How to Install Eclipse Mosquitto MQTT on Ubuntu

Install Mosquitto packages

To get the latest features and security updates, use the official developer repository. Here’s how to install the software.

First, add the official Mosquitto PPA and update your system:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mosquitto-dev/mosquitto-ppa
sudo apt update
sudo apt install mosquitto mosquitto-clients

Once installed, check that the service is running:

sudo systemctl enable mosquitto
sudo systemctl start mosquitto
sudo systemctl status mosquitto

Setup authentication

By default, the server is open to anyone, so you must secure it. Don’t use plain text passwords; instead, opt for modern authentication methods or encrypted files.

First, create an admin user:

sudo mosquitto_passwd -c /etc/mosquitto/.passwd superadmin

Next, configure the server to save your data if it restarts. Open the configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/mosquitto/mosquitto.conf

Add these lines to the bottom of the file:

persistence true
persistence_location /var/lib/mosquitto/

Now, create an authentication file at /etc/mosquitto/conf.d/auth.conf and add these lines:

listener 1883
allow_anonymous false
password_file /etc/mosquitto/.passwd

To encrypt your traffic, you should set up TLS/SSL certificates. Create a directory for your certificates and generate a DH parameter file:

sudo mkdir -p /etc/mosquitto/certs
sudo openssl dhparam -out /etc/mosquitto/certs/dhparam.pem 2048

You can obtain SSL certificates from a provider like Let’s Encrypt How to create self-signed certificates in Ubuntu Linux. Once you have your certificates, add them to your ssl.conf file to ensure all data is encrypted during transit.

Restart the service to apply changes:

sudo systemctl restart mosquitto

Test that your authentication works by sending a message:

sudo mosquitto_pub -h localhost -t "test" -m "Hello" -u "superadmin" -P "your_password"

Conclusion

You now have a secure MQTT broker running on Ubuntu. By using the official PPA, you stay updated. By using persistence and authentication, you keep your data safe and reliable. Your devices can now communicate securely across your network.