[rabbitmq-discuss] RabbitMQ Configuration Files

[Simon MacMullen]

On 03/02/11 06:48, Lionel Cons wrote:
> Simon MacMullen<simon at rabbitmq.com>  writes:
>> ...but they don't contain anything about exchanges, bindings, queues,
>> users, vhosts or permissions. For that you can use rabbitmqctl or the
>> management plugin.
>
> So these two tools (rabbitmqctl and the management plugin with its CLI)
> seem to overlap significantly.

To some extent. They overlap in user / vhost management, and in the 
list_* commands.

It's possible that rabbitmqctl might in future lose the list_* commands, 
but I think they'll continue to both have user management - in the 
management plugin since that manages all sorts of other things, but in 
rabbitmqctl since that doesn't require you to authenticate as a Rabbit 
user and thus lets you get back in if you've locked yourself out.

> Will they continue to live and diverge or will you put the management
> plugin in the core and replace rabbitmqctl with the management CLI?

They will probably both continue to live, but maybe with rabbitmqctl 
becoming more stripped down.

Putting the management plugin in the core would be controversial since 
it would mean RabbitMQ growing a web server and there are various 
reasons why we're wary of that.

One possibility would be for the management plugin to grow an AMQP 
interface, which could be moved into the core. The plugin could then 
translate HTTP to AMQP. But this would be a lot of work for (IMHO) 
fairly marginal gain.

> How would you automate the installation a pre-configured broker: with a
> script calling rabbitmqctl or with a JSON file to be used by the
> management CLI?

I would suggest using the management plugin since rabbitmqctl can't 
create exchanges, queues or bindings. Which I should have made clearer 
in the other mail, sorry.

One thing I have wondered in the past is if there would be general 
interest in a configuration option for the management plugin which would 
make it restore a backup on startup. Since backups get merged on restore 
this would not wipe anything, but would allow you to ensure that a set 
of objects was always there.

Cheers, Simon

-- 
Simon MacMullen
Staff Engineer, RabbitMQ
SpringSource, a division of VMware