RabbitMQ is a powerful message broker that supports various messaging protocols. By default, RabbitMQ listens on port 5672 for AMQP and 15672 for HTTP management UI. However, there are situations where you might want to change these ports or set up a reverse proxy using Nginx for enhanced security or easier access. This guide will walk you through the process.

Changing RabbitMQ Ports

To change the default ports used by RabbitMQ, you need to modify the RabbitMQ configuration file.

Locate the RabbitMQ Configuration File

RabbitMQ configuration can be managed using its configuration file (rabbitmq.conf) or the advanced configuration file (advanced.config). The default location of these files depends on your operating system:

• Linux: /etc/rabbitmq/rabbitmq.conf
• Windows: %APPDATA%\RabbitMQ\rabbitmq.conf

If the file doesn’t exist, you may need to create it.

Modify the Configuration File

To change the default ports, add the following entries to rabbitmq.conf:

listeners.tcp.default = 5673
management.listener.port = 15673
    

Here:

• listeners.tcp.default changes the AMQP port.
• management.listener.port changes the HTTP management UI port.

Restart RabbitMQ

After saving the configuration file, restart RabbitMQ to apply the changes:

sudo systemctl restart rabbitmq-server
    

Or, if you’re using Windows:

rabbitmq-service stop
rabbitmq-service start
    

Setting Up a Reverse Proxy with Nginx

Reverse proxies improve security, load balancing, and ease of access. With Nginx, you can configure RabbitMQ’s ports to be accessible through standard HTTP or HTTPS ports (80/443).

Install Nginx

Install Nginx if it’s not already installed:

• On Ubuntu/Debian:

  sudo apt update && sudo apt install nginx

• On CentOS/RHEL:

  sudo yum install nginx

Configure Nginx for RabbitMQ

Edit or create a new configuration file for RabbitMQ under /etc/nginx/sites-available/ or /etc/nginx/conf.d/.

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name rabbitmq.example.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:15672;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
    }
}

server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name rabbitmq.example.com;

    ssl_certificate /path/to/ssl/certificate.crt;
    ssl_certificate_key /path/to/ssl/private.key;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:15672;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
    }
}
    

Enable the Nginx Configuration

For sites-available setups:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/rabbitmq.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
    

Test the configuration:

sudo nginx -t
    

Reload Nginx:

sudo systemctl reload nginx
    

Testing Your Setup

To test if everything is set up correctly:

• For HTTP: http://rabbitmq.example.com
• For HTTPS: https://rabbitmq.example.com

Verify port changes by using netstat or ss:

sudo netstat -tuln | grep 5673
    

Conclusion

By changing the RabbitMQ ports and setting up a reverse proxy with Nginx, you can better secure and optimize access to RabbitMQ services. This setup is particularly useful in production environments where security and scalability are critical.