# Getting Started

Welcome to Apache ActiveMQ Classic. This document gives you a quick overview of how to get started trying out Apache ActiveMQ Classic.

## Running the broker

From the binary distribution you can run the Apache ActiveMQ server via the bin/activemq command. If you're using Windows, just type

        cd bin
        activemq.bat start

On Unix-like systems, type

        ./bin/activemq console

to start the broker in foreground.

The Apache ActiveMQ broker should now have started

Tip: If you run the bin/activemq command without any arguments it will output usage.

To stop the broker you can press ctrl + c to stop the process.

## Running the broker in the background

The broker can be started as a background process via the bin/activemq command on Unix-like systems, type

        ./bin/activemq start

to start the broker in background. The broker will write to its log in the data/activemq.log file.

## Stopping the broker

The broker can be stopped via the bin/activemq command If you're using Windows, just type

        cd bin
        activemq.bat stop

On Unix-like systems, type

        ./bin/activemq stop

to stop the broker.

## Access the web console

In a web browser you can access the url http://0.0.0.0:8161/admin to access the ActiveMQ web console.
The broker may ask for credentials to login the web console the first time. The default username and password is admin/admin. You can configure this in the conf/user.properties file.

## Access the web demos

You would need to start the broker with the demos included, which you do as follows: If you're using Windows, just type

        cd bin
        activemq.bat start xbean:../examples/conf/activemq-demo.xml

On Unix-like systems, type

        ./bin/activemq console xbean:examples/conf/activemq-demo.xml

In a web browser you can access the url http://0.0.0.0:8161/demo to access the ActiveMQ web demos.
The broker may ask for credentials to login the web console the first time. The default username and password is admin/admin. You can configure this in the conf/user.properties file.

## Example programs

Several runnable examples are in the examples directory, each with its own readme.md file containing instructions on how to run the example.

Configuration examples are located in example/conf directory.

## Further Readings

You can find more details about Apache ActiveMQ at its website http://activemq.apache.org, as well the guide getting started guide.