RabbitMQ Installation and Container Quick Start: Erlang, RPM

TL;DR

Scenario: Using RPM for RabbitMQ production deployment on RHEL systems (CentOS/RockyLinux), while using Docker Compose for quick learning.
Conclusion: Key risks are Erlang/RabbitMQ version compatibility and package source consistency; followed by ports, plugins, user permissions and security baseline.
Output: Deployable installation path, version matrix writing and high-frequency error quick reference for production deployment and troubleshooting.

RabbitMQ Installation

Service Installation (Production Recommended)

Environment Preparation

Operating System Environment:
- Supports CentOS 7/8, RockyLinux 8/9 and other RHEL-based distributions
- Using minimal installation recommended to reduce unnecessary software conflicts
Erlang Environment Requirements:
- RabbitMQ is a message middleware running on Erlang VM (BEAM)
- Must pre-install compatible version of Erlang runtime
- Recommended version not lower than Erlang 23.x
System Dependency Packages:
- socat: For inter-cluster communication
- logrotate: Log rotation management
- openssl: Secure communication support
- Other build toolchain (gcc, make, etc.)

socat Installation

yum install socat -y

Erlang Installation

Download Erlang RPM package:

https://github.com/rabbitmq/erlang-rpm/releases/download/v23.0.2/erlang-23.0.2-1.el7.x86_64.rpm

Upload file to server and execute installation:

rpm -ivh erlang-23.0.2-1.el7.x86_64.rpm

RabbitMQ Installation

Download RabbitMQ:

https://github.com/rabbitmq/rabbitmq-server/releases/download/v3.8.4/rabbitmq-server-3.8.4-1.el7.noarch.rpm

After uploading to server, install:

rpm -ivh rabbitmq-server-3.8.4-1.el7.noarch.rpm

Enable Plugins

rabbitmq-plugins enable rabbitmq_management

Several Ways to Start RabbitMQ Service

1. Using systemctl (Recommended for Production)

systemctl start rabbitmq-server

This is the most standard startup method, applicable to Linux systems using systemd
Automatically handles service dependencies and logging

2. Direct Executable (Suitable for Development)

rabbitmq-server

Runs in foreground, convenient for viewing real-time logs
Press Ctrl+C to stop service
Typical use case: Quick startup during local development testing

3. Background Daemon Mode

rabbitmq-server -detached

Adding -detached parameter runs service in background
Does not occupy current terminal
Stopping service requires rabbitmqctl stop

# Check service status
systemctl status rabbitmq-server

# Set开机自启
systemctl enable rabbitmq-server

# Stop service
systemctl stop rabbitmq-server

Add User

rabbitmqctl add_user root 123456

Add Permissions

rabbitmqctl set_permissions root -p / ".*" ".*" ".*"

Set User Tags (RabbitMQ User Permission Management)

rabbitmqctl set_user_tags root administrator

Detailed Explanation:

This command sets tags for RabbitMQ user, adding administrator tag to user root
Tag type explanation:
- administrator: Admin permissions, has all operation permissions
- monitoring: Monitoring permissions, can view all information but cannot modify
- policymaker: Policy-making permissions, can manage virtual host policies
- management: Basic management permissions, can use management plugin
Related commands:
- View user tags: rabbitmqctl list_users
- Clear user tags: rabbitmqctl clear_user_tags username

Container Installation (Learning Recommended)

Docker Compose

Quickly start service via container:

services:
  rabbitmq:
    image: rabbitmq:3.8.4-management
    container_name: rabbitmq-3.8
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "5672:5672"      # AMQP
      - "15672:15672"    # Management interface
    environment:
      RABBITMQ_DEFAULT_USER: admin
      RABBITMQ_DEFAULT_PASS: secret
    volumes:
      - rabbitmq_data:/var/lib/rabbitmq
volumes:
  rabbitmq_data:

Start Service

docker compose up -d

Access Service

Access port 15672, fill in username and password from the file:

