Install Apache ActiveMQ on AlmaLinux 8 with Easy Steps

This guide will teach you to Install Apache ActiveMQ on AlmaLinux 8 and Access To Apache ActiveMQ web console. In simple words, Apache ActiveMQ is a popular, open-source, broker, multi-protocol messaging server that is written in Java. It is crucial for building robust and scalable messaging applications.

Here are some fantastic features of Apache ActiveMQ:

• Multi-Protocol Support: ActiveMQ supports various messaging protocols like AMQP, MQTT, STOMP, and OpenWire.
• JMS Compliance: It is fully compliant with the Java Message Service (JMS) API.
• Clustering: ActiveMQ supports clustering for high availability and scalability.
• Message Persistence: It provides various options for message persistence, including JDBC and file-based storage.
• Web Console: ActiveMQ offers a web-based administration console for monitoring and managing the broker.

Now proceed to the following steps on the Orcacore website to start your Apache ActiveMQ installation. Let’s begin to Install Apache ActiveMQ on AlmaLinux 8.

Complete Guide To Install Apache ActiveMQ on AlmaLinux 8

To complete your Apache ActiveMQ installation, you need some requirements:

Requirements for Apache ActiveMQ Setup

You must have access to your server as a non-root user with sudo privileges and set up a basic firewall. To do this, you can follow our guide on Initial Server Setup with AlmaLinux 8.

Because Apache ActiveMQ is written in Java, you must have Java installed on your server. For this purpose, you can use this guide on Set up OpenJDK 19 on AlmaLinux 8.

Also, you need to put your SELinux in permissive mode. To do this, you can check this guide on Disable SELinux on AlmaLinux.

Now follow the steps below to complete your Apache ActiveMQ installation and access your admin console.

Step 1 – Download Apache ActiveMQ Binary Package for Linux

At this point, you need to visit the Apache ActiveMQ downloads page and get the latest binary package for Linux by using the following wget command:

sudo wget https://dlcdn.apache.org//activemq/5.18.1/apache-activemq-5.18.1-bin.tar.gz

Then, extract your downloaded file by using the command below:

sudo tar xvf apache-activemq-5.18.1-bin.tar.gz

After that, you need to move your ActiveMQ directory to the /opt directory with the following command:

sudo mv apache-activemq-*/ /opt/apache-activemq

You can use the following command to list your ActiveMQ directory:

ls -lh /opt/apache-activemq/

In your output you will see:

**Output**
total 11M
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root  11M Apr 10 01:10 activemq-all-5.18.1.jar
drwxr-xr-x 5 root root 4.0K Jun  3 06:00 bin
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4.0K Jun  3 06:00 conf
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4.0K Jun  3 06:00 data
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4.0K Jun  3 06:00 docs
drwxr-xr-x 7 root root 4.0K Apr 10 01:10 examples
drwxr-xr-x 6 root root 4.0K Jun  3 06:00 lib
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  40K Apr 10 01:10 LICENSE
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 3.3K Apr 10 01:10 NOTICE
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2.6K Apr 10 01:10 README.txt
drwxr-xr-x 6 root root 4.0K Jun  3 06:00 webapps
drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 4.0K Jun  3 06:00 webapps-demo

Step 2 – Create a systemd Unit File for Apache ActiveMQ

To manage your ActiveMQ service on AlmaLinux 8, you need to create a systemd unit file for ActiveMQ.

First, you need to create an ActiveMQ user to run the service by using the command below:

sudo useradd activemq

Set the correct permissions for the ActiveMQ directory with the ActiveMQ user:

sudo chown -R activemq:activemq /opt/apache-activemq/

Then, use the following command to create your ActiveMQ systemd unit file:

Here we use the vi editor, you can use your favorite text editor.

sudo vi /etc/systemd/system/apache-activemq.service

Add the following content to the file:

[Unit]
Description=Apache ActiveMQ Messaging Server
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=forking
User=activemq
Group=activemq

ExecStart=/opt/apache-activemq/bin/activemq start
ExecStop=/opt/apache-activemq/bin/activemq stop

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

When you are done, save and close the file.

