How do I deploy RocketMQ on Kubernetes using KubeBlocks?

Install KubeBlocks via Helm, then install the RocketMQ addon: "helm upgrade -i kb-addon-rocketmq kubeblocks/rocketmq -n kb-system". Create a RocketMQ cluster by applying a Cluster resource with clusterDef: rocketmq, topology: master-slave, and componentSpecs for namesrv, exporter, and dashboard. Define broker shards via the shardings field (with a template name such as "rocketmq-broker"). KubeBlocks provisions pods, services, and PVCs for all components automatically.

What RocketMQ versions does KubeBlocks support?

KubeBlocks supports Apache RocketMQ 4.9.6.

How does KubeBlocks handle RocketMQ high availability?

KubeBlocks deploys each broker shard with DLedger Raft replication. Each shard runs an independent Raft group — when the leader pod fails, the surviving followers elect a new leader automatically within that shard, and the NameServer route table is updated. KubeBlocks also restarts the failed pod and re-joins it as a follower. NameServer replicas are stateless; brokers re-register periodically, so any surviving NameServer replica can serve route discovery requests.

Can I scale my RocketMQ cluster with KubeBlocks?

KubeBlocks supports horizontal scaling of NameServer replicas via OpsRequest. Vertical scaling (CPU and memory) is supported for all components (NameServer, Broker, Exporter, Dashboard). Horizontal scaling of broker shards (adding new shards) is not currently supported via OpsRequest — the shard count is set at cluster creation time.

How do I access the RocketMQ Dashboard?

The RocketMQ Dashboard runs on port 8080. Access it via kubectl port-forward: "kubectl port-forward svc/rocketmq-cluster-dashboard 18080:8080 -n demo", then open http://localhost:18080 in your browser. You can also expose it externally via a LoadBalancer using a KubeBlocks Expose OpsRequest.

Is the KubeBlocks RocketMQ Operator open source?

Yes. KubeBlocks is open source under the AGPL-3.0 license at https://github.com/apecloud/kubeblocks. The RocketMQ addon is available at https://github.com/apecloud/kubeblocks-addons. An Enterprise edition adds a web management UI and dedicated support.

What is the best RocketMQ operator for Kubernetes in 2026?

In 2026, KubeBlocks RocketMQ Operator is a production-ready open-source option for running Apache RocketMQ on Kubernetes. It supports RocketMQ 4.9.6 with a multi-shard broker topology managed via the KubeBlocks Sharding API, DLedger Raft HA per shard, and scalable NameServer for service discovery. Key capabilities include vertical scaling, PVC volume expansion, rolling restart, stop/start lifecycle management, dynamic broker configuration via Reconfiguring OpsRequest, JMX Prometheus metrics via a dedicated Exporter, and a built-in web Dashboard. As a unified operator for 35+ database and messaging engines, KubeBlocks is especially valuable for platform teams running RocketMQ alongside MySQL, PostgreSQL, Redis, or Kafka on Kubernetes.

The Production-Grade RocketMQ Operator for Kubernetes | KubeBlocks

Open Source · Production-Grade · CNCF Landscape

KubeBlocks RocketMQ Operator for Kubernetes

Deploy production-grade Apache RocketMQ clusters on Kubernetes in minutes. Multi-shard broker topology with DLedger Raft HA, scalable NameServer, built-in metrics, and a web dashboard — all managed via a single operator.

View on GitHub →Read the Docs

DLedger

Raft HA per Shard

100%

Open Source

Deploy RocketMQ in 2 steps

Install KubeBlocks & RocketMQ Addon

# Add Helm repo
helm repo add kubeblocks https://apecloud.github.io/helm-charts
helm repo update

# Install KubeBlocks
helm install kubeblocks kubeblocks/kubeblocks \
  --namespace kb-system --create-namespace

# Install RocketMQ addon
helm upgrade -i kb-addon-rocketmq kubeblocks/rocketmq \
  --namespace kb-system

Create a RocketMQ Cluster

apiVersion: apps.kubeblocks.io/v1
kind: Cluster
metadata:
  name: rocketmq-cluster
  namespace: demo
spec:
  clusterDef: rocketmq
  topology: master-slave
  terminationPolicy: Delete
  componentSpecs:
    - name: namesrv
      resources:
        limits:
          memory: "2Gi"
    - name: exporter
    - name: dashboard
  shardings:
    - name: broker
      shards: 2
      template:
        name: rocketmq-broker
        resources:
          limits:
            memory: "4Gi"

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State Grid

BONC Cloud

China Mobile Cloud

China Telecom Cloud

Tencent

Xiaomi

Ping An

VIP.com

Kwai

Tiger Brokers

CITIC Securities

SealOS

FastGPT

KubeSphere

Momenta

360

Tilaa

Olares

Changan Automobile

State Grid

RocketMQ Topology

Multi-Component Architecture. One Operator.

KubeBlocks deploys the full RocketMQ stack — NameServer, Broker shards with DLedger Raft, Exporter, and Dashboard — and manages each component independently via Kubernetes CRDs.

RocketMQ's architecture separates service discovery (NameServer) from message storage (Broker). KubeBlocks models each as an independent component and uses the Sharding API to manage multiple broker shards. Each shard runs DLedger Raft — if a broker leader fails, the surviving replicas elect a new one automatically within that shard.

