Nodes

await_startup

Waits for the RabbitMQ application to start on the target node

For example, to wait for the RabbitMQ application to start:

rabbitmqctl await_startup

reset

Returns a RabbitMQ node to its virgin state.

Removes the node from any cluster it belongs to, removes all data from the management database, such as configured users and vhosts, and deletes all persistent messages.

For reset and force_reset to succeed the RabbitMQ application must have been stopped, e.g. with stop_app.

For example, to reset the RabbitMQ node:

rabbitmqctl reset

rotate_logs

Instructs the RabbitMQ node to perform internal log rotation.

Log rotation is performed according to the logging settings specified in the configuration file. The rotation operation is asynchronous, there is no guarantee that it has completed when this command returns.

Note that there is no need to call this command in case of external log rotation (e.g. from logrotate(8)).

For example, to initial log rotation:

rabbitmqctl rotate_logs

shutdown

Shuts down the node, both RabbitMQ and its runtime. The command is blocking and will return after the runtime process exits. If RabbitMQ fails to stop, it will return a non-zero exit code. This command infers the OS PID of the target node and therefore can only be used to shut down nodes running on the same host (or broadly speaking, in the same operating system, e.g. in the same VM or container)

Unlike the stop command, the shutdown command:

• does not require a pid_file to wait for the runtime process to exit
• returns a non-zero exit code if RabbitMQ node is not running

For example, this will shut down a locally running RabbitMQ node with default node name:

rabbitmqctl shutdown

start_app

Starts the RabbitMQ application.

This command is typically run after performing other management actions that required the RabbitMQ application to be stopped, e.g. reset.

For example, to instruct the RabbitMQ node to start the RabbitMQ application:

rabbitmqctl start_app

stop [pid_file]

Stops the Erlang node on which RabbitMQ is running. To restart the node follow the instructions for “Running the Server” in the installation guide.

If a pid_file is specified, also waits for the process specified there to terminate. See the description of the wait command for details on this file.

For example, to instruct the RabbitMQ node to terminate:

rabbitmqctl stop

stop_app

Stops the RabbitMQ application, leaving the runtime (Erlang VM) running.

This command is typically run prior to performing other management actions that require the RabbitMQ application to be stopped, e.g. reset.

For example, to instruct the RabbitMQ node to stop the RabbitMQ application:

rabbitmqctl stop_app

wait pid_file, wait --pid pid

Waits for the RabbitMQ application to start.

This command will wait for the RabbitMQ application to start at the node. It will wait for the pid file to be created if pidfile is specified, then for a process with a pid specified in the pid file or the --pid argument, and then for the RabbitMQ application to start in that process. It will fail if the process terminates without starting the RabbitMQ application.

If the specified pidfile is not created or erlang node is not started within --timeout the command will fail. Default timeout is 10 seconds.

A suitable pid file is created by the rabbitmq-server(8) script. By default this is located in the Mnesia directory. Modify the RABBITMQ_PID_FILE environment variable to change the location.

For example, this command will return when the RabbitMQ node has started up:

rabbitmqctl wait /var/run/rabbitmq/pid

Cluster management

await_online_nodes count

Waits for count nodes to join the cluster

For example, to wait for two RabbitMQ nodes to start:

rabbitmqctl await_online_nodes 2

change_cluster_node_type type

Changes the type of the cluster node.

The type must be one of the following:

• disc
• ram

The node must be stopped for this operation to succeed, and when turning a node into a RAM node the node must not be the only disc node in the cluster.

For example, this command will turn a RAM node into a disc node:

rabbitmqctl change_cluster_node_type disc

cluster_status

Displays all the nodes in the cluster grouped by node type, together with the currently running nodes.

For example, this command displays the nodes in the cluster:

rabbitmqctl cluster_status

force_boot

Ensures that the node will start next time, even if it was not the last to shut down.

Normally when you shut down a RabbitMQ cluster altogether, the first node you restart should be the last one to go down, since it may have seen things happen that other nodes did not. But sometimes that's not possible: for instance if the entire cluster loses power then all nodes may think they were not the last to shut down.

In such a case you can invoke force_boot while the node is down. This will tell the node to unconditionally start next time you ask it to. If any changes happened to the cluster after this node shut down, they will be lost.

If the last node to go down is permanently lost then you should use forget_cluster_node --offline in preference to this command, as it will ensure that mirrored queues which had their leader replica on the lost node get promoted.

For example, this will force the node not to wait for other nodes next time it is started:

rabbitmqctl force_boot

force_reset

Forcefully returns a RabbitMQ node to its virgin state.

The force_reset command differs from reset in that it resets the node unconditionally, regardless of the current management database state and cluster configuration. It should only be used as a last resort if the database or cluster configuration has been corrupted.

For reset and force_reset to succeed the RabbitMQ application must have been stopped, e.g. with stop_app.

For example, to reset the RabbitMQ node:

rabbitmqctl force_reset

forget_cluster_node [--offline]

--offline

Enables node removal from an offline node. This is only useful in the situation where all the nodes are offline and the last node to go down cannot be brought online, thus preventing the whole cluster from starting. It should not be used in any other circumstances since it can lead to inconsistencies.

Removes a cluster node remotely. The node that is being removed must be offline, while the node we are removing from must be online, except when using the --offline flag.

When using the --offline flag , rabbitmqctl will not attempt to connect to a node as normal; instead it will temporarily become the node in order to make the change. This is useful if the node cannot be started normally. In this case the node will become the canonical source for cluster metadata (e.g. which queues exist), even if it was not before. Therefore you should use this command on the latest node to shut down if at all possible.

For example, this command will remove the node “rabbit@stringer” from the node “hare@mcnulty”:

rabbitmqctl -n hare@mcnulty forget_cluster_node rabbit@stringer

join_cluster seed-node [--ram]

seed-node

Existing cluster member (seed node) to cluster with.

