Using On-Demand RabbitMQ for PCF

Note: RabbitMQ for Pivotal Cloud Foundry (PCF) v1.13 is no longer supported because it has reached the End of General Support phase. To stay up to date with the latest software and security updates, upgrade to a supported version.

This topic provides instructions for developers on how to use the on-demand RabbitMQ service for their Pivotal Cloud Foundry (PCF) apps. RabbitMQ enables messaging between cloud-based servers, apps and devices.

These procedures use the Cloud Foundry Command-Line Interface (cf CLI). You can also use Apps Manager to perform the same tasks using a graphical UI.

For general information, see Managing Service Instances with the cf CLI.

Prerequisites

To use on-demand RabbitMQ for PCF with your PCF apps, you need:

Developer Guide

Entries in the VCAP_SERVICES Environment Variable

Apps running in Cloud Foundry gain access to the bound service instances via an environment variable credentials hash called VCAP_SERVICES. An example hash is shown below:

{
    "p-rabbitmq": [{
        "credentials": {
            "dashboard_url": "http://pivotal-rabbitmq.your.pcf.example.com/#/login/b5d0ad14-4352-48e8-8982-d5b1d257029f/tavk86pnnns1ddiqpsdtbchurn",
            "username": "b5d0ad14-4352-48e8-8982-d5b1d257029f",
            "password": "tavk86pnnns1ddiqpsdtbchurn",
            "protocols": {
                "amqp": {
                    "password": "tavk86pnnns1ddiqpsdtbchurn",
                    "username": "b5d0ad14-4352-48e8-8982-d5b1d257029f",
                    "uris": [
                        "amqp://b5d0ad14-4352-48e8-8982-d5b1d257029f:tavk86pnnns1ddiqpsdtbchurn@10.0.0.41:5672/62e5ab21-7b38-44ac-b139-6aa97af01cd7",
                        "amqp://b5d0ad14-4352-48e8-8982-d5b1d257029f:tavk86pnnns1ddiqpsdtbchurn@10.0.0.51:5672/62e5ab21-7b38-44ac-b139-6aa97af01cd7"
                    ]
                }
            }
        }
    }]
}

For more information about the environment variable VCAP_SERVICES, see RabbitMQ Environment Variables.

The Create-Bind Process

Because every app and service in PCF is scoped to a space, an app can only use a service if an instance of the service exists in the same space.

To use RabbitMQ in a PCF app:

  1. Use the cf CLI or Apps Manager to log into the org and space that contains the app.

  2. Make sure an instance of the RabbitMQ for PCF service exists in the same space as the app.

    • If the space does not already have a RabbitMQ for PCF instance, create one.
    • If the space already has a Rabbit for PCF instance, you can bind your app to the existing instance or create a new instance to bind to your app.

  3. Bind the app to the RabbitMQ for PCF service instance, to enable the app to use RabbitMQ.

Confirm Service Availability

For an app to use a service, 1) the service must be available in the Marketplace for its space and 2) an instance of the service must exist in its space.

You can confirm both of these using the cf CLI as follows.

  1. To find out if On-Demand RabbitMQ for PCF service is available in the Marketplace:

    1. Enter cf marketplace
    2. If the output lists ondemand-rabbitmq in the service column, on-demand RabbitMQ for PCF is available. If it is not available, ask your operator to install it.
    $ cf marketplace
Getting services from marketplace in org my-org / space my-space as user@example.com...
OK
service             plans      description
[...]
ondemand-rabbitmq   Solo       RabbitMQ Service
[...]

  2. To confirm that an On-Demand RabbitMQ for PCF instance is running in the space

    1. Enter cf services
    2. Any ondemand-rabbitmq listings in the service column are service instances of on-demand RabbitMQ in the space.
    $ cf services
Getting services in org my-org / space my-space as user@example.com...
OK
name          service            plan    bound apps    last operation
my-instance   ondemand-rabbitmq  Solo                  create succeeded

    You can bind your app to an existing instance or create a new instance to bind to your app.

Create a Service Instance

Unlike pre-provisioned services, on-demand services are created asynchronously, not immediately. The watch command shows you when your service instance is ready to bind and use.

To create an instance of the on-demand RabbitMQ for PCF service, run cf create-service:

  1. Enter cf create-service ondemand-rabbitmq Solo SERVICE-INSTANCE

    Where SERVICE-INSTANCE is a name you choose to identify the service instance. This name will appear under service [sic] in output from cf services.

