Apache RocketMQ vs Eclipse Amlen
Apache RocketMQ
rocketmq.apache.orgEclipse Amlen
eclipse.devSide by side
| Figure | Apache RocketMQ | Eclipse Amlen |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · Message Broker Software | 8.9 (#4) | 8.1 (#16) |
| Deployment | RocketMQ 5.x separates stateless Proxy from storage and compute so those layers can scale independently. | The current stable release page lists server and WebUI downloads for RHEL and AlmaLinux 8, 9, and 10. |
| Protocols | The project supports gRPC, MQTT, AMQP, HTTP/REST, JMS and OpenMessaging interfaces across its components and clients. | It supports MQTT versions 3 through 5 over TCP/IP and WebSockets, as well as JMS. |
| Security | RocketMQ provides ACL and TLS, but operators must configure ACL or restrict access to trusted networks; the security guide warns that ACL is not enabled by default. | Security controls include TLS profiles, user ID and password authentication validated against a configured LDAP server, and policy-based authorization. |
| Support | The site links to community email groups, GitHub issues, and contribution guidance for help and participation. | The product page directs users to Eclipse IoT Matrix channels to discuss Amlen. |
Plans
Apache RocketMQ
- Apache RocketMQFree
- Apache RocketMQ open-source distributionFree
In their own words
Apache RocketMQ
Apache RocketMQ is distributed middleware for asynchronous communication and publish/subscribe messaging. Its asynchronous model can separate systems and shift loads between upstream and downstream services. Messaging options include publish/subscribe, request/reply, streaming, transactional messages, FIFO ordering, filtering, and push or pull consumption. The project lists durable persistence, replication, failover, fault tolerance, high-availability options, and cross-region disaster recovery. Its site describes million-level LiteTopics per cluster and says RocketMQ has demonstrated 10M+ TPS throughput. It can run locally, in Docker, or Kubernetes, with source and binary packages available. The ecosystem includes EventBridge, MQTT, RocketMQ Connect, RocketMQ Streams, Spring, Flink, Prometheus Exporter, and a Kubernetes Operator; AI options include native MCP support, A2A compatibility, and integrations with LangChain, CrewAI, AutoGen, AgentScope, Dify, and Coze. The project lists gRPC SDKs for Java, Go, Python, C++, and Rust, plus gRPC, MQTT, JMS, and OpenMessaging protocols. It is free under Apache License 2.0. ACL is not enabled by default.
Eclipse Amlen
Eclipse Amlen is a self-hosted MQTT server for IoT and web messaging. It supports MQTT versions 3 through 5 over TCP/IP and WebSockets, plus JMS, and can convert messages between MQTT and JMS. A protocol plug-in SDK lets users add other protocols, including options for legacy sensors that cannot use MQTT. The Amlen Bridge forwards MQTT messages to another MQTT server or IBM Event Streams for IBM Cloud, with filtering, topic mapping, multiple forwarders, and REST API configuration and monitoring. Security controls include TLS profiles, user ID and password authentication against a configured LDAP server, and policy-based authorization for connections, topics, subscriptions, and queues. Administrators can manage message hubs and endpoints through a WebUI or REST Administration APIs. Supported client platforms include C, Java, Android, iOS, and JavaScript. Server and WebUI downloads are listed for RHEL and AlmaLinux 8, 9, and 10. The free software has configurable delivery guarantees. One limitation is that Amlen supports a single LDAP server connection, so users and groups must be provided through that server.