--ram

If provided, the node will join the cluster as a RAM node. RAM node use is discouraged. Use only if you understand why exactly you need to use them.

Instructs the node to become a member of the cluster that the specified node is in. Before clustering, the node is reset, so be careful when using this command. For this command to succeed the RabbitMQ application must have been stopped, e.g. with stop_app.

Cluster nodes can be of two types: disc or RAM. Disc nodes replicate data in RAM and on disc, thus providing redundancy in the event of node failure and recovery from global events such as power failure across all nodes. RAM nodes replicate data in RAM only (with the exception of queue contents, which can reside on disc if the queue is persistent or too big to fit in memory) and are mainly used for scalability. RAM nodes are more performant only when managing resources (e.g. adding/removing queues, exchanges, or bindings). A cluster must always have at least one disc node, and usually should have more than one.

The node will be a disc node by default. If you wish to create a RAM node, provide the --ram flag.

After executing the join_cluster command, whenever the RabbitMQ application is started on the current node it will attempt to connect to the nodes that were in the cluster when the node went down.

To leave a cluster, reset the node. You can also remove nodes remotely with the forget_cluster_node command.

For example, this command instructs the RabbitMQ node to join the cluster that “hare@elena” is part of, as a ram node:

rabbitmqctl join_cluster hare@elena --ram

To learn more, see the RabbitMQ Clustering guide.

rename_cluster_node oldnode1 newnode1 [oldnode2 newnode2 ...]

Supports renaming of cluster nodes in the local database.

This subcommand causes rabbitmqctl to temporarily become the node in order to make the change. The local cluster node must therefore be completely stopped; other nodes can be online or offline.

This subcommand takes an even number of arguments, in pairs representing the old and new names for nodes. You must specify the old and new names for this node and for any other nodes that are stopped and being renamed at the same time.

It is possible to stop all nodes and rename them all simultaneously (in which case old and new names for all nodes must be given to every node) or stop and rename nodes one at a time (in which case each node only needs to be told how its own name is changing).

For example, this command will rename the node “rabbit@misshelpful” to the node “rabbit@cordelia”

rabbitmqctl rename_cluster_node rabbit@misshelpful rabbit@cordelia

Note that this command only changes the local database. It may also be necessary to rename the local database directories, and to configure the new node name. For example:

1. Stop the node:
   rabbitmqctl stop rabbit@misshelpful

2. Rename the node in the local database:
   rabbitmqctl rename_cluster_node rabbit@misshelpful rabbit@cordelia

3. Rename the local database directories (note, you do not need to do this if you have set the RABBITMQ_MNESIA_DIR environment variable):

   mv \
     /var/db/rabbitmq/mnesia/rabbit\@misshelpful \
     /var/db/rabbitmq/mnesia/rabbit\@cordelia
   mv \
     /var/db/rabbitmq/mnesia/rabbit\@misshelpful-rename \
     /var/db/rabbitmq/mnesia/rabbit\@cordelia-rename
   mv \
     /var/db/rabbitmq/mnesia/rabbit\@misshelpful-plugins-expand \
     /var/db/rabbitmq/mnesia/rabbit\@cordelia-plugins-expand
           

4. If node name is configured e.g. using /usr/local/etc/rabbitmq/rabbitmq-env.conf it has also be updated there.

5. Start the node when ready

update_cluster_nodes clusternode

clusternode

The node to consult for up-to-date information.

Instructs an already clustered node to contact clusternode to cluster when booting up. This is different from join_cluster since it does not join any cluster - it checks that the node is already in a cluster with clusternode.

The need for this command is motivated by the fact that clusters can change while a node is offline. Consider a situation where node rabbit@A and rabbit@B are clustered. rabbit@A goes down, rabbit@C clusters with rabbit@B, and then rabbit@B leaves the cluster. When rabbit@A starts back up, it'll try to contact rabbit@B, but this will fail since rabbit@B is not in the cluster anymore. The following command will rename node rabbit@B to rabbit@C on node rabbitA

update_cluster_nodes -n rabbit@A rabbit@B rabbit@C

To learn more, see the RabbitMQ Clustering guide

Replication

sync_queue [-p vhost] queue

queue

The name of the queue to synchronise.

Instructs a mirrored queue with unsynchronised mirrors (follower replicas) to synchronise them. The queue will block while synchronisation takes place (all publishers to and consumers using the queue will block or temporarily see no activity). This command can only be used with mirrored queues. To learn more, see the RabbitMQ Mirroring guide

Note that queues with unsynchronised replicas and active consumers will become synchronised eventually (assuming that consumers make progress). This command is primarily useful for queues which do not have active consumers.

cancel_sync_queue [-p vhost] queue

queue

The name of the queue to cancel synchronisation for.

Instructs a synchronising mirrored queue to stop synchronising itself.

User Management

add_user username password

username

The name of the user to create.

password

The password the created user will use to log in to the broker.

For example, this command instructs the RabbitMQ broker to create a (non-administrative) user named “janeway” with (initial) password “changeit”:

rabbitmqctl add_user janeway changeit

authenticate_user username password

username

The name of the user.

password

The password of the user.

For example, this command instructs the RabbitMQ broker to authenticate the user named “janeway” with password “verifyit”:

rabbitmqctl authenticate_user janeway verifyit

change_password username newpassword

username

The name of the user whose password is to be changed.

newpassword

The new password for the user.

For example, this command instructs the RabbitMQ broker to change the password for the user named “janeway” to “newpass”:

rabbitmqctl change_password janeway newpass

clear_password username

username

The name of the user whose password is to be cleared.

