ActiveMQ

The OpenTelemetry JMX Scraper collects 18 ActiveMQ-specific metrics and 18 JVM metrics from Apache ActiveMQ Classic 5.x/6.x, including queue size, enqueue/dequeue counts, producer and consumer counts, broker memory utilization, and storage limits. ActiveMQ Classic (not Artemis) exposes MBeans under org.apache.activemq. The scraper connects via JMX, converts MBeans into OpenTelemetry metrics, and exports them over OTLP to the Collector. This guide enables remote JMX on ActiveMQ, configures the scraper, and ships metrics to base14 Scout.

Prerequisites

Requirement	Minimum	Recommended
ActiveMQ Classic	5.15	6.0+
JMX Scraper	1.46.0	1.54.0+
Java (scraper)	11	17+
OTel Collector	0.90.0	latest
base14 Scout	Any	—

Before starting:

ActiveMQ must be accessible from the host running the JMX Scraper (JMX port, default 1099)
The JMX Scraper runs as a standalone Java process — it requires its own JRE
OTel Collector installed — see Docker Compose Setup

What You'll Monitor

Messages: queue size, enqueued count, dequeued count, expired count, enqueue average duration
Producers/Consumers: producer count, consumer count (per destination)
Memory: destination memory usage/limit, broker memory utilization/limit
Storage: store utilization/limit, temp utilization/limit
Connections: active connection count
JVM (with jvm target): heap and non-heap memory, GC count and duration, thread states, CPU utilization, class loading, buffer pools

Full metric reference: OTel ActiveMQ JMX Metrics

Access Setup

ActiveMQ Classic enables local JMX by default (-Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote is set in bin/setenv), but remote access requires configuring a port. Add the following JMX flags to bin/setenv:

Enable Remote JMX on ActiveMQ

bin/setenv
ACTIVEMQ_SUNJMX_START="$ACTIVEMQ_SUNJMX_START \
  -Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.port=1099 \
  -Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.rmi.port=1099 \
  -Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.ssl=false \
  -Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.authenticate=false \
  -Djava.rmi.server.hostname=<activemq-host>"   # Your ActiveMQ host IP or hostname

Setting rmi.port to the same value as port prevents RMI from using a random second port, which simplifies firewall and Docker networking.

For Docker deployments, pass ACTIVEMQ_SUNJMX_START as an environment variable and set hostname on the container:

docker-compose.yaml (ActiveMQ service)
activemq:
  image: apache/activemq-classic:6.1.6
  hostname: activemq
  environment:
    ACTIVEMQ_SUNJMX_START: >-
      -Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote
      -Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.port=1099
      -Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.rmi.port=1099
      -Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.ssl=false
      -Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.authenticate=false
      -Djava.rmi.server.hostname=activemq

With Authentication (Production)

For production environments, enable JMX authentication. ActiveMQ includes template access and password files in conf/:

bin/setenv (authenticated)
ACTIVEMQ_SUNJMX_START="$ACTIVEMQ_SUNJMX_START \
  -Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.port=1099 \
  -Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.rmi.port=1099 \
  -Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.ssl=true \
  -Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.authenticate=true \
  -Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.password.file=${ACTIVEMQ_CONF}/jmx.password \
  -Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.access.file=${ACTIVEMQ_CONF}/jmx.access \
  -Djava.rmi.server.hostname=<activemq-host>"

The JMX Scraper supports authenticated connections via OTEL_JMX_USERNAME and OTEL_JMX_PASSWORD environment variables.

Configuration

ActiveMQ monitoring uses two components: the JMX Scraper (connects to ActiveMQ, exports OTLP) and the OTel Collector (receives OTLP, ships to Scout).

ActiveMQ (JMX:1099) ← JMX/RMI → JMX Scraper → OTLP → OTel Collector → Scout

JMX Scraper

Download the scraper JAR from Maven Central and run it:

Run the JMX Scraper
OTEL_JMX_SERVICE_URL=service:jmx:rmi:///jndi/rmi://localhost:1099/jmxrmi \
OTEL_JMX_TARGET_SYSTEM=jvm,activemq \
OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT=http://localhost:4317 \
OTEL_METRIC_EXPORT_INTERVAL=10000 \
java -jar opentelemetry-jmx-scraper-1.54.0-alpha.jar

Move the JAR to a permanent location:

Install the scraper
sudo mkdir -p /opt/otel
sudo mv opentelemetry-jmx-scraper-1.54.0-alpha.jar /opt/otel/

Create a systemd service to run the scraper as a managed service:

/etc/systemd/system/otel-jmx-scraper.service
sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/otel-jmx-scraper.service > /dev/null <<'EOF'
[Unit]
Description=OpenTelemetry JMX Scraper for ActiveMQ
After=network.target activemq.service