  2. Enter watch cf services and wait for the last operation for your instance to show as create succeeded.

    $ cf create-service ondemand-rabbitmq Solo my-instance
    
Creating service my-instance in org my-org / space my-space as user@example.com...
OK
    
$ watch cf services
    
Getting services in org my-org / space my-space as user@example.com...
OK
name          service            plan    bound apps    last operation
my-instance   ondemand-rabbitmq  Solo                  create succeeded

    If you get an error, see Troubleshooting Instances.

Using Transport Layer Security (TLS)

To use TLS to secure communication between your apps and RabbitMQ service instances, you must complete these procedures:

  1. Configure TLS for Your Service Instance
  2. Update your apps to use encrypted communication using one of these procedures:

Configure TLS for Your Service Instance

To secure the communication between your app and a RabbitMQ service instance, you must enable TLS on the service instance. You cannot disable TLS after it is enabled.

The operator must enable TLS in the Security for On-Demand Plans tab before you can use this feature. For more information, see Configure Security.

Note: If you enable TLS for a service instance, you can no longer connect to it without using TLS.

To use TLS for a service instance, follow the steps below.

  1. Follow these steps to find the IP addresses of the RabbitMQ nodes:

    1. Create a service key by running the following command:

      cf create-service-key MY-INSTANCE MY-KEY

      Where:

      • MY-INSTANCE is the name you chose when you created your service instance.
      • MY-KEY is a name you choose for the service key.

    2. Display the service key by running:

      cf service-key MY-INSTANCE MY-KEY

    3. In the output of the previous command, find the IP addresses in the hostnames field.

    4. Delete the service key because it is no longer needed:

      cf delete-service-key MY-INSTANCE MY-KEY

  2. Update your service instance with a valid TLS certificate by running:

    cf update-service MY-INSTANCE -c '{"tls": [HOSTNAMES]}'

    Where:

    • HOSTNAMES is a comma-separated list of the IP addresses you found above.

    For example:

    $ cf update-service my-instance -c '{"tls": ["10.1.1.5", "10.1.1.6", "10.1.1.7"]}'

    Note: After the service instance has been updated to enable TLS, you cannot disable TLS or change the listed IP addresses for that service.

  3. Check that the process completed by running:

    cf service MY-INSTANCE

Activate TLS for Java and Spring Apps

Note: If your app is not written in Java or Spring, see Modifying Apps for TLS.

For an app to use TLS, you must update it to request encrypted communications when connecting to a RabbitMQ service instance. The procedure for updating your app depends on the app’s language and framework. Java and Spring apps automatically detect TLS.

To activate TLS for Java and Spring apps, do one of the following:

  • For apps that are not bound to an existing service instance, repush the apps with cf push.

  • For apps bound to an existing service instance, follow these steps:

    1. Stop the app. For example: 
      $ cf stop my-app
    2. Unbind the app from the service instance. For example: 
      $ cf unbind-service my-app my-service-instance
    3. Re-bind the app to the service instance. For example: 
      $ cf bind-service my-app my-service-instance
    4. Restart the app. For example: 
      $ cf restart my-app

Note: If the operator used a self-signed ceritificate, configure your app to use the same CA certificate, and valid certificate and key.

Bind a Service Instance to Your App

For an app to use a service, you must bind it to a service instance. Do this after you push or re-push the app using cf push.

To bind an app to a RabbitMQ instance run $ cf bind-service.

  1. Enter cf bind-service APP SERVICE-INSTANCE

    Where APP is the app you want to use the RabbitMQ service instance and SERVICE-INSTANCE is the name you supplied when you ran cf create-service.

    $ cf bind-service my-app my-instance
    
Binding service mydb to my-app in org my-org / space test as user@example.com...
OK
TIP: Use 'cf push' to ensure your env variable changes take effect

Use the RabbitMQ Service in Your App

To access the RabbitMQ service from your app:

  1. Run cf env APP-NAME with the name of the app bound to the RabbitMQ for PCF instance.

  2. In the output, note the connection strings listed in the VCAP_SERVICES > credentials object for the app.

  3. In your app code, call the RabbitMQ service using the connection strings.

For how to code your app to use RabbitMQ messaging, see About Using Pivotal RabbitMQ > Client Documentation in the RabbitMQ documentation.

Updating a Service Instance

If you bind a new service or change the service bindings, you need to run cf restart to update the VCAP_SERVICES environment variable in the application container.

  1. Enter cf restart-app APP

    Where APP is the app you want to use the updated service instance.

    $ cf restart my-app

Pushing new version of an app automatically restages and restarts the app on any service instances it is bound to.

