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RabbitMQ Releases

Track RabbitMQ releases, Erlang/OTP compatibility matrix, quorum queues evolution, streams feature development, and upgrade paths between major versions.

Official Site Documentation

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Total Versions

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Latest

Version Timeline

All tracked releases with lifecycle status and EOL dates.

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Lifecycle Timeline

Visual overview of active support and maintenance windows.

3.11

3.12

3.13

4.0

4.1

2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028

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Upgrade Paths

Migration guidance between major versions — breaking changes, effort estimates, and tips.

3.11/3.12 3.13 Medium Difficulty

Est. 1-3 hours for a clustered deployment

Breaking Changes

Erlang 26 required (was 25)
Classic queue mirroring deprecated
Management plugin UI redesigned
Some deprecated configuration keys removed
Default memory alarm threshold changed

Migration Notes

Upgrade Erlang to 26.x on all nodes first (rolling). Then upgrade RabbitMQ node by node. Migrate mirrored queues to quorum queues before or shortly after upgrading (mirroring deprecated, removed in 4.0). The management UI redesign may surprise users but is not a breaking change.

3.13 4.0 High Difficulty

Est. 4-8 hours (including queue migration)

Breaking Changes

Mirrored queues completely removed (must use quorum queues)
Classic queue v1 removed (v2 only)
Erlang 26.2+ required
Management plugin breaking API changes
Some exchange types deprecated
Default behaviors changed for safer defaults
Client library minimum version requirements updated

Migration Notes

The 3.13 to 4.0 upgrade is the biggest in years. You MUST migrate all mirrored queues to quorum queues before upgrading. Classic queue v1 must be converted to v2. Test all client applications against the new management API. Consider a blue-green deployment for zero-risk migration. RabbitMQ provides a pre-upgrade checker command.

Version Risk Assessment

Evaluate risk factors before choosing a version for production.

Version	EOL Risk	CVE Risk	Ecosystem	Cloud Support	Overall	Recommended Action
RabbitMQ 3.11 and older	Critical	High	Unsupported	None	Critical	No patches — upgrade to 3.13 then 4.0
RabbitMQ 3.12	Critical	Medium	Unsupported	Degrading	Critical	Past EOL — upgrade to 3.13+
RabbitMQ 3.13	Medium	Low	Maintenance	Full	Medium	Supported until Jun 2025 — start 4.0 migration planning
RabbitMQ 4.0	Low	Low	Active	Full	Low	Current — recommended
RabbitMQ 4.1	None	Low	Active	Full	Low	Latest — recommended for new deployments

RabbitMQ supports the latest 2 release series. Erlang/OTP compatibility is critical. Assessed March 2026.

RabbitMQ Version Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature differences across major versions.

Feature	3.12	3.13	4.0	4.1
Erlang minimum	25.3	26.0	26.2	26.2
Quorum queues	Stable	Enhanced	Default	Enhanced
Mirrored queues	Stable	Deprecated	Removed	Removed
Streams	Stable	Enhanced	Enhanced	Enhanced
Classic queues	v1 + v2	v1 + v2	v2 only	v2 only
MQTT 5.0 support	Basic	Enhanced	Full	Full
Management UI	Classic	Redesigned	Redesigned	Enhanced
OAuth 2.0 auth	Stable	Enhanced	Enhanced	Enhanced
Khepri (new metadata)	No	Experimental	Stable	Stable

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Health Status

Overall support health

![RabbitMQ Health Status](https://img.releaserun.com/badge/health/rabbitmq.svg)

EOL Countdown

Next end-of-life date

![RabbitMQ EOL Countdown](https://img.releaserun.com/badge/eol/rabbitmq.svg)

Latest Version

Current stable release

![RabbitMQ Latest Version](https://img.releaserun.com/badge/v/rabbitmq.svg)

CVE Status

Known vulnerabilities

![RabbitMQ CVE Status](https://img.releaserun.com/badge/cve/rabbitmq.svg)

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about RabbitMQ releases and lifecycle.

How does RabbitMQ versioning and support work?

RabbitMQ releases minor versions roughly every 3-4 months. The project maintains the latest 2 release series with patches. Major versions (3.x, 4.x) may include breaking changes. Each release requires a specific Erlang/OTP version range. This Erlang dependency is the most common upgrade blocker.

What is the Erlang/OTP compatibility requirement?

RabbitMQ is written in Erlang and requires a compatible Erlang/OTP version. RabbitMQ 3.13 requires Erlang 26.x. RabbitMQ 4.0+ requires Erlang 26.2+. Using the wrong Erlang version causes startup failures. Always check the compatibility matrix at rabbitmq.com before upgrading either RabbitMQ or Erlang. Upgrade Erlang first, then RabbitMQ.

What are quorum queues and should I use them?

Quorum queues (stable since RabbitMQ 3.8) use Raft consensus for replication, replacing the older mirrored queue model. They are more reliable, faster for writes, and handle network partitions better. Use quorum queues for any data you cannot afford to lose. Classic queues are fine for transient workloads. Mirrored queues are deprecated as of 3.13 and removed in 4.0.

What are RabbitMQ Streams?

Streams (stable since 3.9) add a Kafka-like append-only log to RabbitMQ. Consumers can replay messages from any offset, and messages are stored on disk until a retention policy evicts them. Streams use a dedicated binary protocol for high-throughput. Use streams for event sourcing, audit logs, and fan-out patterns where multiple consumers need the same messages.

How do I upgrade RabbitMQ safely?

For clustered deployments: upgrade Erlang on all nodes first (rolling), then upgrade RabbitMQ one node at a time. Stop a node, upgrade, start it, wait for it to sync, then proceed to the next. RabbitMQ supports rolling upgrades within a minor series. For major version jumps (3.x to 4.x), plan for a blue-green deployment: stand up a new cluster, migrate definitions (exchanges, queues, users), switch traffic.

Should I use RabbitMQ or Kafka?

RabbitMQ is a message broker: it routes messages with flexible patterns (direct, topic, fanout, headers), supports acknowledgments, dead-letter queues, and per-message TTL. Kafka is an event streaming platform: it stores messages in partitioned logs for high-throughput, replay, and stream processing. Use RabbitMQ for traditional message queuing, task distribution, and complex routing. Use Kafka for event streaming, log aggregation, and data pipelines.

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