Amazon MQ for RabbitMQ: Storage Now Configurable

Amazon MQ for RabbitMQ finally decouples broker storage from instance size.

What changed

• Broker EBS disk storage size can now be configured independently of the instance type for RabbitMQ brokers.
• Custom storage sizes can be set from the default value up to the instance's maximum, in 5 GB increments.
• This feature is available for RabbitMQ M7g brokers, version 4.2+, in cluster deployments only.

Why it matters

The honest version: This change allows for better storage right-sizing, potentially reducing costs for workloads that don't require the default storage attached to larger instance types. Previously, if your RabbitMQ workload needed more CPU but not proportionally more disk, you were forced to provision excess storage. Now, you can select storage from 50 GiB (for M7g.large) up to 1000 GiB (for M7g.xlarge) independently. This is particularly relevant for message queuing systems where storage needs can vary significantly from compute requirements.

The catch

Watch out: This feature is restricted to M7g instance types and RabbitMQ version 4.2 or later, specifically for cluster deployments. Standard Amazon MQ storage pricing applies, meaning you pay for the provisioned EBS volume size, so over-provisioning still incurs cost. Storage updates require a broker reboot, leading to downtime.

Ship it

If you are running RabbitMQ 4.2+ on M7g instances in a cluster deployment and are over-provisioning storage, evaluate migrating to this configurable option. Check your current storage utilization and compare it against the M7g instance storage limits to determine the optimal size. Pairs with CloudWatch for monitoring disk utilization.

Bottom line: Amazon MQ for RabbitMQ now offers independent storage configuration for M7g instances, enabling better cost optimization and right-sizing for specific workloads.

— Filed to /aws