- Home
- Event Streaming Platforms
- Apache RocketMQ
Apache RocketMQ
What it is
Apache RocketMQ is open-source distributed middleware for asynchronous communication and publish/subscribe messaging. It can help decouple systems and move workloads between upstream and downstream services. Messaging options include publish/subscribe, request/reply, streaming, transactional messages, FIFO ordering, filtering, and push or pull consumption. The project lists durable persistence, replication, failover, built-in fault tolerance, high-availability options, and cross-region disaster recovery. Its site describes million-level LiteTopics per cluster and reports demonstrated throughput above 10M TPS. RocketMQ can run locally, in Docker, or Kubernetes, and downloads include source and binary packages. The ecosystem includes EventBridge, MQTT, RocketMQ Connect and Streams, Spring, Flink, Prometheus Exporter, and a Kubernetes Operator. The project lists gRPC SDKs for Java, Go, Python, C++, and Rust, while its README identifies gRPC, MQTT, JMS, and OpenMessaging protocols. It is free under the Apache License 2.0. Operators must configure ACL or limit access to trusted networks because ACL is not enabled by default. The quick-start guide specifies a 64-bit JDK 1.8 or later.
For and against
For
- Supports publish/subscribe, request/reply, and streaming
- Includes transactional messages and FIFO ordering
- Runs locally, in Docker, or Kubernetes
- Free under the Apache License 2.0
Against
- ACL is not enabled by default
- Quick start requires a 64-bit JDK 1.8 or later
- Operators must configure ACL or restrict network access
The verdict
RocketMQ offers a broad set of messaging patterns and deployment choices as free, self-hosted software. Operators should account for the JDK requirement and configure access controls or trusted-network restrictions.
Who it suits
RocketMQ suits developers and operators building asynchronous messaging systems who can run and configure self-hosted software. It offers messaging and deployment options for a range of environments.
Plans and prices
Apache RocketMQ open-source distribution
Self-hosted operation · operator-managed infrastructure · community documentation and support
Read 14 Oct 2026 · rocketmq.apache.org
Apache RocketMQ
Open-source software · Apache License 2.0
Read 7 Oct 2026 · rocketmq.apache.org
On the record
- AI integrations
- The site lists native MCP support, A2A compatibility, and integrations with LangChain, CrewAI, AutoGen, AgentScope, Dify, and Coze.rocketmq.apache.org · read 7 Oct 2026
- Community adoption
- StackShare records Apache RocketMQ in 48 technology stacks, with 200 followers and one discussion on its listing.stackshare.io · read 14 Oct 2026
- Connect integrations
- RocketMQ Connect is described as a low-code integration layer for more than 50 data sources and sinks.rocketmq.apache.org · read 14 Oct 2026
- Dead-letter handling
- Built-in retry and dead-letter-queue behavior is included in the feature comparison.rocketmq.apache.org · read 14 Oct 2026
- Delayed delivery
- RocketMQ provides scheduled and delayed messages for workflow timing and retry scenarios.rocketmq.apache.org · read 14 Oct 2026
- Deployment
- RocketMQ 5.x separates stateless Proxy from storage and compute so those layers can scale independently.rocketmq.apache.org · read 14 Oct 2026
- Documentation
- The documentation includes concepts, quick start, deployment, best practices, SDK references, security guidance, FAQs and release notes.rocketmq.apache.org · read 14 Oct 2026
- EventBridge integration
- EventBridge provides a CloudEvents-compatible event bus for cross-platform and serverless routing.rocketmq.apache.org · read 14 Oct 2026
- Filtering
- The product supports SQL92 and tag-based message filtering.rocketmq.apache.org · read 14 Oct 2026
- Independent build result
- MrKeyoor reported a 72-second dependency installation and a 212-second source build for RocketMQ 5.5.1 in a Debian container.mrkeyoor.com · read 14 Oct 2026
- Independent test limitation
- MrKeyoor's 322-test run produced 137 passes, 182 skips and three setup or collection errors, leaving the complete test gate red.mrkeyoor.com · read 14 Oct 2026
- Integration listed by StackShare
- StackShare identifies Docker as an integration for Apache RocketMQ.stackshare.io · read 14 Oct 2026
- Kubernetes
- The project describes Kubernetes-native deployment with Helm charts, operators and cloud-native observability integration.rocketmq.apache.org · read 14 Oct 2026
- Latest release
- Version 5.5.1 was released on August 20, 2026.rocketmq.apache.org · read 14 Oct 2026
- Licence
- The source distribution is licensed under the Apache License 2.0, a permissive licence allowing modification and redistribution subject to its notices and conditions.github.com · read 14 Oct 2026
- Limit: CI maintenance
- A RocketMQ maintainer reported that the Bazel workflow had high maintenance cost, frequent configuration failures and long overall wait times.github.com · read 14 Oct 2026
- Limit: setup complexity
- G2's review summary says initial setup can be complex and may require substantial technical expertise.g2.com · read 14 Oct 2026
- Maker founded
- The Apache Software Foundation was incorporated in 1999.apache.org · read 14 Oct 2026
