RabbitMQ

The RabbitMQ source collects metrics and logs from a RabbitMQ broker. Metrics are scraped from the RabbitMQ Management plugin HTTP API using a monitoring user (consumer counts and message delivery, publish, acknowledge, drop, and current-message rates). Logs are read from the RabbitMQ log files on the collector host and optionally parsed into structured fields.

Supported Telemetry

Platform	Metrics	Logs	Traces
macOS	✓	✓
Linux	✓	✓
Windows	✓	✓

Prerequisites

Metrics

• A reachable RabbitMQ node with the RabbitMQ Management plugin enabled. The plugin exposes the HTTP API the receiver scrapes (default port 15672). Enable it with rabbitmq-plugins enable rabbitmq_management. See Management Plugin.
• A monitoring user. Create a dedicated RabbitMQ user and grant it the monitoring tag so it can read broker statistics without administrative rights. See Authentication, Authorisation, Access Control.
• Network reachability from the collector to the Management API endpoint (host and port).
• If the Management API is served over HTTPS, the TLS material to validate it (a CA certificate file, and a client certificate and key if mutual TLS is required).

Logs

• RabbitMQ writing its log files on the host where the collector runs. The default path is /var/log/rabbitmq/rabbit@*.log.
• Read access for the collector to those log file paths.

Configuration

Telemetry Type

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
Choose Telemetry Type	Telemetry Selector	No	["Logs", "Metrics"]	Which signals this source collects: Logs, Metrics, or both.

Logs

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
Log Paths	Strings	No	/var/log/rabbitmq/rabbit@*.log	Path to RabbitMQ log file(s). Glob patterns are supported. Relevant when Logs is selected.
Start At	Enum: beginning, end	No	end	Start reading logs from the beginning or end of the file. Relevant when Logs is selected.
Parse	Boolean	No	true	Parses the log fields into structured data. Relevant when Logs is selected.

Metrics

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
Endpoint	String	No	http://localhost:15672	The endpoint of the RabbitMQ Management API. Relevant when Metrics is selected.
Username	String	Yes	(empty)	Username used to authenticate to the Management API. Relevant when Metrics is selected.
Password	String	Yes	(empty)	Password used to authenticate to the Management API. Relevant when Metrics is selected.
Collection Interval	Integer	No	60	How often (seconds) to scrape for metrics. Relevant when Metrics is selected.

Advanced

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
Enable TLS	Boolean	No	false	Whether or not to use TLS when connecting to the Management API. Relevant when Metrics is selected.
Skip TLS Certificate Verification	Boolean	No	false	Skip verification of the server's TLS certificate. Relevant when Metrics is selected and Enable TLS is true.
TLS Certificate Authority File	String	No	(empty)	Certificate authority used to validate TLS certificates. Relevant when Metrics is selected and Enable TLS is true.
TLS Client Certificate File	String	No	(empty)	A TLS certificate used for client authentication, if mutual TLS is enabled. Relevant when Metrics is selected and Enable TLS is true.
TLS Client Private Key File	String	No	(empty)	A TLS private key used for client authentication, if mutual TLS is enabled. Relevant when Metrics is selected and Enable TLS is true.
Metrics	Metrics	No	[]	Toggle individual metrics on and off. Relevant when Metrics is selected.

Examples

Collect metrics and logs from a local RabbitMQ broker

This source scrapes the Management API at the default endpoint with a dedicated monitoring user every 30 seconds, and tails the default RabbitMQ log path.

apiVersion: bindplane.observiq.com/v1
kind: Source
metadata:
  name: rabbitmq
spec:
  type: rabbitmq
  parameters:
    - name: telemetry_types
      value: ["Logs", "Metrics"]
    - name: endpoint
      value: http://localhost:15672
    - name: username
      value: bindplane-monitor
    - name: password
      value: "<password>"
    - name: collection_interval
      value: 30
    - name: daemon_log_paths
      value:
        - "/var/log/rabbitmq/rabbit@*.log"
    - name: start_at
      value: end

Configuration Tips

• The Endpoint is the RabbitMQ Management API (default port 15672), not the AMQP port 5672. Use the URL where the Management plugin is served.
• Use a dedicated user with only the monitoring tag rather than an administrator account, so the collector has the access it needs and nothing more.
• When the Management API is served over HTTPS, set Enable TLS and provide a CA file. Only enable Skip TLS Certificate Verification for testing, never in production.

Troubleshooting

Connection refused or no metrics

Symptoms: the receiver cannot reach the endpoint, or no RabbitMQ metrics appear.

Solutions:

1. Confirm the Management plugin is enabled (rabbitmq-plugins list shows rabbitmq_management).
2. Verify the Endpoint host and port (default 15672) and that a firewall is not blocking the collector.

Authentication failed

Symptoms: the Management API returns 401 or 403 and no metrics are collected.

Solutions:

1. Verify the Username and Password are correct.
2. Confirm the user has the monitoring tag so it can read broker statistics.

TLS handshake errors

Symptoms: the connection fails with a certificate or TLS error when Enable TLS is on.

Solutions:

1. Provide a CA file that signs the Management API server certificate.
2. For mutual TLS, supply both the client certificate and private key files.

No logs collected

Symptoms: logs are enabled but none arrive.

Solutions:

1. Confirm the Log Paths match the broker's actual log files (default /var/log/rabbitmq/rabbit@*.log).
2. Verify the collector user has read access to those files.

Standalone Source

apiVersion: bindplane.observiq.com/v1
kind: Source
metadata:
  name: rabbitmq
spec:
  type: rabbitmq
  parameters:
    - name: telemetry_types
      value: ["Logs", "Metrics"]
    - name: endpoint
      value: http://localhost:15672
    - name: username
      value: bindplane-monitor
    - name: password
      value: "<password>"
    - name: collection_interval
      value: 60
    - name: enable_tls
      value: false
    - name: daemon_log_paths
      value:
        - "/var/log/rabbitmq/rabbit@*.log"
    - name: start_at
      value: end
    - name: parse
      value: true

Related Resources

• RabbitMQ Management Plugin
• RabbitMQ Monitoring
• rabbitmqreceiver — OpenTelemetry Collector Contrib