Clarification on config_entry_decoder and private key password in rabbitmq.conf

[moerwald]

Describe the bug

In previous versions of RabbitMQ, using the old rabbitmq.conf format, I was able to configure parameters such as:

• config_entry_decoder
• password under the ssl section

However, after migrating to the new configuration format (rabbitmq.conf with the INI-like structure), I could not find documentation on whether these parameters are still supported or have been deprecated.

Reproduction steps

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Expected behavior

The documentation should clarify whether these parameters are still supported in the new format.

If they are deprecated, alternative approaches should be documented.

Additional context

Actual Behavior:

No clear documentation exists regarding these parameters in the new format.

It is unclear if they are automatically migrated or need an alternative setting.

RabbitMQ Version:

RabbitMQ 3.13.6

Erlang Version:

Erlang 26.2.5.2

Related Documentation:

https://www.rabbitmq.com/configure.html

Could you please clarify if config_entry_decoder and ssl.password are supported in the new configuration format, and if so, how they should be set?

Thanks!

[michaelklishin]

@moerwald RabbitMQ 3.13.x is out of community support.

You were never able to configure config_entry_decoder via rabbitmq.conf. It is an advanced.config-only feature, just like it has always been.

TLS guide has a section called private key passwords which has a rabbitmq.conf example.

Finally, the Configuration guide has a section on value escaping and values coming from a set of environment variables in modern rabbitmq.conf.

On top of that, 4.0.x support tagged string and binary configuration values that we have apparently forgotten to document (or I cannot find where we did)
but they allow the encoded values to be used in rabbitmq.conf and not just advanced.config by prefixing them.

4.0.x supports all of those features. I no longer remember if 3.13.6 does. In any case, "out of community support" means just that, "out of community support".

[michaelklishin]

Also, the "new" configuration format has first shipped in RabbitMQ 3.7.0 in Nov 2017. It's hardly all that "new" any more.