Username: admin
Password: secret

RabbitMQ Management Commands

Service Start and Stop

Foreground Start

rabbitmq-server

Background Start

rabbitmq-server -detached

Stop Service

rabbitmqctl stop

Application Management

Application Control

# Start application
rabbitmqctl start_app

# Stop application (without stopping Erlang VM)
rabbitmqctl stop_app

Node Status Check

rabbitmqctl status

Queue Management

View Queues

rabbitmqctl list_queues

Virtual Host Management

rabbitmqctl list_vhosts

Plugin Management

# List all available plugins
rabbitmq-plugins list

# Enable specified plugin
rabbitmq-plugins enable <plugin-name>

# Disable specified plugin
rabbitmq-plugins disable <plugin-name>

User Management

# Add new user
rabbitmqctl add_user username password

# List all users
rabbitmqctl list_users

# Delete user
rabbitmqctl delete_user username

# Clear permissions
rabbitmqctl clear_permissions -p vhostpath username

Advanced Usage Examples

View Queue Details

rabbitmqctl list_queues name messages messages_ready messages_unacknowledged

Create Virtual Host and Set Permissions

# Create vhost
rabbitmqctl add_vhost /my_vhost

# Set user permissions
rabbitmqctl set_permissions -p /my_vhost username ".*" ".*" ".*"

View Connection Information

rabbitmqctl list_connections

View Channel Information

rabbitmqctl list_channels

Error Quick Reference

Symptom	Root Cause	Diagnosis	Fix
`rpm -ivh rabbitmq-server-...rpm` reports missing dependencies	socat/openssl and other dependencies not installed or version mismatch	`rpm -qpR package-name.rpm`	Install dependencies first; unify repository source
RabbitMQ version number inconsistent	Documentation version number inconsistency causing misoperation	Compare download link with installed filename	Unify version number
Startup fails,提示 Erlang version incompatible	Erlang/OTP and RabbitMQ version range mismatch	`erl -version`; startup logs	Select Erlang version according to official compatibility matrix
`systemctl start rabbitmq-server` fails	service unit/permission/data directory issue	`systemctl status` + `journalctl -u rabbitmq-server`	Fix based on logs
`rabbitmq-plugins enable` fails	Node not running, plugin directory not writable	`rabbitmqctl status`	Ensure service started normally first
Access 15672 fails	Port not listening/firewall not opened/plugin not enabled	`ss -lntp\|grep 15672`	Check firewall and plugin status
Login to management console fails after adding user	User permissions/tags not set or vhost permissions missing	`rabbitmqctl list_users`	Execute `set_permissions` and `set_user_tags` together
Permissions set successfully but business still rejects	Used non-`/` vhost	Management console check vhost	Set permissions for actual vhost
Docker Compose data lost after startup	Volume not mounted or volume name changed	`docker volume ls`	Keep volume configuration
Default account/weak password security risk	admin/secret, root/123456 are guessable credentials	Configuration and command sections	Production change to strong password and limit exposure

TL;DR

RabbitMQ Installation

Service Installation (Production Recommended)

Environment Preparation

socat Installation

Erlang Installation

RabbitMQ Installation

Enable Plugins

Several Ways to Start RabbitMQ Service

1. Using systemctl (Recommended for Production)

2. Direct Executable (Suitable for Development)

3. Background Daemon Mode

Other Related Commands

Add User

Add Permissions

Set User Tags (RabbitMQ User Permission Management)

Container Installation (Learning Recommended)

Docker Compose

Start Service

Access Service

RabbitMQ Management Commands

Service Start and Stop

Foreground Start

Background Start

Stop Service

Application Management

Application Control

Node Status Check

Queue Management

View Queues

Virtual Host Management

Plugin Management

User Management

Advanced Usage Examples

View Queue Details

Create Virtual Host and Set Permissions

View Connection Information

View Channel Information

Error Quick Reference