For example, this command instructs the RabbitMQ broker to clear the password for the user named “janeway”:

rabbitmqctl clear_password janeway

This user now cannot log in with a password (but may be able to through e.g. SASL EXTERNAL if configured).

delete_user username

username

The name of the user to delete.

For example, this command instructs the RabbitMQ broker to delete the user named “janeway”:

rabbitmqctl delete_user janeway

list_users

Lists users. Each result row will contain the user name followed by a list of the tags set for that user.

For example, this command instructs the RabbitMQ broker to list all users:

rabbitmqctl list_users

set_user_tags username [tag ...]

username

The name of the user whose tags are to be set.

tag

Zero, one or more tags to set. Any existing tags will be removed.

For example, this command instructs the RabbitMQ broker to ensure the user named “janeway” is an administrator:

rabbitmqctl set_user_tags janeway administrator

This has no effect when the user authenticates using a messaging protocol, but can be used to permit the user to manage users, virtual hosts and permissions when the user logs in via some other means (for example with the management plugin).

This command instructs the RabbitMQ broker to remove any tags from the user named “janeway”:

rabbitmqctl set_user_tags janeway

Access control

clear_permissions [-p vhost] username

vhost

The name of the virtual host to which to deny the user access, defaulting to “/”.

username

The name of the user to deny access to the specified virtual host.

Sets user permissions.

For example, this command instructs the RabbitMQ broker to deny the user named “janeway” access to the virtual host called “my-vhost”:

rabbitmqctl clear_permissions -p my-vhost janeway

clear_topic_permissions [-p vhost] username [exchange]

vhost

The name of the virtual host to which to clear the topic permissions, defaulting to “/”.

username

The name of the user to clear topic permissions to the specified virtual host.

exchange

The name of the topic exchange to clear topic permissions, defaulting to all the topic exchanges the given user has topic permissions for.

Clear user topic permissions.

For example, this command instructs the RabbitMQ broker to remove topic permissions for user named “janeway” for the topic exchange “amq.topic” in the virtual host called “my-vhost”:

rabbitmqctl clear_topic_permissions -p my-vhost janeway amq.topic

list_permissions [-p vhost]

vhost

The name of the virtual host for which to list the users that have been granted access to it, and their permissions. Defaults to “/”.

Lists permissions in a virtual host.

For example, this command instructs the RabbitMQ broker to list all the users which have been granted access to the virtual host called “my-vhost”, and the permissions they have for operations on resources in that virtual host. Note that an empty string means no permissions granted:

rabbitmqctl list_permissions -p my-vhost

list_topic_permissions [-p vhost]

vhost

The name of the virtual host for which to list the users topic permissions. Defaults to “/”.

Lists topic permissions in a virtual host.

For example, this command instructs the RabbitMQ broker to list all the users which have been granted topic permissions in the virtual host called “my-vhost:”

rabbitmqctl list_topic_permissions -p my-vhost

list_user_permissions username

username

The name of the user for which to list the permissions.

Lists user permissions.

For example, this command instructs the RabbitMQ broker to list all the virtual hosts to which the user named “janeway” has been granted access, and the permissions the user has for operations on resources in these virtual hosts:

rabbitmqctl list_user_permissions janeway

list_user_topic_permissions username

username

The name of the user for which to list the topic permissions.

Lists user topic permissions.

For example, this command instructs the RabbitMQ broker to list all the virtual hosts to which the user named “janeway” has been granted access, and the topic permissions the user has in these virtual hosts:

rabbitmqctl list_user_topic_permissions janeway

list_vhosts [vhostinfoitem ...]

Lists virtual hosts.

The vhostinfoitem parameter is used to indicate which virtual host information items to include in the results. The column order in the results will match the order of the parameters. vhostinfoitem can take any value from the list that follows:

name

The name of the virtual host with non-ASCII characters escaped as in C.

tracing

Whether tracing is enabled for this virtual host.

If no vhostinfoitem are specified then the vhost name is displayed.

For example, this command instructs the RabbitMQ broker to list all virtual hosts:

rabbitmqctl list_vhosts name tracing

set_permissions [-p vhost] user conf write read

vhost

The name of the virtual host to which to grant the user access, defaulting to “/”.

user

The name of the user to grant access to the specified virtual host.

conf

A regular expression matching resource names for which the user is granted configure permissions.

write

A regular expression matching resource names for which the user is granted write permissions.

read

A regular expression matching resource names for which the user is granted read permissions.

Sets user permissions.

For example, this command instructs the RabbitMQ broker to grant the user named “janeway” access to the virtual host called “my-vhost”, with configure permissions on all resources whose names starts with “janeway-”, and write and read permissions on all resources:

rabbitmqctl set_permissions -p my-vhost janeway “^janeway-.*” “.*” “.*”

set_topic_permissions [-p vhost] user exchange write read

vhost

The name of the virtual host to which to grant the user access, defaulting to “/”.

user

The name of the user the permissions apply to in the target virtual host.

exchange

The name of the topic exchange the authorisation check will be applied to.

write

A regular expression matching the routing key of the published message.

read

A regular expression matching the routing key of the consumed message.

Sets user topic permissions.

For example, this command instructs the RabbitMQ broker to let the user named “janeway” publish and consume messages going through the “amp.topic” exchange of the “my-vhost” virtual host with a routing key starting with “janeway-”:

rabbitmqctl set_topic_permissions -p my-vhost janeway amq.topic “^janeway-.*” “^janeway-.*”

Topic permissions support variable expansion for the following variables: username, vhost, and client_id. Note that client_id is expanded only when using MQTT. The previous example could be made more generic by using “^{username}-.*”:

rabbitmqctl set_topic_permissions -p my-vhost janeway amq.topic “^{username}-.*” “^{username}-.*”

Monitoring, observability and health checks

environment

Displays the name and value of each variable in the application environment for each running application.

list_bindings [-p vhost] [bindinginfoitem ...]

