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FAQ - Queue Depth Threshold Configuration

Question

How do I prevent alerts for temporary queue depth spikes?

Answer

Configure per-queue thresholds with appropriate limits for each queue's normal operating range. High-throughput queues can have higher thresholds (e.g., alert if depth >5,000) while error queues have strict thresholds (e.g., alert if depth >10). Adjust thresholds based on historical queue depth patterns and consumer capacity.

Threshold Configuration Strategy

1. Analyze Historical Patterns

Review queue depth over time (1-2 weeks) to understand:

  • Peak depth during normal operations (e.g., morning batch processing)
  • Temporary spikes (e.g., deployment restarts, consumer scaling events)
  • Sustained growth (e.g., consumer failures, performance degradation)

2. Set Thresholds by Queue Type

Queue Type Example Threshold Reasoning
Critical transactional (orders, payments) Depth >100 Should process immediately; backlog indicates consumer failure
High-throughput batch (ETL, reporting) Depth >5,000 Normal to accumulate during batch runs; alert only if excessive
Error/dead letter Depth >10 Any messages indicate failures requiring immediate investigation
Low-volume monitoring Depth >50 Rarely accumulates; small backlog indicates problem

3. Configure Warning vs Critical Thresholds

Use multiple threshold levels:

  • Warning (e.g., depth >500): Notify operations, investigate when convenient
  • Critical (e.g., depth >2,000): Page on-call engineer, immediate action required

4. Account for Consumer Capacity

Threshold should consider:

  • Consumer processing rate (messages/second)
  • Expected recovery time (how long to clear backlog)
  • Memory constraints (large backlogs consume RAM)

Example: Consumer processes 100 messages/second. Alert threshold set at 1,000 messages = 10 seconds of backlog = reasonable buffer before investigation required.

Configuration in Nodinite

  1. Navigate to Resource Configuration for RabbitMQ cluster
  2. Select Queue to monitor
  3. Configure Queue Depth Threshold:
    • Warning: 500 messages
    • Critical: 2,000 messages
  4. Configure Consumer Lag Threshold (optional):
    • Warning: Lag >1 minute
    • Critical: Lag >5 minutes

Next Step

Configuration Guide
Monitoring RabbitMQ Features

RabbitMQ Agent Overview
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