[Service]
Type=simple
Environment=OTEL_JMX_SERVICE_URL=service:jmx:rmi:///jndi/rmi://localhost:1099/jmxrmi
Environment=OTEL_JMX_TARGET_SYSTEM=jvm,activemq
Environment=OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT=http://localhost:4317
Environment=OTEL_METRIC_EXPORT_INTERVAL=10000
ExecStart=/usr/bin/java -jar /opt/otel/opentelemetry-jmx-scraper-1.54.0-alpha.jar
Restart=always
RestartSec=5

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF

Start the scraper:

Enable and start the scraper
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable --now otel-jmx-scraper

For Docker, build a simple image with the scraper JAR:

jmx-scraper/Dockerfile
FROM eclipse-temurin:17-jre

ARG SCRAPER_VERSION=1.54.0-alpha   # Update to match your target version

ADD https://repo1.maven.org/maven2/io/opentelemetry/contrib/opentelemetry-jmx-scraper/${SCRAPER_VERSION}/opentelemetry-jmx-scraper-${SCRAPER_VERSION}.jar /opt/scraper.jar

ENTRYPOINT ["java", "-jar", "/opt/scraper.jar"]

OTel Collector

The Collector receives metrics from the JMX Scraper over OTLP:

config/otel-collector.yaml
receivers:
  otlp:
    protocols:
      grpc:
        endpoint: 0.0.0.0:4317

processors:
  resource:
    attributes:
      - key: environment
        value: ${env:ENVIRONMENT}
        action: upsert
      - key: service.name
        value: ${env:SERVICE_NAME}
        action: upsert

  batch:
    timeout: 10s
    send_batch_size: 1024

# Export to base14 Scout
exporters:
  otlphttp/b14:
    endpoint: ${env:OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT}
    tls:
      insecure_skip_verify: true

service:
  pipelines:
    metrics:
      receivers: [otlp]
      processors: [resource, batch]
      exporters: [otlphttp/b14]

Environment Variables

.env
# JMX Scraper
OTEL_JMX_SERVICE_URL=service:jmx:rmi:///jndi/rmi://activemq:1099/jmxrmi
OTEL_JMX_TARGET_SYSTEM=jvm,activemq
OTEL_METRIC_EXPORT_INTERVAL=10000
# OTEL_JMX_USERNAME=monitor          # Uncomment for authenticated JMX
# OTEL_JMX_PASSWORD=your_password    # Uncomment for authenticated JMX

# OTel Collector
ENVIRONMENT=your_environment
SERVICE_NAME=your_service_name
OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT=https://<your-tenant>.base14.io

Docker Compose

Full working example with all three components:

docker-compose.yaml
services:
  activemq:
    image: apache/activemq-classic:6.1.6
    hostname: activemq
    ports:
      - "8161:8161"
      - "61616:61616"
      - "1099:1099"
    environment:
      ACTIVEMQ_SUNJMX_START: >-
        -Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote
        -Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.port=1099
        -Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.rmi.port=1099
        -Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.ssl=false
        -Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.authenticate=false
        -Djava.rmi.server.hostname=activemq
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "curl -so /dev/null http://localhost:8161/ || exit 1"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 10
      start_period: 30s

  jmx-scraper:
    build: ./jmx-scraper
    environment:
      OTEL_JMX_SERVICE_URL: ${OTEL_JMX_SERVICE_URL}
      OTEL_JMX_TARGET_SYSTEM: ${OTEL_JMX_TARGET_SYSTEM}
      OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT: http://otel-collector:4317
      OTEL_METRIC_EXPORT_INTERVAL: ${OTEL_METRIC_EXPORT_INTERVAL}
    depends_on:
      activemq:
        condition: service_healthy

  otel-collector:
    image: otel/opentelemetry-collector-contrib:0.120.0
    container_name: otel-collector
    volumes:
      - ./config/otel-collector.yaml:/etc/otelcol-contrib/config.yaml:ro
    depends_on:
      - activemq

Verify the Setup

Start the Collector and check for metrics within 60 seconds:

Verify metrics collection
# Check JMX Scraper logs for successful connection
docker logs activemq-telemetry-jmx-scraper-1 2>&1 | head -10

# Verify ActiveMQ is running with JMX enabled
docker logs activemq 2>&1 \
  | grep "jmxremote"

# Check Collector logs for ActiveMQ metrics
docker logs otel-collector 2>&1 \
  | grep "activemq"

Troubleshooting

JMX connection refused

Cause: The JMX Scraper cannot reach ActiveMQ's JMX port.