Returns binding details. By default the bindings for the “/” virtual host are returned. The -p flag can be used to override this default.

The bindinginfoitem parameter is used to indicate which binding information items to include in the results. The column order in the results will match the order of the parameters. bindinginfoitem can take any value from the list that follows:

source_name

The name of the source of messages to which the binding is attached. With non-ASCII characters escaped as in C.

source_kind

The kind of the source of messages to which the binding is attached. Currently always exchange. With non-ASCII characters escaped as in C.

destination_name

The name of the destination of messages to which the binding is attached. With non-ASCII characters escaped as in C.

destination_kind

The kind of the destination of messages to which the binding is attached. With non-ASCII characters escaped as in C.

routing_key

The binding's routing key, with non-ASCII characters escaped as in C.

arguments

The binding's arguments.

If no bindinginfoitem are specified then all above items are displayed.

For example, this command displays the exchange name and queue name of the bindings in the virtual host named “my-vhost”

rabbitmqctl list_bindings -p my-vhost exchange_name queue_name

list_channels [channelinfoitem ...]

Returns information on all current channels, the logical containers executing most AMQP commands. This includes channels that are part of ordinary AMQP connections, and channels created by various plug-ins and other extensions.

The channelinfoitem parameter is used to indicate which channel information items to include in the results. The column order in the results will match the order of the parameters. channelinfoitem can take any value from the list that follows:

pid

Id of the Erlang process associated with the connection.

connection

Id of the Erlang process associated with the connection to which the channel belongs.

name

Readable name for the channel.

number

The number of the channel, which uniquely identifies it within a connection.

user

Username associated with the channel.

vhost

Virtual host in which the channel operates.

transactional

True if the channel is in transactional mode, false otherwise.

confirm

True if the channel is in confirm mode, false otherwise.

consumer_count

Number of logical AMQP consumers retrieving messages via the channel.

messages_unacknowledged

Number of messages delivered via this channel but not yet acknowledged.

messages_uncommitted

Number of messages received in an as yet uncommitted transaction.

acks_uncommitted

Number of acknowledgements received in an as yet uncommitted transaction.

messages_unconfirmed

Number of published messages not yet confirmed. On channels not in confirm mode, this remains 0.

prefetch_count

QoS prefetch limit for new consumers, 0 if unlimited.

global_prefetch_count

QoS prefetch limit for the entire channel, 0 if unlimited.

If no channelinfoitem are specified then pid, user, consumer_count, and messages_unacknowledged are assumed.

For example, this command displays the connection process and count of unacknowledged messages for each channel:

rabbitmqctl list_channels connection messages_unacknowledged

list_ciphers

Lists cipher suites supported by encoding commands.

For example, this command instructs the RabbitMQ broker to list all cipher suites supported by encoding commands:

rabbitmqctl list_ciphers

list_connections [connectioninfoitem ...]

Returns TCP/IP connection statistics.

The connectioninfoitem parameter is used to indicate which connection information items to include in the results. The column order in the results will match the order of the parameters. connectioninfoitem can take any value from the list that follows:

pid

Id of the Erlang process associated with the connection.

name

Readable name for the connection.

port

Server port.

host

Server hostname obtained via reverse DNS, or its IP address if reverse DNS failed or was disabled.

peer_port

Peer port.

peer_host

Peer hostname obtained via reverse DNS, or its IP address if reverse DNS failed or was not enabled.

ssl

Boolean indicating whether the connection is secured with SSL.

ssl_protocol

SSL protocol (e.g. “tlsv1”).

ssl_key_exchange

SSL key exchange algorithm (e.g. “rsa”).

ssl_cipher

SSL cipher algorithm (e.g. “aes_256_cbc”).

ssl_hash

SSL hash function (e.g. “sha”).

peer_cert_subject

The subject of the peer's SSL certificate, in RFC4514 form.

peer_cert_issuer

The issuer of the peer's SSL certificate, in RFC4514 form.

peer_cert_validity

The period for which the peer's SSL certificate is valid.

state

Connection state; one of:

• starting
• tuning
• opening
• running
• flow
• blocking
• blocked
• closing
• closed

channels

Number of channels using the connection.

protocol

Version of the AMQP protocol in use; currently one of:

• {0,9,1}
• {0,8,0}

Note that if a client requests an AMQP 0-9 connection, we treat it as AMQP 0-9-1.

auth_mechanism

SASL authentication mechanism used, such as “PLAIN”.

user

Username associated with the connection.

vhost

Virtual host name with non-ASCII characters escaped as in C.

timeout

Connection timeout / negotiated heartbeat interval, in seconds.

frame_max

Maximum frame size (bytes).

channel_max

Maximum number of channels on this connection.

client_properties

Informational properties transmitted by the client during connection establishment.

recv_oct

Octets received.

recv_cnt

Packets received.

send_oct

Octets send.

send_cnt

Packets sent.

send_pend

Send queue size.

connected_at

Date and time this connection was established, as timestamp.

If no connectioninfoitem are specified then user, peer host, peer port, time since flow control and memory block state are displayed.

For example, this command displays the send queue size and server port for each connection:

rabbitmqctl list_connections send_pend port

list_consumers [-p vhost]

Lists consumers, i.e. subscriptions to a queue´s message stream. Each line printed shows, separated by tab characters, the name of the queue subscribed to, the id of the channel process via which the subscription was created and is managed, the consumer tag which uniquely identifies the subscription within a channel, a boolean indicating whether acknowledgements are expected for messages delivered to this consumer, an integer indicating the prefetch limit (with 0 meaning “none”), and any arguments for this consumer.

list_exchanges [-p vhost] [exchangeinfoitem ...]

