---
title: RabbitMQ
metaTitle: RabbitMQ Integration Guide
description: Collect and monitor RabbitMQ metrics with OpenTelemetry Collector Contrib and visualize them in OpenObserve.
---

# Integration with RabbitMQ

This guide explains how to monitor **RabbitMQ** using the [OpenTelemetry Collector Contrib](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-contrib) (`otelcol-contrib`) and export metrics to **OpenObserve** for visualization.

## Overview

RabbitMQ is a lightweight, open-source message broker that supports the **AMQP protocol**. It powers distributed systems by handling messaging between producers and consumers.With OpenTelemetry and OpenObserve, you can collect, visualize, and alert on RabbitMQ metrics such as message throughput, consumer count, and queue depth.


## Steps to Integrate

:::accordion[Prerequisites]
- OpenObserve account ([Cloud](https://cloud.openobserve.ai/web/) or [Self-Hosted](../../getting-started.md))
- RabbitMQ running
:::

:::accordion[Step 1: Enable Management Plugin]

1. Enable management plugin:
    ```bash
    rabbitmq-plugins enable rabbitmq_management
    ```

2. Create monitoring user:

    ```bash
    rabbitmqctl add_user otel pass123
    rabbitmqctl set_user_tags otel monitoring
    rabbitmqctl set_permissions -p / otel ".*" ".*" ".*"
    ```

> **Note:** The RabbitMQ receiver supports versions `3.8`, `3.9` and above.
:::

:::accordion[Step 2: Install OpenTelemetry Collector Contrib]

Download and install the latest **otelcol-contrib**.

For macOS (ARM64 example):

```bash
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -fOL \
https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-releases/releases/download/v0.115.1/otelcol-contrib_0.115.1_darwin_arm64.tar.gz

tar -xvf otelcol-contrib_0.115.1_darwin_arm64.tar.gz
sudo mv otelcol-contrib /usr/local/bin/
```

Verify installation:

```bash
otelcol-contrib --version
```
:::

:::accordion[Step 3: Get OpenObserve URL and Access Key]

1. In OpenObserve: go to **Data Sources → Custom → Metrics → Otel Collector**
2. Copy the ingestion URL and Access Key  
![Get OpenObserve Ingestion URL and Access Key](../images/messagebroker/otel-metrics-source.png)
:::

:::accordion[Step 4: Configure OpenTelemetry Collector]

Create or edit the config file:

```yaml
receivers:
  rabbitmq:
    endpoint: http://localhost:15672
    username: otel
    password: pass123
    collection_interval: 30s
    tls:
      insecure: true
      insecure_skip_verify: true

processors:
  batch:
    send_batch_size: 10000
    timeout: 10s

exporters:
  otlphttp/openobserve:
    endpoint: OPENOBSERVE_ENDPOINT
    headers:
      Authorization: OPENOBSERVE_TOKEN
      stream-name: OPENOBSERVE_STREAM

service:
  pipelines:
    metrics:
      receivers: [rabbitmq]
      processors: [batch]
      exporters: [otlphttp/openobserve]
```

Replace the following with your OpenObserve details:

* `OPENOBSERVE_ENDPOINT` → API endpoint (e.g., `https://api.openobserve.ai`)
* `OPENOBSERVE_TOKEN` → API token
* `OPENOBSERVE_STREAM` → Stream name
:::

:::accordion[Step 5: Start OpenTelemetry Collector]

Run the collector:

```bash
otelcol-contrib --config otel-collector-config.yaml
```

Logs should confirm metrics are being collected.
:::

:::accordion[Step 6: Generate Test Metrics (Optional)]

1. Create a test queue
    ```
    rabbitmqadmin -u otel -p pass123 declare queue name=test-queue durable=true
    ```

2. Publish some test messages
    ```
    rabbitmqadmin -u otel -p pass123 publish exchange=amq.default routing_key=test-queue payload="hello1"
    rabbitmqadmin -u otel -p pass123 publish exchange=amq.default routing_key=test-queue payload="hello2"
    rabbitmqadmin -u otel -p pass123 publish exchange=amq.default routing_key=test-queue payload="hello3"
    ```

3. Consume messages
    ```
    rabbitmqadmin -u otel -p pass123 get queue=test-queue count=3
    ```
> Use your own username and password `rabbitmqadmin -u <username> -p <password>` based on user created in step1
:::

:::accordion[Step 7: Visualize in OpenObserve]

1. Go to **Streams** → search for RabbitMQ metrics → explore metrics.
![RabbitMQ Dashboard in OpenObserve](../images/messagebroker/rabbitmq-metrics.png)
:::


:::tip[Tip]

You can import **[prebuilt dashboards](https://github.com/openobserve/dashboards)** for quick monitoring.  
:::


## Troubleshooting

- **Collector fails to start**:  
  Ensure you are using `otelcol-contrib` (not core `otelcol`).
  
- **No metrics in OpenObserve**:  
  Double-check endpoint, token, and stream configuration.
  
- **Authentication errors**:  
  Verify user tags and permissions:  
  ```bash
  rabbitmqctl list_users
  rabbitmqctl list_user_permissions otel
    ```

- **Connection refused**:
  Ensure ports `5672` (AMQP) and `15672` (Management API) are open.