Fix:

Verify ActiveMQ is running: docker ps | grep activemq
Confirm remote JMX is enabled — check that ACTIVEMQ_SUNJMX_START includes -Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.port=1099
Verify the JMX port matches between ActiveMQ config and scraper's OTEL_JMX_SERVICE_URL
In Docker, ensure hostname is set on the ActiveMQ container and matches -Djava.rmi.server.hostname

Only JVM metrics, no ActiveMQ metrics

Cause: The OTEL_JMX_TARGET_SYSTEM does not include activemq.

Fix:

Set OTEL_JMX_TARGET_SYSTEM=jvm,activemq (both targets comma-separated)
Verify ActiveMQ has started fully — MBeans are only available after the broker initializes
Confirm you are running ActiveMQ Classic, not Artemis — the activemq target does not support Artemis MBeans

No destination metrics

Cause: Destination-level metrics (activemq.message.queue.size, activemq.consumer.count) only appear when at least one queue or topic exists.

Fix:

Create a test queue via the web console at http://localhost:8161 (default credentials: admin/admin)
Destination MBeans are created when a queue or topic receives its first message or a consumer subscribes

No metrics appearing in Scout

Cause: Metrics are collected but not exported.

Fix:

Check Collector logs for export errors: docker logs otel-collector
Verify OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT is set correctly
Confirm the pipeline includes both the receiver and exporter

FAQ

Does this work with ActiveMQ Artemis?

No. ActiveMQ Artemis uses different MBeans under org.apache.activemq.artemis. The JMX Scraper's activemq target is for ActiveMQ Classic only. Artemis requires custom scraper rules via OTEL_JMX_CUSTOM_CONFIG.

Can I monitor both queues and topics?

Yes. Both queues and topics are JMX MBeans under org.apache.activemq:type=Broker. The scraper collects metrics from all destinations by default — no additional configuration needed.

Does this work with ActiveMQ running in Kubernetes?

Yes. Run the JMX Scraper as a sidecar container in the same pod. Set OTEL_JMX_SERVICE_URL to service:jmx:rmi:///jndi/rmi:// localhost:1099/jmxrmi since both containers share the pod network. No firewall rules needed for intra-pod communication.

How do I monitor multiple ActiveMQ brokers?

Run one JMX Scraper per broker, each configured with a different OTEL_JMX_SERVICE_URL. All scrapers export to the same Collector:

docker-compose.yaml (multiple brokers)
jmx-scraper-primary:
  environment:
    OTEL_JMX_SERVICE_URL: service:jmx:rmi:///jndi/rmi://activemq-1:1099/jmxrmi
    OTEL_JMX_TARGET_SYSTEM: jvm,activemq
    OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT: http://otel-collector:4317

jmx-scraper-replica:
  environment:
    OTEL_JMX_SERVICE_URL: service:jmx:rmi:///jndi/rmi://activemq-2:1099/jmxrmi
    OTEL_JMX_TARGET_SYSTEM: jvm,activemq
    OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT: http://otel-collector:4317

What's Next?

Create Dashboards: Explore pre-built dashboards or build your own. See Create Your First Dashboard
Monitor More Components: Add monitoring for Kafka, RabbitMQ, and other message brokers
Fine-tune Collection: Adjust OTEL_METRIC_EXPORT_INTERVAL to control scrape frequency

JMX Metrics Collection Guide — Compare JMX Scraper vs JMX Exporter
OTel Collector Configuration — Advanced collector configuration
Docker Compose Setup — Run the Collector locally
Kubernetes Helm Setup — Production deployment
Kafka Monitoring — Another message broker setup
RabbitMQ Monitoring — Another message broker setup
Creating Alerts — Alert on ActiveMQ metrics

Was this page helpful?

Prerequisites​

What You'll Monitor​

Access Setup​

Enable Remote JMX on ActiveMQ​

With Authentication (Production)​

Configuration​

JMX Scraper​

OTel Collector​

Environment Variables​

Docker Compose​

Verify the Setup​

Troubleshooting​

JMX connection refused​

Only JVM metrics, no ActiveMQ metrics​

No destination metrics​

No metrics appearing in Scout​

FAQ​

What's Next?​

Related Guides​

Prerequisites

What You'll Monitor

Access Setup

Enable Remote JMX on ActiveMQ

With Authentication (Production)

Configuration

JMX Scraper

OTel Collector

Environment Variables

Docker Compose

Verify the Setup

Troubleshooting

JMX connection refused

Only JVM metrics, no ActiveMQ metrics

No destination metrics

No metrics appearing in Scout

FAQ

What's Next?

Related Guides