Returns exchange details. Exchange details of the “/” virtual host are returned if the -p flag is absent. The -p flag can be used to override this default.

The exchangeinfoitem parameter is used to indicate which exchange information items to include in the results. The column order in the results will match the order of the parameters. exchangeinfoitem can take any value from the list that follows:

name

The name of the exchange with non-ASCII characters escaped as in C.

type

The exchange type, such as:

• direct
• topic
• headers
• fanout

durable

Whether or not the exchange survives server restarts.

auto_delete

Whether the exchange will be deleted automatically when no longer used.

internal

Whether the exchange is internal, i.e. cannot be directly published to by a client.

arguments

Exchange arguments.

policy

Policy name for applying to the exchange.

If no exchangeinfoitem are specified then exchange name and type are displayed.

For example, this command displays the name and type for each exchange of the virtual host named “my-vhost”:

rabbitmqctl list_exchanges -p my-vhost name type

list_hashes

Lists hash functions supported by encoding commands.

For example, this command instructs the RabbitMQ broker to list all hash functions supported by encoding commands:

rabbitmqctl list_hashes

list_queues [-p vhost] [--offline | --online | --local] [queueinfoitem ...]

Returns queue details. Queue details of the “/” virtual host are returned if the -p flag is absent. The -p flag can be used to override this default.

Displayed queues can be filtered by their status or location using one of the following mutually exclusive options:

--offline

List only those durable queues that are not currently available (more specifically, their leader node isn't).

--online

List queues that are currently available (their leader node is).

--local

List only those queues whose leader replica is located on the current node.

The queueinfoitem parameter is used to indicate which queue information items to include in the results. The column order in the results will match the order of the parameters. queueinfoitem can take any value from the list that follows:

name

The name of the queue with non-ASCII characters escaped as in C.

durable

Whether or not the queue survives server restarts.

auto_delete

Whether the queue will be deleted automatically when no longer used.

arguments

Queue arguments.

policy

Effective policy name for the queue.

pid

Erlang process identifier of the queue.

owner_pid

Id of the Erlang process of the connection which is the exclusive owner of the queue. Empty if the queue is non-exclusive.

exclusive

True if queue is exclusive (i.e. has owner_pid), false otherwise.

exclusive_consumer_pid

Id of the Erlang process representing the channel of the exclusive consumer subscribed to this queue. Empty if there is no exclusive consumer.

exclusive_consumer_tag

Consumer tag of the exclusive consumer subscribed to this queue. Empty if there is no exclusive consumer.

messages_ready

Number of messages ready to be delivered to clients.

messages_unacknowledged

Number of messages delivered to clients but not yet acknowledged.

messages

Sum of ready and unacknowledged messages (queue depth).

messages_ready_ram

Number of messages from messages_ready which are resident in ram.

messages_unacknowledged_ram

Number of messages from messages_unacknowledged which are resident in ram.

messages_ram

Total number of messages which are resident in ram.

messages_persistent

Total number of persistent messages in the queue (will always be 0 for transient queues).

message_bytes

Sum of the size of all message bodies in the queue. This does not include the message properties (including headers) or any overhead.

message_bytes_ready

Like message_bytes but counting only those messages ready to be delivered to clients.

message_bytes_unacknowledged

Like message_bytes but counting only those messages delivered to clients but not yet acknowledged.

message_bytes_ram

Like message_bytes but counting only those messages which are currently held in RAM.

message_bytes_persistent

Like message_bytes but counting only those messages which are persistent.

head_message_timestamp

The timestamp property of the first message in the queue, if present. Timestamps of messages only appear when they are in the paged-in state.

disk_reads

Total number of times messages have been read from disk by this queue since it started.

disk_writes

Total number of times messages have been written to disk by this queue since it started.

consumers

Number of consumers.

consumer_utilisation

Fraction of the time (between 0.0 and 1.0) that the queue is able to immediately deliver messages to consumers. This can be less than 1.0 if consumers are limited by network congestion or prefetch count.

memory

Bytes of memory allocated by the runtime for the queue, including stack, heap and internal structures.

slave_pids

If the queue is mirrored, this lists the IDs of the mirrors (follower replicas). To learn more, see the RabbitMQ Mirroring guide

synchronised_slave_pids

If the queue is mirrored, this gives the IDs of the mirrors (follower replicas) which are in sync with the leader replica. To learn more, see the RabbitMQ Mirroring guide

state

The state of the queue. Normally “running”, but may be “{syncing, message_count}” if the queue is synchronising.

Queues which are located on cluster nodes that are currently down will be shown with a status of “down” (and most other queueinfoitem will be unavailable).

If no queueinfoitem are specified then queue name and depth are displayed.

For example, this command displays the depth and number of consumers for each queue of the virtual host named “my-vhost”

rabbitmqctl list_queues -p my-vhost messages consumers

list_unresponsive_queues [--local] [--queue-timeout milliseconds] [column ...] [--no-table-headers]

Tests queues to respond within timeout. Lists those which did not respond

For example, this command lists only those unresponsive queues whose leader replica is hosted on the target node.

rabbitmqctl list_unresponsive_queues --local name

ping

Checks that the node OS process is up, registered with EPMD and CLI tools can authenticate with it

Example:

rabbitmqctl ping -n rabbit@hostname

report

Generate a server status report containing a concatenation of all server status information for support purposes. The output should be redirected to a file when accompanying a support request.

For example, this command creates a server report which may be attached to a support request email:

rabbitmqctl report > server_report.txt

schema_info [--no-table-headers] [column ...]

Lists schema database tables and their properties

For example, this command lists the table names and their active replicas:

rabbitmqctl schema_info name active_replicas

status

Displays broker status information such as the running applications on the current Erlang node, RabbitMQ and Erlang versions, OS name, memory and file descriptor statistics. (See the cluster_status command to find out which nodes are clustered and running.)

