Node-RED

Last updated
Node-RED
Original author(s) IBM Emerging Technology
• Nick O'Leary
• Dave Conway-Jones
Developer(s) JS Foundation
Initial release2013 [1]
Stable release
3.1.0 / September 6, 2023;5 months ago (2023-09-06) [2]
Repository
Written in JavaScript
Operating system Cross-platform
Platform Node.js
Type Flow-based programming for wiring the Internet of things
License Apache License 2.0
Website nodered.org

Node-RED is a flow-based, low-code development tool for visual programming developed originally by IBM for wiring together hardware devices, APIs and online services as part of the Internet of things. [3]

Contents

Node-RED provides a web browser-based flow editor, which can be used to create JavaScript functions. Elements of applications can be saved or shared for re-use. The runtime is built on Node.js. The flows created in Node-RED are stored using JSON. Since version 0.14, MQTT nodes can make properly configured TLS connections. [4]

In 2016, IBM contributed Node-RED as an open source OpenJS Foundation project. [5] [6] [7]

Node-RED projects

NameDescription
Node-REDA visual tool for wiring the Internet of things
Node-RED DashboardA dashboard user interface (UI) for Node-RED
Node generator Command-line tool to generate Node-RED node modules from several various sources, including Open API document and function node's source
Node-RED Command Line ToolCommand-line tool that allows for remotely administering a Node-RED instance

Flows

Node-RED Flow refers to the connection and sequencing of various input, output, and processing nodes within the Node-RED platform. Each node within a flow performs a unique and specific task. When data is transmitted to a node, the node processes it according to its designated function, before passing it on to the subsequent node in the flow. This system allows for the controlled execution and regulation of a wide range of operations, offering significant flexibility in creating real-time applications. Node-RED flows represent the main mechanism of this visual programming tool.

Node-RED Flow Node-RED Example.png
Node-RED Flow

Adoption

Node-RED has gained significant traction in the industrial internet of things (IIoT) and edge computing sectors. [8] [9] [10] Node-RED's open-source nature and large community have led to the creation of over 4000 connectors [11] supporting a wide range of data sources and protocols such as Modbus, OPC-UA, Siemens S7, and MQTT. Several PLC and IoT vendors [12] have adopted Node-RED as a standard.

Community survey

The 2023 Node-RED Community Survey [13] provided valuable insights into the usage patterns, preferences, and feedback from 780 individuals who are part of the Node-RED community. The survey, conducted in March 2023, revealed that Node-RED's usage extends beyond DIY home automation, with a growing trend towards professional use in a variety of industries. Over half of the respondents have been using Node-RED for over two years, indicating a well-established community. Notably, the most common messaging technologies used in conjunction with Node-RED are MQTT and HTTP, while InfluxDB emerged as the most popular database within the community. The survey also shed light on perceived barriers to adoption, pointing towards the perception of Node-RED as a proof of concept tool and the lack of certain key features. Despite these challenges, the survey highlighted a high level of satisfaction within the community, with over two-thirds of respondents rating Node-RED a 5 out of 5.

Commercial offerings

FlowFuse [14] (former known as FlowForge [15] ) is an open-core company investing in Node-RED. Nick O’Leary, co-creator of Node-RED is FlowFuse co-founder and CTO. FlowFuse adds to Node-RED collaborative development, management of remote deployments, support for DevOps delivery pipelines and the ability to host Node-RED applications on FlowFuse Cloud. FlowFuse is the DevOps platform for Node-RED application development and delivery.

See also

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References

  1. ