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Deploying a RabbitMQ App

Introduction

RabbitMQ is a popular open-source message broker supporting AMQP, MQTT, and STOMP. Deploying RabbitMQ with a Dockerfile on Klutch.sh provides reproducible builds, managed secrets, and persistent storage—all configured from klutch.sh/app. Because Klutch.sh routes one port per app, this guide uses two apps: one for the HTTP management UI and another for AMQP over TCP.

Prerequisites

  • A Klutch.sh account (sign up)
  • A GitHub repository containing your RabbitMQ Dockerfile (GitHub is the only supported git source)
  • Credentials for a RabbitMQ admin user

For onboarding, see the Quick Start.

Architecture and ports

  • Klutch.sh allows one port per app. Use two apps (same repo/image):
    • Management UI/API: HTTP on internal port 15672; choose HTTP traffic and set the internal port to 15672.
    • AMQP TCP: TCP on internal port 5672; choose TCP traffic and set the internal port to 5672. Clients connect to example-app.klutch.sh:8000 externally (Klutch TCP) mapped to internal 5672.
  • MQTT/STOMP ports are not exposed in this layout; focus on AMQP over TCP.

Repository layout

rabbitmq/
├── Dockerfile              # Must be at repo root for auto-detection
└── README.md

Keep secrets out of Git; store them in Klutch.sh environment variables.

Installation (local) and starter commands

Build and run locally:

Terminal window
docker build -t rabbitmq-local .
docker run -p 5672:5672 -p 15672:15672 \
  -e RABBITMQ_DEFAULT_USER=admin \
  -e RABBITMQ_DEFAULT_PASS=changeme \
  rabbitmq-local

Dockerfile for RabbitMQ (production-ready)

Place this at the repo root; Klutch.sh auto-detects Dockerfiles.

FROM rabbitmq:3-management


ENV RABBITMQ_DEFAULT_USER=admin
ENV RABBITMQ_DEFAULT_PASS=changeme


EXPOSE 5672 15672
CMD ["rabbitmq-server"]

Notes:

  • Pin to a specific tag (e.g., rabbitmq:3.12-management) for stability.
  • The image exposes AMQP on 5672 and management UI on 15672; align with your Klutch.sh apps.

Environment variables (Klutch.sh)

Set these before deploying:

  • RABBITMQ_DEFAULT_USER=<admin-user>
  • RABBITMQ_DEFAULT_PASS=<admin-password>
  • Optional: RABBITMQ_VM_MEMORY_HIGH_WATERMARK=0.6, RABBITMQ_DISK_FREE_LIMIT=2GB

If deploying without the Dockerfile and relying on Nixpacks:

  • NIXPACKS_START_CMD=rabbitmq-server

Attach persistent volumes

Add storage in Klutch.sh (path and size only):

  • /var/lib/rabbitmq — queues, exchanges, and message data.

Ensure the path is writable inside the container.

Deploy RabbitMQ on Klutch.sh (split-port workflow)

  1. Push your repository—with the Dockerfile at the root—to GitHub.
  2. Create the management app: choose HTTP traffic, set the internal port to 15672, add admin credentials, and attach a volume at /var/lib/rabbitmq.
  3. Deploy the management app and note its URL (e.g., https://example-app.klutch.sh); log in with your admin credentials.
  4. Create the AMQP app: choose TCP traffic, set the internal port to 5672, reuse the same repo/env, and attach the same storage path/size.
  5. Deploy the AMQP app. Connect AMQP clients to example-app.klutch.sh on external port 8000 with your credentials.

Sample API usage (management HTTP)

List queues:

Terminal window
curl -u admin:changeme https://example-app.klutch.sh/api/queues

Create a queue:

Terminal window
curl -u admin:changeme -X PUT \
  https://example-app.klutch.sh/api/queues/%2F/demo-queue \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"durable":true}'

Health checks and production tips

  • Use an HTTP readiness probe on /api/overview for the management app.
  • Keep admin credentials in Klutch.sh secrets; rotate regularly.
  • Monitor /var/lib/rabbitmq volume usage; resize before hitting limits.
  • Pin image versions and test upgrades in staging; back up definitions using rabbitmqctl export_definitions from a controlled environment.

RabbitMQ on Klutch.sh provides a reproducible Docker workflow, split management and AMQP endpoints for single-port routing, managed secrets, and persistent storage—without extra YAML or CI steps. Configure ports, credentials, and volumes, then start exchanging messages.