For example, this command displays information about the RabbitMQ broker:

rabbitmqctl status

Runtime Parameters and Policies

Policies is a feature built on top of runtime parameters. Policies are used to control and modify the behaviour of queues and exchanges on a cluster-wide basis. Policies apply within a given vhost, and consist of a name, pattern, definition and an optional priority. Policies can be set, cleared and listed.

clear_global_parameter name

Clears a global runtime parameter. This is similar to clear_parameter but the key-value pair isn't tied to a virtual host.

name

The name of the global runtime parameter being cleared.

For example, this command clears the global runtime parameter “mqtt_default_vhosts”:

rabbitmqctl clear_global_parameter mqtt_default_vhosts

clear_parameter [-p vhost] component_name key

Clears a parameter.

component_name

The name of the component for which the parameter is being cleared.

name

The name of the parameter being cleared.

For example, this command clears the parameter “node01” for the “federation-upstream” component in the default virtual host:

rabbitmqctl clear_parameter federation-upstream node01

list_global_parameters

Lists all global runtime parameters. This is similar to list_parameters but the global runtime parameters are not tied to any virtual host.

For example, this command lists all global parameters:

rabbitmqctl list_global_parameters

list_parameters [-p vhost]

Lists all parameters for a virtual host.

For example, this command lists all parameters in the default virtual host:

rabbitmqctl list_parameters

set_global_parameter name value

Sets a global runtime parameter. This is similar to set_parameter but the key-value pair isn't tied to a virtual host.

name

The name of the global runtime parameter being set.

value

The value for the global runtime parameter, as a JSON term. In most shells you are very likely to need to quote this.

For example, this command sets the global runtime parameter “mqtt_default_vhosts” to the JSON term {"O=client,CN=guest":"/"}:

rabbitmqctl set_global_parameter mqtt_default_vhosts '{"O=client,CN=guest":"/"}'

set_parameter [-p vhost] component_name name value

Sets a parameter.

component_name

The name of the component for which the parameter is being set.

name

The name of the parameter being set.

value

The value for the parameter, as a JSON term. In most shells you are very likely to need to quote this.

For example, this command sets the parameter “node01” for the “federation-upstream” component in the default virtual host to the following JSON “guest”:

rabbitmqctl set_parameter federation-upstream node01 '{"uri":"amqp://user:password@server/%2F","ack-mode":"on-publish"}'

list_policies [-p vhost]

Lists all policies for a virtual host.

For example, this command lists all policies in the default virtual host:

rabbitmqctl list_policies

set_operator_policy [-p vhost] [--priority priority] [--apply-to apply-to] name pattern definition

Sets an operator policy that overrides a subset of arguments in user policies. Arguments are identical to those of set_policy.

Supported arguments are:

• expires
• message-ttl
• max-length
• max-length-bytes

set_policy [-p vhost] [--priority priority] [--apply-to apply-to] name pattern definition

Sets a policy.

name

The name of the policy.

pattern

The regular expression, which when matches on a given resources causes the policy to apply.

definition

The definition of the policy, as a JSON term. In most shells you are very likely to need to quote this.

priority

The priority of the policy as an integer. Higher numbers indicate greater precedence. The default is 0.

apply-to

Which types of object this policy should apply to. Possible values are:

• queues
• exchanges
• all

The default is all ..

For example, this command sets the policy “federate-me” in the default virtual host so that built-in exchanges are federated:

rabbitmqctl set_policy federate-me ^amq. '{"federation-upstream-set":"all"}'

clear_policy [-p vhost] name

Clears a policy.

name

The name of the policy being cleared.

For example, this command clears the “federate-me” policy in the default virtual host:

rabbitmqctl clear_policy federate-me

clear_operator_policy [-p vhost] name

Clears an operator policy. Arguments are identical to those of clear_policy.

list_operator_policies [-p vhost]

Lists operator policy overrides for a virtual host. Arguments are identical to those of list_policies.

Virtual hosts

add_vhost vhost

vhost

The name of the virtual host entry to create.

Creates a virtual host.

For example, this command instructs the RabbitMQ broker to create a new virtual host called “test”:

rabbitmqctl add_vhost test

clear_vhost_limits [-p vhost]

Clears virtual host limits.

For example, this command clears vhost limits in vhost “qa_env”:

rabbitmqctl clear_vhost_limits -p qa_env

delete_vhost vhost

vhost

The name of the virtual host entry to delete.

Deletes a virtual host.

Deleting a virtual host deletes all its exchanges, queues, bindings, user permissions, parameters and policies.

For example, this command instructs the RabbitMQ broker to delete the virtual host called “test”:

rabbitmqctl delete_vhost a-vhost

list_vhost_limits [-p vhost] [--global] [--no-table-headers]

Displays configured virtual host limits.

--global

Show limits for all vhosts. Suppresses the -p parameter.

restart_vhost vhost

vhost

The name of the virtual host entry to restart.

Restarts a failed vhost data stores and queues.

For example, this command instructs the RabbitMQ broker to restart a virtual host called “test”:

rabbitmqctl restart_vhost test

set_vhost_limits [-p vhost] definition

Sets virtual host limits.

definition

The definition of the limits, as a JSON term. In most shells you are very likely to need to quote this.

Recognised limits are:

• max-connections
• max-queues

Use a negative value to specify "no limit".

