DEV Community: Pavithran M

RabbitMQ Installation on Windows: A Complete Setup & Troubleshooting Guide

Pavithran M — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 14:29:39 +0000

A real-world RabbitMQ installation journey on Windows—from installation to debugging Erlang compatibility, Windows services, management plugins, and startup failures.

Introduction

RabbitMQ is one of the most popular open-source message brokers used for asynchronous communication between applications. Whether you're building microservices, event-driven systems, or background processing applications, RabbitMQ provides a reliable messaging infrastructure.

Installing RabbitMQ on Windows appears straightforward:

Install Erlang
Install RabbitMQ
Enable the management plugin
Start the service

However, in practice, installation can quickly become complicated due to:

Erlang version mismatches
Incorrect environment variables
Windows service configuration
Plugin issues
Startup failures

This article documents the complete installation process along with the real troubleshooting steps required to get RabbitMQ running successfully.

Prerequisites

Before installing RabbitMQ, ensure you have:

Windows 10/11
Administrator privileges
Internet connection
Latest compatible Erlang OTP
RabbitMQ Installer

Step 1 — Install Erlang OTP

RabbitMQ depends on Erlang Runtime.

Install Erlang OTP from the official website.

After installation verify it.

erl

Expected output:

Erlang/OTP ...

Eshell V...
1>

If the command immediately returns to the command prompt, Erlang is not configured correctly.

Exit Erlang using:

q().

Step 2 — Configure Environment Variables

Create an environment variable.

ERLANG_HOME

Value

C:\Program Files\Erlang OTP

Also verify the PATH contains

C:\Program Files\Erlang OTP\bin

Verification:

echo %ERLANG_HOME%

where erl

Step 3 — Install RabbitMQ

Install RabbitMQ Server.

After installation verify the service.

sc query RabbitMQ

Expected

SERVICE_NAME: RabbitMQ

Step 4 — Enable RabbitMQ Management Plugin

Navigate to RabbitMQ sbin.

cd "C:\Program Files\RabbitMQ Server\rabbitmq_server-4.3.4\sbin"

Enable Management UI.

rabbitmq-plugins enable rabbitmq_management

Expected output

Enabling plugins on node rabbit@hostname...

rabbitmq_management
rabbitmq_management_agent
rabbitmq_web_dispatch

started 3 plugins

Step 5 — Restart RabbitMQ

net stop RabbitMQ

net start RabbitMQ

Or restart from

services.msc

Step 6 — Verify Installation

Open

http://localhost:15672

Default Login

Username : guest
Password : guest

RabbitMQ Default Ports

Service	Port
AMQP	5672
Management UI	15672
Erlang Distribution	25672

Real Troubleshooting Journey

This section documents every issue encountered during installation.

Problem 1

rabbitmq-plugins produced no output

Running

rabbitmq-plugins enable rabbitmq_management

returned immediately.

No output.

No error.

Normally RabbitMQ should display

started 3 plugins

Investigation

Checked

rabbitmq-plugins list

No output.

Checked

rabbitmqctl status

No output.

This indicated RabbitMQ tools were unable to communicate with Erlang.

Problem 2

Erlang immediately exited

Running

erl

returned directly to the command prompt.

Instead of

Eshell...

This confirmed Erlang itself wasn't functioning properly.

Problem 3

RabbitMQ Service Error 1067

Checking the service

sc query RabbitMQ

Result

STATE : STOPPED

WIN32_EXIT_CODE : 1067

Meaning

RabbitMQ started and terminated unexpectedly.

Problem 4

RabbitMQ Boot Failed

Instead of using the Windows service, RabbitMQ was started manually.

rabbitmq-server.bat

Output

BOOT FAILED

throw:{horus, extraction_denied,...}

Initially it appeared to be a configuration issue.

Problem 5

Configuration File

RabbitMQ loaded

advanced.config

The configuration file was renamed.

RabbitMQ still failed.

Therefore configuration wasn't the root cause.

Problem 6

Windows Service Error

Running

net start RabbitMQ

returned

System error 2

The system cannot find the file specified.

This was confusing because the RabbitMQ service already existed.

Root Cause Investigation

Instead of checking RabbitMQ logs repeatedly, the Windows service configuration was inspected.

sc qc RabbitMQ

Output

BINARY_PATH_NAME

C:\Program Files\Erlang OTP\erts-17.0.4\bin\erlsrv.exe

However, the installed Erlang version contained

erts-16.4

RabbitMQ was still pointing to the old Erlang runtime.

