Vultr Guide: Installing Apache ActiveMQ on Ubuntu 20.04 Made Easy

Apache ActiveMQ is a widely-used, open-source message broker that facilitates communication between applications using various messaging protocols such as AMQP, STOMP, and MQTT. In this guide, we'll walk through the process of installing Apache activemq installation on an Ubuntu 20.04 server, utilizing the comprehensive instructions provided by Vultr Docs. 

Prerequisites

Before beginning the installation, ensure you have the following:

• A Vultr Ubuntu 20.04 server: Deploy a fresh instance from the Vultr control panel.
  
  


• Non-root user with sudo privileges: For security purposes, it's recommended to perform administrative tasks using a non-root user with sudo access.
  
  

Step 1: Install Java

Apache ActiveMQ requires Java to operate. To install OpenJDK 11:

Update the system package index:

sudo apt update

Install OpenJDK 11:

sudo apt install openjdk-11-jre -y

Verify the Java installation:

java -version

Ensure that the output displays the correct version of Java.

Step 2: Install and Configure Apache ActiveMQ

Download the latest version of Apache ActiveMQ:

wget 

Extract the downloaded tarball:

sudo tar -xvzf apache-activemq-5.16.3-bin.tar.gz

Create a directory for ActiveMQ:

sudo mkdir /opt/activemq

Move the extracted files to the new directory:

sudo mv apache-activemq-5.16.3/* /opt/activemq

Create a system group and user for ActiveMQ:

sudo addgroup --quiet --system activemq

sudo adduser --quiet --system --ingroup activemq --no-create-home --disabled-password activemq

Change ownership of the ActiveMQ directory:

sudo chown -R activemq:activemq /opt/activemq

Create a systemd service file for ActiveMQ:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/activemq.service

Add the following content:

[Unit]

Description=Apache ActiveMQ

After=network.target

 

[Service]

Type=forking

User=activemq

Group=activemq

ExecStart=/opt/activemq/bin/activemq start

ExecStop=/opt/activemq/bin/activemq stop

 

[Install]

WantedBy=multi-user.target

 

Save and close the file.

Reload systemd to apply the new service file:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload

Start the ActiveMQ service:

sudo systemctl start activemq

Enable ActiveMQ to start on boot:

sudo systemctl enable activemq

Check the status of the ActiveMQ service:

sudo systemctl status activemq

1.  Ensure that the service is active and running.
   
   

Step 3: Access the ActiveMQ Web Interface

By default, ActiveMQ's web interface listens only on localhost. To allow remote access:

Edit the Jetty configuration:

sudo nano /opt/activemq/conf/jetty.xml

Locate the following line:

<property name="host" value="127.0.0.1"/>

Change it to:

<property name="host" value="0.0.0.0"/>

1. Save and close the file.
   
   

Restart the ActiveMQ service:

sudo systemctl restart activemq

Now, you can access the ActiveMQ web interface by navigating to:http://<YourServerIP>:8161/admin/

 

Log in using the default credentials:

• Username: admin
  
  


• Password: admin

Conclusion

By following these steps, you have successfully installed and configured Apache ActiveMQ on your Ubuntu 20.04 server. This setup enables you to leverage ActiveMQ's messaging capabilities for your applications. For more detailed information and advanced configurations, refer to the official Vultr Docs.