For example, this command limits the max number of concurrent connections in vhost “qa_env” to 64:

rabbitmqctl set_vhost_limits -p qa_env '{"max-connections": 64}'

This command limits the max number of queues in vhost “qa_env” to 256:

rabbitmqctl set_vhost_limits -p qa_env '{"max-queues": 256}'

This command clears the max number of connections limit in vhost “qa_env”:

rabbitmqctl set_vhost_limits -p qa_env '{"max-connections": -1}'

This command disables client connections in vhost “qa_env”:

rabbitmqctl set_vhost_limits -p qa_env '{"max-connections": 0}'

trace_off [-p vhost]

vhost

The name of the virtual host for which to stop tracing.

Stops tracing.

trace_on [-p vhost]

vhost

The name of the virtual host for which to start tracing.

Starts tracing. Note that the trace state is not persistent; it will revert to being off if the node is restarted.

Configuration

decode value passphrase [--cipher cipher] [--hash hash] [--iterations iterations]

value passphrase

Value to decrypt (as produced by the encode command) and passphrase.

For example:

rabbitmqctl decode '{encrypted, <<"...">>}' mypassphrase

--cipher cipher --hash hash --iterations iterations

Options to specify the decryption settings. They can be used independently.

For example:

rabbitmqctl decode --cipher blowfish_cfb64 --hash sha256 --iterations 10000 '{encrypted,<<"...">>} mypassphrase

encode value passphrase [--cipher cipher] [--hash hash] [--iterations iterations]

value passphrase

Value to encrypt and passphrase.

For example:

rabbitmqctl encode '<<"guest">>' mypassphrase

--cipher cipher --hash hash --iterations iterations

Options to specify the encryption settings. They can be used independently.

For example:

rabbitmqctl encode --cipher blowfish_cfb64 --hash sha256 --iterations 10000 '<<"guest">>' mypassphrase

set_cluster_name name

Sets the cluster name to name. The cluster name is announced to clients on connection, and used by the federation and shovel plugins to record where a message has been. The cluster name is by default derived from the hostname of the first node in the cluster, but can be changed.

For example, this sets the cluster name to “london”:

rabbitmqctl set_cluster_name london

set_disk_free_limit disk_limit

disk_limit

Lower bound limit as an integer in bytes or a string with memory unit symbols (see vm_memory_high_watermark), e.g. 512M or 1G. Once free disk space reaches the limit, a disk alarm will be set.

set_disk_free_limit mem_relative fraction

fraction

Limit relative to the total amount available RAM as a non-negative floating point number. Values lower than 1.0 can be dangerous and should be used carefully.

set_log_level [log_level]

Sets log level in the running node

Supported type values are:

• debug
• info
• warning
• error
• none

Example:

rabbitmqctl set_log_level debug

set_vm_memory_high_watermark fraction

fraction

The new memory threshold fraction at which flow control is triggered, as a floating point number greater than or equal to 0.

set_vm_memory_high_watermark [absolute] memory_limit

memory_limit

The new memory limit at which flow control is triggered, expressed in bytes as an integer number greater than or equal to 0 or as a string with memory unit symbol(e.g. 512M or 1G). Available unit symbols are:

k, kiB

kibibytes (2^10 bytes)

M, MiB

mebibytes (2^20 bytes)

G, GiB

gibibytes (2^30 bytes)

kB

kilobytes (10^3 bytes)

MB

megabytes (10^6 bytes)

GB

gigabytes (10^9 bytes)

Feature flags

enable_feature_flag feature_flag

Enables a feature flag on the target node.

Example:

rabbitmqctl enable_feature_flag quorum_queue

You can also enable all feature flags by specifying "all":

rabbitmqctl enable_feature_flag all

list_feature_flags [column ...]

Lists feature flags

Supported column values are:

• name
• state
• stability
• provided_by
• desc
• doc_url

Example:

rabbitmqctl list_feature_flags name state

Connection Operations

close_all_connections [-p vhost] [--global] [--per-connection-delay delay] [--limit limit] explanation

-p vhost

The name of the virtual host for which connections should be closed. Ignored when --global is specified.

--global

If connections should be close for all vhosts. Overrides -p

--per-connection-delay delay

Time in milliseconds to wait after each connection closing.

--limit limit

Number of connection to close. Only works per vhost. Ignored when --global is specified.

explanation

Explanation string.

Instructs the broker to close all connections for the specified vhost or entire RabbitMQ node.

For example, this command instructs the RabbitMQ broker to close 10 connections on “qa_env” vhost, passing the explanation “Please close”:

rabbitmqctl close_all_connections -p qa_env --limit 10 'Please close'

This command instructs broker to close all connections to the node:

rabbitmqctl close_all_connections --global

close_connection connectionpid explanation

connectionpid

Id of the Erlang process associated with the connection to close.

explanation

Explanation string.

Instructs the broker to close the connection associated with the Erlang process id connectionpid (see also the list_connections command), passing the explanation string to the connected client as part of the AMQP connection shutdown protocol.

For example, this command instructs the RabbitMQ broker to close the connection associated with the Erlang process id “<rabbit@tanto.4262.0>”, passing the explanation “go away” to the connected client:

rabbitmqctl close_connection “<rabbit@tanto.4262.0>” “go away”

Misc

eval expression

Evaluates an Erlang expression on the target node

Queue Operations

delete_queue queue_name [--if-empty | -e] [--if-unused | -u]

queue_name

The name of the queue to delete.

--if-empty

Delete the queue if it is empty (has no messages ready for delivery)

--if-unused

Delete the queue only if it has no consumers

Deletes a queue.

purge_queue [-p vhost] queue

queue

The name of the queue to purge.

Purges a queue (removes all messages in it).

Shovel plugin

shovel_status

Prints a list of configured Shovels

delete_shovel [-p vhost] name

Instructs the RabbitMQ node to delete the configured shovel by name.

Federation plugin

federation_status [--only-down]

Prints a list of federation links.

--only-down

Only list federation links which are not running.

restart_federation_link link_id

Instructs the RabbitMQ node to restart the federation link with specified link_id.