Windows therefore attempted to launch

erts-17.0.4

which no longer existed.

Hence

System error 2

Solution

Remove the existing RabbitMQ service.

rabbitmq-service.bat remove

Verify

echo %ERLANG_HOME%

Install the service again.

rabbitmq-service.bat install

Start RabbitMQ.

rabbitmq-service.bat start

Verify the service configuration.

sc qc RabbitMQ

RabbitMQ should now reference the current Erlang runtime.

Useful Commands

Verify Erlang

erl

Verify Environment Variable

echo %ERLANG_HOME%

Check Erlang Path

where erl

RabbitMQ Status

rabbitmqctl status

RabbitMQ Service Status

sc query RabbitMQ

RabbitMQ Service Configuration

sc qc RabbitMQ

Start RabbitMQ

net start RabbitMQ

Stop RabbitMQ

net stop RabbitMQ

Restart RabbitMQ

net stop RabbitMQ

net start RabbitMQ

Start RabbitMQ in Foreground

rabbitmq-server.bat

Enable Management Plugin

rabbitmq-plugins enable rabbitmq_management

List Enabled Plugins

rabbitmq-plugins list -E

Lessons Learned

There were several important takeaways from this debugging session.

Always verify Erlang first

Before installing RabbitMQ, ensure

erl

opens the Erlang shell.

Verify Environment Variables

Incorrect

ERLANG_HOME

or PATH configuration causes multiple RabbitMQ issues.

RabbitMQ Depends on Erlang Runtime

Reinstalling Erlang changes the runtime directory.

RabbitMQ Windows Service still references the previous runtime until the service is recreated.

Windows Service Errors Can Be Misleading

System error 2

did not mean RabbitMQ was missing.

It meant the service executable path referenced a missing Erlang runtime.

Use rabbitmq-server.bat

Instead of relying on Windows Service errors.

rabbitmq-server.bat

provides detailed startup diagnostics.

Always Verify Service Configuration

The most useful command during this debugging session was

sc qc RabbitMQ

It immediately exposed the incorrect Erlang runtime path.

Final Thoughts

RabbitMQ installation is usually straightforward, but Windows service configuration and Erlang compatibility can introduce subtle issues that are difficult to diagnose.

The key takeaway from this experience is to troubleshoot methodically:

Verify Erlang.
Verify environment variables.
Check RabbitMQ startup.
Inspect Windows service configuration.
Recreate the RabbitMQ service after changing Erlang versions.
Enable the management plugin only after the server starts successfully.

Following this process made it possible to move from repeated startup failures to a fully working RabbitMQ installation with the Management UI enabled.

If this guide helped you save hours of debugging, consider sharing it with other developers who are setting up RabbitMQ on Windows. It might save them from the same troubleshooting journey.

📬 Automate Email Attachments to Telegram with Python + Render.com

Pavithran M — Sun, 10 Aug 2025 13:00:11 +0000

Ever wished you could automatically forward email attachments to your Telegram chat or group? Whether it's invoices, reports, or alerts—this Python script does exactly that. And the best part? You can deploy it as a scheduled cron job on Render.com with zero hassle.

Let’s walk through the features, setup, and deployment steps to get this automation running in minutes.

🚀 What This App Does

This Python application:

✅ Connects securely to Yahoo Mail via IMAP
📂 Downloads the latest attachment from a specific folder (B2b)
📤 Sends the attachment to a Telegram chat or group using the Telegram Bot API
🧾 Logs each step for easy debugging
🕒 Runs automatically on a schedule using Render.com’s cron job feature

Perfect for automating workflows that rely on email-based file delivery.

🛠️ Tech Stack

Here’s what powers the app:

Python 3
imaplib – for accessing email via IMAP
email – for parsing MIME messages
requests – for sending files to Telegram
dotenv – for managing environment variables locally

📦 Getting Started

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/your-username/email-to-telegram.git
cd email-to-telegram

2. Create a `.env` File (for local testing)

EMAIL_USER=your_yahoo_email@example.com
EMAIL_PASS=your_yahoo_app_password
TELEGRAM_TOKEN=your_telegram_bot_token
TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID=your_chat_id_or_group_id

⚠️ Use a Yahoo App Password instead of your regular password for IMAP access.

🧑‍💻 Local Testing

Run the script manually to verify everything works:

python script.py

You should see logs showing:

Connection to Yahoo Mail
Attachment download
Telegram API response

☁️ Deploying on Render.com

Render makes it super easy to automate this with a cron job.

