Version Overview

About

Apache ActiveMQ has evolved significantly over the years, offering multiple distributions that serve different architectural and performance requirements. This page provides a complete overview of ActiveMQ’s versions, their purpose, and guidance on choosing the right version for your needs.

ActiveMQ is available in two main distributions:

1. ActiveMQ “Classic” (also called ActiveMQ 5.x)

2. ActiveMQ Artemis (initially referred to as ActiveMQ 6, but now developed independently)

Both are maintained by the Apache Software Foundation, but they differ in architecture, performance capabilities, and intended use cases.

ActiveMQ Classic (5.x Series)

Overview

ActiveMQ Classic is the original implementation of ActiveMQ and has been widely adopted in production systems for over a decade. It is designed around the JMS 1.1 specification and provides rich enterprise-level features.

Key Features

• Full support for JMS 1.1

• Support for various protocols: OpenWire (native), STOMP, AMQP, MQTT, and WebSocket

• Virtual Topics for combining queue and topic semantics

• Master-Slave failover for high availability

• Pluggable persistence using KahaDB, JDBC, LevelDB, etc.

• Embedded broker support for lightweight deployments

• Mature ecosystem, tools, and documentation

Use Cases

• Java-based enterprise applications

• Systems requiring JMS compliance

• Legacy integrations and back-office automation

Limitations

• Single-threaded persistence store can become a bottleneck under high load

• Not built from the ground up for modern multi-core concurrency

• More complex clustering setup compared to Artemis

ActiveMQ Artemis

Overview

ActiveMQ Artemis is the next-generation message broker, initially developed as part of the HornetQ project (from JBoss/Red Hat). It was donated to Apache and serves as the modern, high-performance successor to ActiveMQ Classic.

Key Features

• Full support for JMS 2.0

• Designed for high throughput and low latency

• Asynchronous, non-blocking architecture

• Core messaging API (in addition to JMS)

• Support for advanced protocols: AMQP, STOMP, MQTT, OpenWire, and more

• Advanced message routing with address-based routing

• Built-in clustering, high availability, and replication

• Pluggable storage engines and advanced journaling (via high-performance disk I/O)

Use Cases

• Cloud-native and containerized applications

• Real-time analytics pipelines

• Systems requiring high throughput and minimal latency

• Applications using JMS 2.0 or non-Java clients

Limitations

• Smaller user base compared to Classic (though growing steadily)

• Steeper learning curve if migrating from Classic

• Some plugins and community extensions may not yet support Artemis

Comparison

Feature	ActiveMQ Classic (5.x)	ActiveMQ Artemis
JMS Version	1.1	2.0
Architecture	Thread-per-connection	Asynchronous, non-blocking
Performance	Moderate	High throughput, low latency
Persistence	KahaDB, JDBC	Advanced journal-based storage
Protocols	OpenWire, MQTT, AMQP, STOMP	Same as Classic + more efficient protocol stack
Clustering	Master-Slave, Network of Brokers	Built-in replication and clustering
Management	JMX, Web Console	JMX, CLI, Web Console
Maturity	Highly mature, widely adopted	Modern, actively developed

Version Lifecycle and Stability

• ActiveMQ Classic is stable and still actively maintained, with regular bug fixes and minor enhancements.

• ActiveMQ Artemis is under active development and receives frequent updates focused on performance improvements and new features.

Both distributions are maintained by the Apache ActiveMQ team, and no official end-of-life has been announced for either.

Choosing the Right Version

Use the following criteria to decide which version fits your needs:

• Choose ActiveMQ Classic if:

  • We need a well-established JMS 1.1-compliant broker

  • Our system is already integrated with it

  • We need full support for Virtual Topics and legacy enterprise patterns

• Choose ActiveMQ Artemis if:

  • We are building a new system or migrating to microservices

  • We require JMS 2.0 or higher performance

  • We are integrating with multiple non-Java clients

  • We need scalable, modern messaging with efficient clustering

Release Cycles

• ActiveMQ Classic typically follows a slower release cycle with focus on stability.

• ActiveMQ Artemis has a more frequent release cadence with a focus on new features and performance improvements.

We can track releases on their respective Apache project pages:

• ActiveMQ Classic Releases
• ActiveMQ Artemis Releases