Unbind a Service Instance to Your App

To stop an app from using a service it no longer needs, unbind it from the service instance using cf unbind-service.

  1. Enter cf unbind-service APP SERVICE-INSTANCE

    Where APP is the app you want to stop using the RabbitMQ service instance and SERVICE-INSTANCE is the name you supplied when you ran cf create-service.

    $ cf unbind-service my-app my-instance
    
Unbinding app my-app from service my-instance in org my-org / space my-space as user@example.com...
OK

Delete a Service Instance

To delete a service instance, run cf delete-service.

  1. Enter cf delete-service SERVICE-INSTANCE

    Where SERVICE-INSTANCE is the name of the service to delete.

    $ cf delete-service my-instance
    
Are you sure you want to delete the service my-instance ? y
Deleting service my-service in org my-org / space my-space as user@example.com...
OK

  2. Enter watch cf service SERVICE-INSTANCE and wait for a Service instance not found error indicating that the instance no longer exists.

You cannot delete a service instance that an app is bound to.

Create an Admin User for a Service Instance

If you want to get admin privileges to the RabbitMQ Management UI, you can create an admin user for a service instance, and obtain user credentials that you can share with other app developers.

Both operators and app developers can use this procedure. For instructions, see Create an Admin User for a Service Instance.

Sharing Service Instances

In order to share service instances the feature-flag service_instance_sharing must be enabled by your Operator. You can then follow the documentation to share your service instances across Cloud Foundry Organizations and Spaces.

Federate Exchanges and Queues

You can federate exchanges and queues in RabbitMQ for PCF, as you would in any RabbitMQ deployment.

To federate exchanges and queues, do the following:

  1. Create a service key by following the instructions in Create an Admin User for a Service Instance.

    The output of the above procedure returns admin user credentials, along with other data.

  2. In the output from the above step, look for the uris array. It will have this pattern:

    {
...
"uri": "amqp://USERNAME:PASSWORD@IP_ADDRESS/VHOST",
"uris": [
"amqp://USERNAME:PASSWORD@IP_ADDRESS/VHOST"
],
...
}

    For example:

    {
...
"uri": "amqp://b5d0ad14-4352-48e8-8982-d5b1d257029f:passwordexample123456789@10.0.0.41:5672/62e5ab21-7b38-44ac-b139-6aa97af01cd7",
"uris": [
"amqp://b5d0ad14-4352-48e8-8982-d5b1d257029f:passwordexample123456789@10.0.0.41:5672/62e5ab21-7b38-44ac-b139-6aa97af01cd7",
"amqp://b5d0ad14-4352-48e8-8982-d5b1d257029f:passwordexample123456789@10.0.0.51:5672/62e5ab21-7b38-44ac-b139-6aa97af01cd7"]},
...
}

  3. Set up federation as you normally would, using the RabbitMQ Management UI or API, with the URIs found in the uris array you got from the step above.

    For instructions on federation, see the RabbitMQ documentation.

Shovel Exchanges and Queues

You can shovel exchanges and queues in RabbitMQ for PCF, as you would in any RabbitMQ deployment.

To shovel exchanges and queues, do the following:

  1. Create a service key by following the instructions in Create an Admin User for a Service Instance.

    The output of the above procedure returns admin user credentials, along with other data.

  2. In the output from the above step, look for the uris array. It will have this pattern:

    {
...
"uri": "amqp://USERNAME:PASSWORD@IP_ADDRESS/VHOST",
"uris": [
"amqp://USERNAME:PASSWORD@IP_ADDRESS/VHOST"
],
...
}

    For example:

    {
...
"uri": "amqp://b5d0ad14-4352-48e8-8982-d5b1d257029f:passwordexample123456789@10.0.0.41:5672/62e5ab21-7b38-44ac-b139-6aa97af01cd7",
"uris": [
"amqp://b5d0ad14-4352-48e8-8982-d5b1d257029f:passwordexample123456789@10.0.0.41:5672/62e5ab21-7b38-44ac-b139-6aa97af01cd7",
"amqp://b5d0ad14-4352-48e8-8982-d5b1d257029f:passwordexample123456789@10.0.0.51:5672/62e5ab21-7b38-44ac-b139-6aa97af01cd7"]},
...
}

  3. Set up shovel as you normally would, using the RabbitMQ Management UI or API, with the URIs found in the uris array you got from the step above.

    For shovel instructions, see the RabbitMQ documentation. At the moment, RabbitMQ for PCF only supports Dynamic Shovels.