Advice needed on how to handle MQTT/Mosquitto

Third party integrations
1

At this time, I have Mosquitto running as an app in home assistant; it’s a docker app configured to start at boot and watchdog is watching it. I also have Zigbee2MQTT as an app, same thing, start at boot, watchdog enabled. My home assistant is running as a proxmox VM with 8 vCPU’s and 12GB memory, in my estimation it’s fairly over-resourced.

I’ve been having multiple family-impacting failures lately where Zigbee2MQTT fails so the lights don’t work, and when I investigate, most of the time it’s because Mosquitto stopped and didn’t restart. When I open the mosquitto logs, there’s nothing in there other than a shutdown that doesn’t auto restart, relevant snippet below:

2026-02-25 02:10:40: New client connected from 10.5.9.101:58841 as DVES_038E3B (p2, c1, k30, u'mqtt-user').
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_388856 already connected, closing old connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: New client connected from 10.5.9.148:52597 as DVES_388856 (p2, c1, k30, u'mqtt-user').
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_8D95AF already connected, closing old connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: New client connected from 10.5.9.144:64704 as DVES_8D95AF (p2, c1, k30, u'mqtt-user').
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_388280 already connected, closing old connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: New client connected from 10.5.9.147:55264 as DVES_388280 (p2, c1, k30, u'mqtt-user').
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_D28D10 already connected, closing old connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: New client connected from 10.5.9.122:51785 as DVES_D28D10 (p2, c1, k30, u'mqtt-user').
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_E3512D already connected, closing old connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: New client connected from 10.5.9.107:60614 as DVES_E3512D (p2, c1, k30, u'mqtt-user').
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_5FE2B9 already connected, closing old connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: New client connected from 10.5.9.123:56333 as DVES_5FE2B9 (p2, c1, k30, u'mqtt-user').
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client 4Ls0qTrSs1OTvfpd2axHDZ already connected, closing old connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: New client connected from 172.30.32.1:58413 as 4Ls0qTrSs1OTvfpd2axHDZ (p2, c1, k60, u'mqtt-user').
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client <unknown> closed its connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client 4Ls0qTrSs1OTvfpd2axHDZ already connected, closing old connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: New client connected from 172.30.32.1:48027 as 4Ls0qTrSs1OTvfpd2axHDZ (p2, c1, k60, u'mqtt-user').
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client 4Ls0qTrSs1OTvfpd2axHDZ already connected, closing old connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: New client connected from 172.30.32.1:43515 as 4Ls0qTrSs1OTvfpd2axHDZ (p2, c1, k60, u'mqtt-user').
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client 4Ls0qTrSs1OTvfpd2axHDZ already connected, closing old connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: New client connected from 172.30.32.1:40027 as 4Ls0qTrSs1OTvfpd2axHDZ (p2, c1, k60, u'mqtt-user').
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_6E40CB already connected, closing old connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: New client connected from 10.5.9.121:63842 as DVES_6E40CB (p2, c1, k30, u'mqtt-user').
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_B1C2BF already connected, closing old connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: New client connected from 10.5.9.146:55511 as DVES_B1C2BF (p2, c1, k30, u'mqtt-user').
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_B2346D already connected, closing old connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: New client connected from 10.5.9.149:61322 as DVES_B2346D (p2, c1, k30, u'mqtt-user').
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client 4Ls0qTrSs1OTvfpd2axHDZ already connected, closing old connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: New client connected from 172.30.32.1:33069 as 4Ls0qTrSs1OTvfpd2axHDZ (p2, c1, k60, u'mqtt-user').
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_CE5E7A already connected, closing old connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: New client connected from 10.5.9.102:59227 as DVES_CE5E7A (p2, c1, k30, u'mqtt-user').
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_CF2324 already connected, closing old connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: New client connected from 10.5.9.103:52435 as DVES_CF2324 (p2, c1, k30, u'mqtt-user').
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_CEF3A5 already connected, closing old connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: New client connected from 10.5.9.104:49635 as DVES_CEF3A5 (p2, c1, k30, u'mqtt-user').
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client 4Ls0qTrSs1OTvfpd2axHDZ already connected, closing old connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: New client connected from 172.30.32.1:46305 as 4Ls0qTrSs1OTvfpd2axHDZ (p2, c1, k60, u'mqtt-user').
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_038E3B already connected, closing old connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: New client connected from 10.5.9.101:52670 as DVES_038E3B (p2, c1, k30, u'mqtt-user').
