reference.html.md.erb

---
breadcrumb: VMware RabbitMQ for Tanzu Application Service Documentation
title: RabbitMQ Environment Variables
owner: London Services
---

This topic provides a reference for the environment variables that <%= vars.app_runtime_full %>
stores for <%= vars.product_full %> service instances.
These variables include the credentials that apps use to access the service instances.


## <a id='vcap-services'></a>VCAP_SERVICES

Apps running in <%= vars.app_runtime_abbr %> gain access to the bound service instances
through an environment variable credentials hash called `VCAP_SERVICES`.
An example hash is show below:

```json
{
  "p.rabbitmq": [{
    "label": "p.rabbitmq",
    "name": "my-rabbit-service-instance",
    "plan": "single-node",
    "tags": ["rabbitmq"],
    "credentials": {
      "dashboard_url": "http://pivotal-rabbitmq.your.pcf.example.com",
      "username": "b5d0ad14-4352-48e8-8982-d5b1d257029f",
      "vhost": "62e5ab21-7b38-44ac-b139-6aa97af01cd7",
      "password": "#passwordexample123456789",
      "ssl": false,
      "hostname": "q-s0.rabbitmq-server.services-subnet.service-instance-e0e7fc5f-c1c7-4211-81b9-284fb29ba851.bosh",
      "hostnames": [
        "q-s0.rabbitmq-server.services-subnet.service-instance-e0e7fc5f-c1c7-4211-81b9-284fb29ba851.bosh",
      ],
      "uri": "amqp://b5d0ad14-4352-48e8-8982-d5b1d257029f:tavk86pnnns1ddiqpsdtbchurn@q-s0.rabbitmq-server.services-subnet.service-instance-e0e7fc5f-c1c7-4211-81b9-284fb29ba851.bosh/62e5ab21-7b38-44ac-b139-6aa97af01cd7",
      "uris": [
        "amqp://b5d0ad14-4352-48e8-8982-d5b1d257029f:tavk86pnnns1ddiqpsdtbchurn@q-s0.rabbitmq-server.services-subnet.service-instance-e0e7fc5f-c1c7-4211-81b9-284fb29ba851.bosh/62e5ab21-7b38-44ac-b139-6aa97af01cd7",
      ],
      "http_api_uri": "http://b5d0ad14-4352-48e8-8982-d5b1d257029f:tavk86pnnns1ddiqpsdtbchurn@q-s0.rabbitmq-server.services-subnet.service-instance-e0e7fc5f-c1c7-4211-81b9-284fb29ba851.bosh:15672/api",
      "http_api_uris": [
        "http://b5d0ad14-4352-48e8-8982-d5b1d257029f:tavk86pnnns1ddiqpsdtbchurn@q-s0.rabbitmq-server.services-subnet.service-instance-e0e7fc5f-c1c7-4211-81b9-284fb29ba851.bosh:15672/api",
      ],
      "protocols": {
        "amqp": {
          "password": "passwordexample123456789",
          "port": 5672,
          "ssl": false,
          "username": "b5d0ad14-4352-48e8-8982-d5b1d257029f",
          "vhost": "62e5ab21-7b38-44ac-b139-6aa97af01cd7",
          "host": "q-s0.rabbitmq-server.services-subnet.service-instance-e0e7fc5f-c1c7-4211-81b9-284fb29ba851.bosh",
          "hosts": [
            "q-s0.rabbitmq-server.services-subnet.service-instance-e0e7fc5f-c1c7-4211-81b9-284fb29ba851.bosh",
          ],
          "uri": "amqp://b5d0ad14-4352-48e8-8982-d5b1d257029f:passwordexample123456789@q-s0.rabbitmq-server.services-subnet.service-instance-e0e7fc5f-c1c7-4211-81b9-284fb29ba851.bosh:5672/62e5ab21-7b38-44ac-b139-6aa97af01cd7",
          "uris": [
            "amqp://b5d0ad14-4352-48e8-8982-d5b1d257029f:passwordexample123456789@q-s0.rabbitmq-server.services-subnet.service-instance-e0e7fc5f-c1c7-4211-81b9-284fb29ba851.bosh:5672/62e5ab21-7b38-44ac-b139-6aa97af01cd7",
          ]
        }
      }
    }
  }]
}
```

You can search for your service by its `name`, given when creating the service instance,
or dynamically through the `tags` or `label` properties.
You can use the `credentials` property as follows:

* The top level properties `uri`, `uris`, `vhost`, `username`, `password`, `hostname`, and `hostnames` provide access to the AMQP 0.9.1 protocol.

* The `credentials.protocols` property has a key per enabled protocol, providing a more flexible
approach. The possible keys are `amqp`, `management`, `mqtt`, and `stomp`.
If SSL is enabled, the keys are `amqp+ssl`, `management+ssl`, `mqtt+ssl`, and `stomp+ssl`
respectively.

* The values associated with each of these keys gives access credentials specific to each protocol.
In all cases, URIs are provided, along with the individual components.


## <a id='plugins-protocols'></a>Changing Enabled Plugins and Protocols

<p class="note">
  <strong>Note:</strong> Removing or adding plugins or protocols might cause apps bound with
  <%= vars.product_short %> to break.
</p>

If you adjust the plugins and protocols enabled for RabbitMQ, you might need to force the
`VCAP_SERVICES` environment variables of all apps to be regenerated.
Adding and removing the following plugins require bound apps to be restaged:

* rabbitmq_management
* rabbitmq_stomp
* rabbitmq_web_stomp
* rabbitmq_mqtt
* rabbitmq_amqp1_0

In common with all services in <%= vars.app_runtime_abbr %>, the `VCAP_SERVICES` environment variable
for an app is only modified when the app is bound to a service instance.
Users need to `cf unbind-service`, `cf bind-service`, and `cf restage` their app in this scenario.