aws-region: us-east-1

Option 2: LocalStack (Testing)

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    services:
      localstack:
        image: localstack/localstack
        ports:
          - 4566:4566
        env:
          SERVICES: sqs
    steps:
      - name: Delete queue in LocalStack
        uses: predictr-io/aws-sqs-delete-queue@v0
        env:
          AWS_ENDPOINT_URL: http://localhost:4566
          AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID: test
          AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY: test
          AWS_DEFAULT_REGION: us-east-1
        with:
          queue-url: 'http://localhost:4566/000000000000/test-queue'

Usage

Delete Queue

⚠️ WARNING: This will permanently delete the queue and all its messages.

- name: Delete SQS queue
  uses: predictr-io/aws-sqs-delete-queue@v0
  with:
    queue-url: 'https://sqs.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/123456789012/my-queue'

Delete FIFO Queue

- name: Delete FIFO queue
  uses: predictr-io/aws-sqs-delete-queue@v0
  with:
    queue-url: 'https://sqs.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/123456789012/my-queue.fifo'

Test Workflow Example

Delete temporary test queues after integration tests:

name: Integration Tests

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    services:
      localstack:
        image: localstack/localstack
        ports:
          - 4566:4566
        env:
          SERVICES: sqs

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Create test queue
        id: create
        uses: predictr-io/aws-sqs-create-queue@v0
        env:
          AWS_ENDPOINT_URL: http://localhost:4566
          AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID: test
          AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY: test
          AWS_DEFAULT_REGION: us-east-1
        with:
          queue-name: 'test-queue'

      - name: Run integration tests
        run: |
          export QUEUE_URL="${{ steps.create.outputs.queue-url }}"
          npm test

      - name: Clean up test queue
        if: always()
        uses: predictr-io/aws-sqs-delete-queue@v0
        env:
          AWS_ENDPOINT_URL: http://localhost:4566
          AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID: test
          AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY: test
          AWS_DEFAULT_REGION: us-east-1
        with:
          queue-url: ${{ steps.create.outputs.queue-url }}

Inputs

Required Inputs

Input	Description
queue-url	SQS queue URL to delete (e.g., https://sqs.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/123456789012/my-queue)

Outputs

Output	Description
deleted	Whether the queue was successfully deleted ("true" or "false")

Queue URL Format

Standard Queue

https://sqs.{region}.amazonaws.com/{account-id}/{queue-name}

FIFO Queue

https://sqs.{region}.amazonaws.com/{account-id}/{queue-name}.fifo

You can find your queue URL in the AWS Console or using AWS CLI:

aws sqs get-queue-url --queue-name my-queue

Error Handling

The action handles common scenarios:

• Invalid queue URL: Fails with validation error
• Queue does not exist: Fails with AWS error
• AWS permission errors: Fails with AWS SDK error message
• Queue URL format warning: Warns if URL doesn't match expected AWS format

Safety Considerations

⚠️ IMPORTANT: Before using this action, consider:

1. Data Loss: All messages in the queue will be permanently deleted
2. No Undo: Queue deletion cannot be reversed
3. Dependencies: Verify no applications are actively using the queue
4. Monitoring: Deletion may trigger CloudWatch alarms or break monitoring
5. Billing: Queue deletion stops billing immediately
6. Testing: Always test in non-production environments first

Best Practices

• Use in temporary/test workflows only
• Store queue URLs in secrets, not hardcoded
• Use if: always() for cleanup steps to ensure execution
• Consider queue policies before deletion
• Verify queue URL is correct before running
• Review AWS permissions for delete operations

Development

Setup

git clone https://github.com/predictr-io/aws-sqs-delete-queue.git
cd aws-sqs-delete-queue
npm install

Scripts

npm run build      # Build the action
npm run type-check # TypeScript checking
npm run lint       # ESLint
npm run check      # Run all checks

License

MIT