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_8D9124 already connected, closing old connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: New client connected from 10.5.9.143:64838 as DVES_8D9124 (p2, c1, k30, u'mqtt-user').
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_8D95AF already connected, closing old connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: New client connected from 10.5.9.144:62039 as DVES_8D95AF (p2, c1, k30, u'mqtt-user').
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_388280 already connected, closing old connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: New client connected from 10.5.9.147:58485 as DVES_388280 (p2, c1, k30, u'mqtt-user').
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_D28D10 already connected, closing old connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: New client connected from 10.5.9.122:63505 as DVES_D28D10 (p2, c1, k30, u'mqtt-user').
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_E3512D already connected, closing old connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: New client connected from 10.5.9.107:61065 as DVES_E3512D (p2, c1, k30, u'mqtt-user').
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_388856 already connected, closing old connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: New client connected from 10.5.9.148:52139 as DVES_388856 (p2, c1, k30, u'mqtt-user').
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_5FE2B9 already connected, closing old connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: New client connected from 10.5.9.123:59186 as DVES_5FE2B9 (p2, c1, k30, u'mqtt-user').
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client 4Ls0qTrSs1OTvfpd2axHDZ already connected, closing old connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: New client connected from 172.30.32.1:43371 as 4Ls0qTrSs1OTvfpd2axHDZ (p2, c1, k60, u'mqtt-user').
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client 4Ls0qTrSs1OTvfpd2axHDZ already connected, closing old connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: New client connected from 172.30.32.1:55213 as 4Ls0qTrSs1OTvfpd2axHDZ (p2, c1, k60, u'mqtt-user').
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client 4Ls0qTrSs1OTvfpd2axHDZ already connected, closing old connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: New client connected from 172.30.32.1:43361 as 4Ls0qTrSs1OTvfpd2axHDZ (p2, c1, k60, u'mqtt-user').
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_6E40CB closed its connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_B1C2BF closed its connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_B2346D closed its connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_CE5E7A closed its connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_CF2324 closed its connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_CEF3A5 closed its connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_038E3B closed its connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_8D9124 closed its connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_8D95AF closed its connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_388280 closed its connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_D28D10 closed its connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_E3512D closed its connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_388856 closed its connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client DVES_5FE2B9 closed its connection.
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Client 4Ls0qTrSs1OTvfpd2axHDZ closed its connection.
s6-rc: info: service legacy-services: stopping
2026-02-25 02:10:40: mosquitto version 2.0.22 terminating
2026-02-25 02:10:40: Saving in-memory database to /data//mosquitto.db.
[10:10:40] INFO: e[32mService restart after closinge[0m
s6-svwait: fatal: timed out
s6-rc: info: service legacy-services successfully stopped
s6-rc: info: service legacy-cont-init: stopping
[10:10:45] INFO: e[32mService restart after closinge[0m
s6-rc: info: service legacy-cont-init successfully stopped
s6-rc: info: service fix-attrs: stopping
s6-rc: info: service fix-attrs successfully stopped
s6-rc: info: service s6rc-oneshot-runner: stopping
s6-rc: info: service s6rc-oneshot-runner successfully stopped

This is happening about twice a week. Additionally, I find my actual Home Assistant VM takes forever to reboot, sometimes up to 20 minutes.

I’ve been considering just taking mosquitto and making it a separate VM. It may be more relevant if I use MQTT for more things (like Meshtastic), and I am wondering if it will help take some resource load off of HA. That being said, before I go that route I want to know if anyone has any advice for if there is a better fix; I’ve installed MQTTExplorer and cleaned a bunch of topics out that were for devices that no longer exist (An old smart camera system I replaced had a bunch of crap in there).

2

Do you have 2 devices using same credentials

You have something using that ID a lot but from same IP/different port. It looks like from HA. That may be a place to start looking but not sure honestly.

3

All my tasmota devices and my ratgdo use the same mqtt credentials. The only things in Home Assistant using MQTT are Zigbee2MQTT (and that set itself up with the MQTT user “addons” which I didn’t specify), and MQTT explorer, which I made an account for “mqtt-admin”. I’m not sure how to identify who that is?