When RabbitMQ is installed via apt on Ubuntu, it automatically registers as a systemd service. The package comes with predefined unit files that configure it to start at boot. Here's how to verify the current status:

systemctl status rabbitmq-server.service

This will show whether the service is active (running) and enabled (set to start at boot).

To prevent RabbitMQ from starting automatically while keeping it installed:

sudo systemctl disable rabbitmq-server.service

This removes the symlinks from systemd's startup sequence without uninstalling the service.

After disabling autostart, you can manually control the service:

# Start when needed
sudo systemctl start rabbitmq-server.service

# Stop when finished
sudo systemctl stop rabbitmq-server.service

For more strict control (preventing even manual starts by accident):

sudo systemctl mask rabbitmq-server.service

To undo this later:

sudo systemctl unmask rabbitmq-server.service

Check if autostart is truly disabled:

systemctl is-enabled rabbitmq-server.service

This should return "disabled" or "masked" depending on your choice.

For developers who frequently need to toggle RabbitMQ, consider creating aliases or scripts:

#!/bin/bash
# ~/bin/rabbitmq-control
case "$1" in
    start)
        sudo systemctl start rabbitmq-server
        ;;
    stop)
        sudo systemctl stop rabbitmq-server
        ;;
    *)
        echo "Usage: $0 {start|stop}"
        exit 1
esac

Make it executable:

chmod +x ~/bin/rabbitmq-control

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After installing RabbitMQ on Ubuntu through apt or deb packages, the system automatically configures it as a systemd service that launches during boot. This behavior stems from the service file located at:

/lib/systemd/system/rabbitmq-server.service

Before making changes, verify the current status with:

systemctl status rabbitmq-server

This shows whether the service is active (running) and enabled (auto-starts on boot).

To prevent RabbitMQ from starting at boot while keeping the service installed:

sudo systemctl disable rabbitmq-server

This removes symlinks in the systemd directories while preserving the original service file.

For a more forceful prevention (useful when other services might try to start RabbitMQ as dependency):

sudo systemctl mask rabbitmq-server

This creates a symlink to /dev/null, making the service impossible to start accidentally.

When you need RabbitMQ, start it manually with:

sudo systemctl start rabbitmq-server

And stop it when finished:

sudo systemctl stop rabbitmq-server

After reboot, confirm RabbitMQ isn't running:

systemctl is-active rabbitmq-server
rabbitmqctl status

For more control, create an override:

sudo systemctl edit rabbitmq-server

Then add:

[Service]
Restart=no

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

To restore default behavior later:

sudo systemctl unmask rabbitmq-server
sudo systemctl enable rabbitmq-server