✓

NameServer is stateless and horizontally scalable — clients connect to any replica for route discovery

✓

Broker shards each run DLedger Raft consensus — a leader failure triggers automatic re-election within the shard

✓

Multiple broker shards distribute topic partitions across independent Raft groups for horizontal throughput

✓

Dedicated Exporter component serves Prometheus metrics on :5557; Broker pods also run a JMX exporter sidecar on :5556

✓

Dashboard component provides a web admin console accessible via port-forward (18080:8080)

✓

KubeBlocks Sharding API manages broker shards as a single logical scaling unit

DLedger Raft

Multi-Shard

NameServer HA

JMX Metrics

Producer / Consumer

Application

Publish / subscribe via RocketMQ SDK
Connects to NameServer for route discovery

RocketMQ SDK

route discovery → broker direct connect

NameServer (Service Discovery) · :9876

namesrv-0

:9876 · Route table for all brokers
Stateless — scale horizontally

Pod

namesrv-1

:9876 · Route table for all brokers
Stateless — scale horizontally

Pod

broker register → route lookup

Broker Shards · :10911 (DLedger Raft HA — 2 shards shown)

Shard 0DLEDGER

⚙️

broker-0-0

:10911 · Raft leader

Leader

⚙️

broker-0-1

:10911 · Raft follower

Follower

Shard 1DLEDGER

⚙️

broker-1-0

:10911 · Raft leader

Leader

⚙️

broker-1-1

:10911 · Raft follower

Follower

⬡DLedger RaftEach shard runs independent Raft consensus — leader failure triggers automatic re-election within the shard; surviving majority continues serving writes

Observability & Dashboard

Exporter

Prometheus metrics on :5557
Broker JMX sidecar on :5556

Metrics

Dashboard

Web admin console · :8080
Access via port-forward 18080:8080

Web UI

RocketMQ Broker / NameServer

Raft Leader

Raft Follower / Observability

Client Traffic

Day-2 Operations

Every Operation Declared as a Kubernetes Resource

No SSH into pods, no shell scripts. Declare an OpsRequest or Cluster resource and KubeBlocks handles the rest.

Availability & Scaling

✓

Horizontal Scaling (NameServer)

Add or remove NameServer replicas online. NameServer is stateless — clients automatically use any running replica for route discovery.

✓

Vertical Scaling

Resize CPU and memory for NameServer, Broker, Exporter, or Dashboard components via OpsRequest. KubeBlocks applies changes with a rolling strategy.

✓

Volume Expansion

Expand PVC storage for broker message data without pod restarts on supported storage classes.

✓

Rolling Restart

Controlled pod restarts across all components. Broker restarts respect DLedger Raft — the cluster stays available if quorum is maintained.

✓

Stop / Start

Suspend the entire cluster to eliminate compute cost; resume with full state intact.

Configuration, Observability & Access

✓

Dynamic Configuration

Update broker parameters (e.g. enableMultiDispatch) via OpsRequest. KubeBlocks applies changes with a rolling pod restart.

✓

Prometheus Metrics

Exporter component serves Prometheus metrics on :5557. Broker pods additionally run a JMX exporter sidecar on :5556. Both are compatible with standard Prometheus scrape configs.

✓

Web Dashboard

Built-in admin console on :8080. Access via kubectl port-forward (18080:8080) or expose via LoadBalancer.

✓

Expose via LoadBalancer

Expose NameServer or Dashboard externally via a LoadBalancer or NodePort service using an Expose OpsRequest.

✓

Credential Management

Broker credentials stored in Kubernetes Secrets at cluster creation time.

How It Works

Built for Production from Day One

KubeBlocks automates the most complex RocketMQ operational tasks.

Automatic Broker Failover via DLedger Raft

Each broker shard runs an independent DLedger Raft group. When the leader pod fails, the surviving followers elect a new leader automatically. Producers and consumers reconnect to the new leader without manual intervention.

View Docs →

⚙️

Normal: 2-replica shard

broker-0-0 (leader) + broker-0-1 (follower) — DLedger replicates every message commit

🔴

Leader pod fails

KubeBlocks detects the pod failure; broker-0-1 (follower) enters Raft election

🗳️

Election completes

broker-0-1 becomes the new DLedger leader; NameServer route table updates automatically

✅

Cluster recovers

Producers reconnect; KubeBlocks restarts broker-0-0 and re-joins it as a follower

Learn More

Guides & Resources

Guide

Running Apache RocketMQ on Kubernetes with KubeBlocks

Step-by-step guide to deploying a production RocketMQ cluster with broker sharding and NameServer HA on Kubernetes using KubeBlocks.

Overview

KubeBlocks: One Operator for 35+ Database Engines

How KubeBlocks unifies Day-2 operations for databases, message queues, and storage engines on Kubernetes with a single consistent API.

Run RocketMQ on Kubernetes — the Easy Way

KubeBlocks handles provisioning, failover, scaling, and configuration for RocketMQ and 35+ other database engines — with a single unified operator.

Get Started Free →Read the Docs

# Add Helm repo helm repo add kubeblocks https://apecloud.github.io/helm-charts helm repo update # Install KubeBlocks helm install kubeblocks kubeblocks/kubeblocks \ --namespace kb-system --create-namespace # Install RocketMQ addon helm upgrade -i kb-addon-rocketmq kubeblocks/rocketmq \ --namespace kb-system

apiVersion: apps.kubeblocks.io/v1 kind: Cluster metadata: name: rocketmq-cluster namespace: demo spec: clusterDef: rocketmq topology: master-slave terminationPolicy: Delete componentSpecs: - name: namesrv resources: limits: memory: "2Gi" - name: exporter - name: dashboard shardings: - name: broker shards: 2 template: name: rocketmq-broker resources: limits: memory: "4Gi"