How to maintain or update the corresponding configurations when upgrading a RabbitMQ broker to a new version

When you upgrade an Amazon MQ for RabbitMQ broker, the existing configuration is automatically preserved and reattached to the new broker version — provided that the configuration is compatible with that version.

If the upgraded RabbitMQ version introduces new parameters or deprecates old ones, you may need to manually reconcile those in your configuration before or after the upgrade. AWS recommends: 1. Review the release notes for the target RabbitMQ version to confirm plugin and parameter compatibility. 2. Export and version your configuration using the Amazon MQ console or CLI (describe-configuration), so you have a rollback baseline. 3. After upgrade, validate broker status and connections via the Amazon MQ dashboard and CloudWatch metrics (BrokerState, Connections, CurrentConnectionsCount). 4. If needed, apply an updated configuration revision to align with the new version and deploy it directly to the broker.

🔹 The key point: AWS maintains backward compatibility wherever possible. Configurations persist automatically unless a parameter was explicitly deprecated by the RabbitMQ community versioning rules. 🔹 Always test the new configuration on a development broker first — use the same configuration revision to verify stability before promoting to production.

📘 Docs: • Amazon MQ Configuration Management • RabbitMQ Version Lifecycle

When upgrading an Amazon MQ for RabbitMQ broker to a new version, you need to be aware of how configurations are handled during this process.

When you upgrade your RabbitMQ broker, the existing configuration is maintained, but you may need to create a new configuration revision to ensure compatibility with the new version or to take advantage of new features.

Here's how to maintain or update configurations during an upgrade:

1. You can manually upgrade your broker to the next supported major or minor version at any time. For brokers using engine version 3.13 and above, Amazon MQ automatically manages upgrades to the latest supported patch version during the maintenance window.

2. Before upgrading, it's recommended to review your current configuration and create a new revision if needed. To do this:

• Sign in to the Amazon MQ console
• Navigate to the Configurations page
• Select your current configuration
• Edit it to create a new revision
• Make any necessary changes in the Cuttlefish configuration format
• Save the new revision

3. After creating a new configuration revision, you need to apply it to your broker:

• Select your broker from the Brokers page
• Edit the configuration
• Choose the desired configuration and revision
• Schedule when to apply the modifications (during the next maintenance window or immediately)

Important notes:

• Making changes to a configuration does not apply them to the broker immediately. You must wait for the next maintenance window or reboot the broker to apply the changes.
• You cannot delete a configuration, but you can create new revisions.
• For cluster brokers, be aware that during upgrades, mirrored queues must be synced during reboot, which can take longer with larger queues. During this queue-sync process, the queues are unavailable to consumers and producers.
• Single instance brokers will be offline while being rebooted during the upgrade.

To minimize impact, it's recommended to perform upgrades during low traffic periods, especially for cluster brokers where queue synchronization can take time.
Sources
Creating and applying RabbitMQ broker configurations - Amazon MQ
Managing Amazon MQ for RabbitMQ engine versions - Amazon MQ
Edit a Amazon MQ for RabbitMQ Configuration Revision - Amazon MQ
Broker - Amazon MQ