TAMS Checker: test any TAMS API against the specification

LiveWyer is pleased to announce TAMS Checker, a free tool that tests your TAMS implementation’s API responses, resource workflows and media transfers against the TAMS 8.2 specification, as well as implementation decisions captured outside the API spec. Each run produces an easy-to-read report, plus JSON and JUnit output for structured use by engineering teams and vendors.

Developed by BBC Research & Development, the Time-Addressable Media Store specification provides a shared API for media storage. The checker works with any implementation, including TAMOSS, our open-source store, commercial products and implementations still in development.

A shared reference

The need for a shared testing tool came up in a community discussion in December 2025. A developer asked about a compliance testing suite to help with new implementations and vendor interoperability, and a BBC contributor welcomed a community effort.

That fits with our view of TAMOSS as one independent implementation among what should be many. Broadcasters need confidence that different stores will behave consistently at the API, while teams building those stores need a common basis for testing their work. TAMS Checker is our contribution to that effort.

Testing against the specification

A run follows resources through their lifecycle, including media uploads and downloads, and checks webhooks where the endpoint advertises them. It covers normal operation as well as the handling of invalid requests, with results linked to the requirements being tested.

Reports distinguish failed requirements from incomplete checks and observations. Teams can review results as a run progresses and retain the downloadable output alongside their other test results. This provides a starting point for investigating differences between implementations, whether the store is being developed in-house or assessed as part of a vendor evaluation.

The public test index connects each check to its source in the specification and to the automated tests used to validate the checker itself. This gives teams a reference when investigating a failure or discussing an interpretation of the specification.

Some expected behaviour is documented beyond the API specification. The TAMS repository’s Architecture Decision Records and Application Notes record decisions and guidance that help resolve those questions. The checker draws on these alongside the specification, all pinned to the same repository revision so that the basis for a result can be traced.

Using TAMS Checker

The checker creates and removes its own test data but leaves some artefacts in accordance with the current specification, so we recommend running it against a dedicated test instance.

These include test Profiles, which the current API does not allow to be deleted. Our feedback on this has contributed to a discussion with the TAMS maintainers about how Profile deletion should work. Each run’s inventory records the resources it created and their cleanup outcomes.

The hosted checker requires a publicly accessible HTTPS endpoint with a trusted certificate. Credentials are held in memory for the run, never written to persistent storage, and redacted from reports along with signed access URLs. Reports may still contain resource metadata. Further details on access, test activity and cleanup are available in the checker’s documentation.

TAMS Checker: https://check.tams.lwy.sh

For help interpreting results or working with TAMS on your own infrastructure, talk to our engineers.

About LiveWyer

LiveWyer is a London-based Cloud Native and Kubernetes consultancy that has been operating since 2012. LiveWyer provides highly capable professional services to design, build and support cloud-native platforms for enterprise clients with small, focused engineering teams.

LiveWyer Contact: Callum Taylor, Delivery Lead, LiveWyer, [email protected]

Note: TAMS Checker is written independently by LiveWyer. Neither TAMS Checker nor TAMOSS is affiliated with or endorsed by the BBC.