Step 1: Create a New Cron Job

Go to Render Cron Jobs
Choose Python as the runtime
Set your schedule using cron syntax (e.g., 0 * * * * for hourly)

Step 2: Upload Your Code

Upload your script (script.py)
Include a requirements.txt with:

  requests
  python-dotenv

Step 3: Set Environment Variables

In the Environment section of the cron job setup:

EMAIL_USER
EMAIL_PASS
TELEGRAM_TOKEN
TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID

You don’t need the .env file on Render—just set the variables directly.

Step 4: Confirm and Deploy

Save and deploy the cron job
Check logs after the first scheduled run to confirm success

🧪 Troubleshooting Tips

No logs? Add print() statements to trace execution.
No attachment sent? Double-check the folder name (B2b) and email structure.
Telegram error? Make sure the bot isn’t blocked and has permission to send messages.

🧾 Final Thoughts

This setup is ideal for automating repetitive email-based workflows and keeping your Telegram feed updated with important files. You can easily extend it to support multiple folders, file types, or even filter by subject lines.

If you found this helpful, drop a ❤️ or share your own automation ideas in the comments!

Take a look at me!

🎮 Turning My GitHub into a Game — My First Step Toward Showcasing My Skills!

Pavithran M — Fri, 08 Aug 2025 17:28:12 +0000

Hey everyone 👋,

I've been working in the tech industry for almost 5 years, gaining hands-on experience in various technologies — particularly in .NET, SQL, application development, and database engineering.

But until now, I never really showcased my work, projects, or progress publicly.
Well... better late than never, right? 😄

🚀 What Sparked the Change?
Big shoutout to this amazing post by @vidakhoshpey22
It inspired me to transform my GitHub profile into a gamified contribution graph — featuring Pac-Man!

This was a fun and rewarding project that not only added visual flair to my profile but also kickstarted my journey into consistently recording and sharing my professional milestones.

🛠️ What I've Done So Far
✅ Setup a Pac-Man-themed contribution graph on my GitHub
✅ Created a dedicated Milestones repo to track all my achievements
✅ Committed to logging everything I learn or build going forward

🔗 Check out my GitHub: github.com/Pavithran-P12

✨ What’s Next?
This is just the beginning.
I'll be documenting more tasks, sharing bite-sized accomplishments, and contributing to open-source wherever I can.

If you're like me — experienced but haven't showcased much — this is your sign to start now. Share, track, and celebrate your journey 🎉

Happy coding everyone!
Happy developing! 💻🚀

DEV Community: Pavithran M

RabbitMQ Installation on Windows: A Complete Setup & Troubleshooting Guide

Introduction

Prerequisites

Step 1 — Install Erlang OTP

Step 2 — Configure Environment Variables

Step 3 — Install RabbitMQ

Step 4 — Enable RabbitMQ Management Plugin

Step 5 — Restart RabbitMQ

Step 6 — Verify Installation

RabbitMQ Default Ports

Real Troubleshooting Journey

Problem 1

rabbitmq-plugins produced no output

Investigation

Problem 2

Erlang immediately exited

Problem 3

RabbitMQ Service Error 1067

Problem 4

RabbitMQ Boot Failed

Problem 5

Configuration File

Problem 6

Windows Service Error

Root Cause Investigation

Solution

Useful Commands

Verify Erlang

Verify Environment Variable

Check Erlang Path

RabbitMQ Status

RabbitMQ Service Status

RabbitMQ Service Configuration

Start RabbitMQ

Stop RabbitMQ

Restart RabbitMQ

Start RabbitMQ in Foreground

Enable Management Plugin

List Enabled Plugins

Lessons Learned

Always verify Erlang first

Verify Environment Variables

RabbitMQ Depends on Erlang Runtime

Windows Service Errors Can Be Misleading

Use rabbitmq-server.bat

Always Verify Service Configuration

Final Thoughts

📬 Automate Email Attachments to Telegram with Python + Render.com

🚀 What This App Does

🛠️ Tech Stack

📦 Getting Started

1. Clone the Repository

2. Create a .env File (for local testing)

🧑‍💻 Local Testing

☁️ Deploying on Render.com

Step 1: Create a New Cron Job

Step 2: Upload Your Code

Step 3: Set Environment Variables

Step 4: Confirm and Deploy

🧪 Troubleshooting Tips

🧾 Final Thoughts

🎮 Turning My GitHub into a Game — My First Step Toward Showcasing My Skills!

2. Create a `.env` File (for local testing)