Next, reload the system daemon with the following command:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload

Now you can run the commands below to start and enable your Apache ActiveMQ service:

# sudo systemctl enable apache-activemq.service
# sudo systemctl start apache-activemq.service

Verify your ActiveMQ is running and active on AlmaLinux 8 by using the following command:

sudo systemctl status apache-activemq.service

**Output**
   Loaded: loaded (/etc/systemd/system/apache-activemq.service; enabled; vendor>
   Active: **active** (**running**) since Sat 2023-06-03 06:34:06 EDT; 5s ago
  Process: 49118 ExecStart=/opt/apache-activemq/bin/activemq start (code=exited>
 Main PID: 49189 (java)
    Tasks: 48 (limit: 23668)
   Memory: 179.3M
   CGroup: /system.slice/apache-activemq.service
           └─49189 /usr/bin/java -Xms64M -Xmx1G -Djava.util.logging.config.fi
...

Step 3 – Change ActiveMQ Admin Password on AlmaLinux 8

At this point, you need to change the default ActiveMQ admin user password on AlmaLinux 8. Open the ActiveMQ config file by using the command below:

sudo vi /opt/apache-activemq/conf/jetty-realm.properties

Now you need to change the following lines with your desired password as shown below:

# username: password [,rolename ...]
admin: adminpassword, admin
user: userpassword, user

When you are done, save and close the file.

Then, restart your ActiveMQ service to apply the changes:

sudo systemctl restart apache-activemq

Step 4 – Configure Nginx as a Reverse Proxy for Apache ActiveMQ

At this point, we use Nginx as a reverse proxy for ActiveMQ on AlmaLinux 8.

First, install the Nginx web server with the following command:

sudo dnf install nginx -y

Then, create a new Nginx virtual host configuration file for ActiveMQ with the following command:

vi /etc/nginx/conf.d/activemq.conf

Add the following content to the file:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name your-server-ip;
    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8161;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection 'upgrade';
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_cache_bypass $http_upgrade;
     }
}

When you are done, save and close the file.

Next, check Nginx for any syntax error with the following command:

nginx -t

**Output**
nginx: the configuration file /etc/nginx/nginx.conf syntax is ok
nginx: configuration file /etc/nginx/nginx.conf test is successful

Finally, start and enable Nginx with the following commands:

# sudo systemctl start nginx
# sudo systemctl enable nginx

Step 5 – Configure Firewall for ActiveMQ on AlmaLinux 8

At this point, you need to allow ports 80 and 8161 through firewalld. To do these, run the commands below:

sudo firewall-cmd --zone=public --permanent --add-port=8161/tcp
sudo firewall-cmd --zone=public --permanent --add-port=80/tcp

Next, reload the firewalld to apply the changes:

sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Step 6 – How To Access Apache ActiveMQ Admin Console?

At this point, you can access your ActiveMQ admin console by typing your server’s IP address in your web browser:

http://your-server-ip

You will see the following screen. Enter your Admin user and password that you have defined in step 3 and click sign in.

Then, you need to click on Manage ActiveMQ broker:

Next, you will see your ActiveMQ admin console as shown below:

That’s it you are done.

Conclusion

At this point, you have learned to Install Apache ActiveMQ on AlmaLinux 8 by installing Java, creating a systemd unit file, configuring Nginx as a reverse proxy, and accessing To Apache ActiveMQ web console. We have successfully Install Apache ActiveMQ on AlmaLinux 8.

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Alternative Solutions for Installing Apache ActiveMQ on AlmaLinux 8

While the above steps provide a manual installation method, here are two alternative solutions that simplify the process and enhance manageability:

1. Using Docker Compose

Docker Compose allows you to define and manage multi-container Docker applications. This method encapsulates ActiveMQ and its dependencies within a container, simplifying deployment and ensuring consistency across environments.

Explanation:

1. Docker Installation: Ensure Docker and Docker Compose are installed on your AlmaLinux 8 system.
2. Create a Docker Compose File: Define the ActiveMQ service in a docker-compose.yml file.
3. Run Docker Compose: Execute docker-compose up -d to start the ActiveMQ container.

