Connection Problems

If the Test Connection button returns an error, or a server shows as unreachable after saving, use this guide to diagnose the issue.

Checklist

1. Is the broker running?

Verify the broker process is up before anything else.

RabbitMQ: open http://localhost:15672 in your browser — the management UI should load.
ActiveMQ Classic: open http://localhost:8161/admin.
ActiveMQ Artemis: open http://localhost:8161.

If the UI does not load, the broker is not running or the port is different.

2. Is the management API enabled?

HZN Queue Console connects to the broker’s HTTP management API, not the AMQP or OpenWire port.

RabbitMQ: the rabbitmq_management plugin must be enabled. Run rabbitmq-plugins enable rabbitmq_management and restart the broker.
ActiveMQ Classic / Artemis: the web console / Jolokia API must be enabled (it is on by default in most distributions).

3. Is the hostname and port correct?

Broker	Default hostname	Default management port
RabbitMQ	`http://localhost`	`15672`
ActiveMQ Classic	`http://localhost`	`8161`
ActiveMQ Artemis	`http://localhost`	`8161`

Enter only the hostname (without trailing slash) and the port as a separate field.

4. Firewall or VPN blocking the port?

If connecting to a remote broker:

Confirm the management port is open in the server’s firewall.
If using a VPN, ensure the VPN is connected and routes traffic to the broker host.
Test from the command line: curl http://<host>:<port>/api/overview -u guest:guest

5. Wrong credentials?

The default credentials for RabbitMQ are guest / guest, but the guest user can only connect from localhost by default. Create a dedicated management user for remote access:

rabbitmqctl add_user hzn <password>
rabbitmqctl set_user_tags hzn administrator
rabbitmqctl set_permissions -p / hzn ".*" ".*" ".*"

6. TLS / HTTPS connection

If the broker uses HTTPS:

Use https:// as the scheme in the hostname field.
Self-signed certificates are supported. If the connection fails due to an untrusted certificate, add the certificate to your OS trust store.
Make sure the TLS port is open (RabbitMQ TLS management default: 15671).

7. Reverse proxy

If the broker is behind a reverse proxy (nginx, Traefik, etc.):

Enter the proxy URL including any path prefix, e.g. http://myhost/rabbitmq.
Make sure the proxy forwards the Host header and does not strip the management API path.
WebSocket upgrades are not required — the app uses plain HTTP/HTTPS.

Error Messages

Error	Likely cause
`Connection refused`	Broker not running, or wrong port
`Network error`	Firewall blocking the port, or wrong hostname
`401 Unauthorized`	Wrong username or password
`403 Forbidden`	User exists but lacks management permissions
`SSL certificate error`	Self-signed cert not trusted by OS
`404 Not Found`	Management plugin not enabled, or wrong path

Server Connections — adding and editing server connections
Getting Started — default connection values