Import broker definitions into Dockerized RabbitMQ - docker

Question

I have a RabbitMQ broker with some exchanges and queues already defined. I know I can export and import these definitions via the HTTP API. I want to Dockerize it, and have all the broker definitions imported when it starts.
Ideally, it would be done as easily as it is done via the API. I could write a bunch of rabbitmqctl commands, but with a lot of definitions this might take quite a some time. Also, every change somebody else makes through the web interface will have to be inserted.
I have managed to do what I want by writing a script that sleeps a curl request and starts the server, but this seems to be error prone and really not elegant. Are there any better ways to do definition importing/exporting
, or is this the best that can be done?
My Dockerfile:
FROM rabbitmq:management
LABEL description="Rabbit image" version="0.0.1"
ADD init.sh /init.sh
ADD rabbit_e6f2965776b0_2015-7-14.json /rabbit_config.json
CMD ["/init.sh"]
init.sh
sleep 10 && curl -i -u guest:guest -d #/rabbit_config.json -H "content-type:application/json" http://localhost:15672/api/definitions -X POST &
rabbitmq-server $#

Answer 1

Export definitions using rabbitmqadmin export rabbit.definitions.json.
Add them inside the image using your Dockerfile: ADD rabbit.definitions.json /tmp/rabbit.definitions.json
Add an environment variable when starting the container, for example, using docker-compose.yml:
environment:
- RABBITMQ_SERVER_ADDITIONAL_ERL_ARGS=-rabbitmq_management load_definitions "/tmp/rabbit.definitions.json"

Answer 2

There is a simple way to upload definitions to Docker container.
Use preconfigured node to export the definitions to json file.
Then move this file to the same folder where you have the Dockerfile and create a rabbitmq.config in the same folder too. Here is the context of rabbitmq.config:
[
{ rabbit, [
{ loopback_users, [ ] },
{ tcp_listeners, [ 5672 ] },
{ ssl_listeners, [ ] },
{ hipe_compile, false }
] },
{ rabbitmq_management, [ { listener, [
{ port, 15672 },
{ ssl, false }
] },
{ load_definitions, "/etc/rabbitmq/definitions.json" }
] }
].
Then prepare an appropriate Dockerfile:
FROM rabbitmq:3.6.14-management-alpine
ADD definitions.json /etc/rabbitmq
ADD rabbitmq.config /etc/rabbitmq
EXPOSE 4369 5672 25672 15672
The definitions will be loaded during image build. When you run the container all definitions will be already applied.

Answer 3

You could start your container with RabbitMQ, configure the resources (queues, exchanges, bindings) and then commit your configured container as a new image. This image can be used to start new containers.
More details at https://docs.docker.com/articles/basics/#committing-saving-a-container-state

Answer 4

I am not sure that this is an option, but the absolute easiest way to handle this situation is to periodically create a new, empty RabbitMQ container and have it join the first container as part of the RabbitMQ cluster. The configuration of the queues will be copied to the second container.
Then, you can stop the container and create a versioned image in your docker repository of the new container using docker commit. This process will only save the changes that you have made to your image, and then it would enable you to not have to worry about re-importing the configuration each time. You would just have to get the latest image to have the latest configuration!

Answer 5

Modern releases support definition import directly in the core, without the need to preconfigure the management plugin.
# New in RabbitMQ 3.8.2.
# Does not require management plugin to be enabled.
load_definitions = /path/to/definitions/file.json
From Schema Definition Export and Import RabbitMQ documentation.

Answer 6

If you use official rabbitmq image you can mount definition file in /etc/rabbitmq shown as below, rabbitmq will load this definitions on when daemon started
docker run -v ./your_local_definitions_file.json:/etc/rabbitmq/definitions.json ......