Code Example (docker-compose.yml):

version: '3.8'
services:
  activemq:
    image: rmohr/activemq:latest
    ports:
      - "8161:8161" # Web console
      - "61616:61616" # AMQP, STOMP, OpenWire
    environment:
      ACTIVEMQ_ADMIN_USER: admin
      ACTIVEMQ_ADMIN_PASSWORD: adminpassword
    volumes:
      - activemq_data:/opt/activemq/data
volumes:
  activemq_data:

Steps:

1. Save the above content in a file named docker-compose.yml.
2. Run docker-compose up -d in the same directory as the docker-compose.yml file.
3. Access the ActiveMQ web console at http://your-server-ip:8161 with the username admin and the password adminpassword.

This approach is advantageous because it isolates ActiveMQ from the host system, making updates and migrations easier. It also ensures consistent behavior across different environments. Furthermore, Docker Compose simplifies the management of related services, such as databases or other messaging components.

2. Using Ansible Playbook

Ansible is an automation tool that allows you to define infrastructure as code. Using an Ansible playbook, you can automate the entire installation process of ActiveMQ, making it repeatable and consistent across multiple servers.

Explanation:

1. Ansible Installation: Ensure Ansible is installed on your control machine (the machine from which you’ll run the playbook).
2. Create an Ansible Playbook: Define the tasks required to install ActiveMQ in a YAML file.
3. Run the Playbook: Execute the playbook against your target AlmaLinux 8 server.

Code Example (activemq_install.yml):

---
- hosts: your_target_server
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Install Java
      dnf:
        name: java-11-openjdk-devel
        state: present

    - name: Download ActiveMQ
      get_url:
        url: https://dlcdn.apache.org//activemq/5.18.1/apache-activemq-5.18.1-bin.tar.gz
        dest: /tmp/apache-activemq-5.18.1-bin.tar.gz

    - name: Extract ActiveMQ
      unarchive:
        src: /tmp/apache-activemq-5.18.1-bin.tar.gz
        dest: /opt/
        creates: /opt/apache-activemq-5.18.1

    - name: Rename ActiveMQ directory
      command: mv /opt/apache-activemq-5.18.1 /opt/apache-activemq
      args:
        creates: /opt/apache-activemq

    - name: Create ActiveMQ user
      user:
        name: activemq
        state: present

    - name: Set ActiveMQ directory permissions
      file:
        path: /opt/apache-activemq
        owner: activemq
        group: activemq
        recurse: yes

    - name: Create systemd unit file
      copy:
        dest: /etc/systemd/system/apache-activemq.service
        content: |
          [Unit]
          Description=Apache ActiveMQ Messaging Server
          After=network.target

          [Service]
          Type=forking
          User=activemq
          Group=activemq

          ExecStart=/opt/apache-activemq/bin/activemq start
          ExecStop=/opt/apache-activemq/bin/activemq stop

          [Install]
          WantedBy=multi-user.target
      notify: reload systemd

    - name: Enable and start ActiveMQ service
      systemd:
        name: apache-activemq
        enabled: yes
        state: started

  handlers:
    - name: reload systemd
      systemd:
        name: systemd-journald
        state: restarted

Steps:

1. Replace your_target_server with the IP address or hostname of your AlmaLinux 8 server in the activemq_install.yml file. Make sure you have configured SSH access to the target server from your control machine.
2. Run the playbook using the command: ansible-playbook activemq_install.yml -k -K (The -k and -K flags prompt for SSH password and become password respectively).
3. Access the ActiveMQ web console at http://your-server-ip:8161. Remember to change the default password as outlined in the original guide.

This Ansible playbook automates the installation of Java, downloading and extracting ActiveMQ, creating the user, setting permissions, creating the systemd unit file, and starting the service. This ensures a consistent and repeatable installation process. Ansible’s idempotency also means that running the playbook multiple times will not cause unintended changes, making it safe to re-run. Using Ansible provides better version control and documentation of your infrastructure setup.

These alternative methods offer more efficient and manageable approaches to deploying ActiveMQ on AlmaLinux 8, compared to the manual installation process.