AMQP 1.0 plugin

list_amqp10_connections [amqp10_connectioninfoitem ...]

Similar to the list_connections command, but returns fields which make sense for AMQP-1.0 connections. amqp10_connectioninfoitem parameter is used to indicate which connection information items to include in the results. The column order in the results will match the order of the parameters. amqp10_connectioninfoitem can take any value from the list that follows:

pid

Id of the Erlang process associated with the connection.

auth_mechanism

SASL authentication mechanism used, such as “PLAIN”.

host

Server hostname obtained via reverse DNS, or its IP address if reverse DNS failed or was disabled.

frame_max

Maximum frame size (bytes).

timeout

Connection timeout / negotiated heartbeat interval, in seconds.

user

Username associated with the connection.

state

Connection state; one of:

• starting
• waiting_amqp0100
• securing
• running
• blocking
• blocked
• closing
• closed

recv_oct

Octets received.

recv_cnt

Packets received.

send_oct

Octets send.

send_cnt

Packets sent.

ssl

Boolean indicating whether the connection is secured with SSL.

ssl_protocol

SSL protocol (e.g. “tlsv1”).

ssl_key_exchange

SSL key exchange algorithm (e.g. “rsa”).

ssl_cipher

SSL cipher algorithm (e.g. “aes_256_cbc”).

ssl_hash

SSL hash function (e.g. “sha”).

peer_cert_subject

The subject of the peer's SSL certificate, in RFC4514 form.

peer_cert_issuer

The issuer of the peer's SSL certificate, in RFC4514 form.

peer_cert_validity

The period for which the peer's SSL certificate is valid.

node

The node name of the RabbitMQ node to which connection is established.

MQTT plugin

list_mqtt_connections [mqtt_connectioninfoitem]

Similar to the list_connections command, but returns fields which make sense for MQTT connections. mqtt_connectioninfoitem parameter is used to indicate which connection information items to include in the results. The column order in the results will match the order of the parameters. mqtt_connectioninfoitem can take any value from the list that follows:

host

Server hostname obtained via reverse DNS, or its IP address if reverse DNS failed or was disabled.

port

Server port.

peer_host

Peer hostname obtained via reverse DNS, or its IP address if reverse DNS failed or was not enabled.

peer_port

Peer port.

protocol

MQTT protocol version, which can be on of the following:

• {'MQTT', N/A}
• {'MQTT', 3.1.0}
• {'MQTT', 3.1.1}

channels

Number of channels using the connection.

channel_max

Maximum number of channels on this connection.

frame_max

Maximum frame size (bytes).

client_properties

Informational properties transmitted by the client during connection establishment.

ssl

Boolean indicating whether the connection is secured with SSL.

ssl_protocol

SSL protocol (e.g. “tlsv1”).

ssl_key_exchange

SSL key exchange algorithm (e.g. “rsa”).

ssl_cipher

SSL cipher algorithm (e.g. “aes_256_cbc”).

ssl_hash

SSL hash function (e.g. “sha”).

conn_name

Readable name for the connection.

connection_state

Connection state; one of:

• starting
• running
• blocked

connection

Id of the Erlang process associated with the internal amqp direct connection.

consumer_tags

A tuple of consumer tags for QOS0 and QOS1.

message_id

The last Packet ID sent in a control message.

client_id

MQTT client identifier for the connection.

clean_sess

MQTT clean session flag.

will_msg

MQTT Will message sent in CONNECT frame.

exchange

Exchange to route MQTT messages configured in rabbitmq_mqtt application environment.

ssl_login_name

SSL peer cert auth name

retainer_pid

Id of the Erlang process associated with retain storage for the connection.

user

Username associated with the connection.

vhost

Virtual host name with non-ASCII characters escaped as in C.

STOMP plugin

list_stomp_connections [stomp_connectioninfoitem]

Similar to the list_connections command, but returns fields which make sense for STOMP connections. stomp_connectioninfoitem parameter is used to indicate which connection information items to include in the results. The column order in the results will match the order of the parameters. stomp_connectioninfoitem can take any value from the list that follows:

conn_name

Readable name for the connection.

connection

Id of the Erlang process associated with the internal amqp direct connection.

connection_state

Connection state; one of:

• running
• blocking
• blocked

session_id

STOMP protocol session identifier

channel

AMQP channel associated with the connection

version

Negotiated STOMP protocol version for the connection.

implicit_connect

Indicates if the connection was established using implicit connect (without CONNECT frame)

auth_login

Effective username for the connection.

auth_mechanism

STOMP authorization mechanism. Can be one of:

• config
• ssl
• stomp_headers

port

Server port.

host

Server hostname obtained via reverse DNS, or its IP address if reverse DNS failed or was not enabled.

peer_port

Peer port.

peer_host

Peer hostname obtained via reverse DNS, or its IP address if reverse DNS failed or was not enabled.

protocol

STOMP protocol version, which can be on of the following:

• {'STOMP', 0}
• {'STOMP', 1}
• {'STOMP', 2}

channels

Number of channels using the connection.

channel_max

Maximum number of channels on this connection.

frame_max

Maximum frame size (bytes).

client_properties

Informational properties transmitted by the client during connection

ssl

Boolean indicating whether the connection is secured with SSL.

ssl_protocol

TLS protocol (e.g. “tlsv1”).

ssl_key_exchange

TLS key exchange algorithm (e.g. “rsa”).

ssl_cipher

TLS cipher algorithm (e.g. “aes_256_cbc”).

ssl_hash

SSL hash function (e.g. “sha”).

Management agent plugin

reset_stats_db [--all]

Reset management stats database for the RabbitMQ node.

--all

Reset stats database for all nodes in the cluster.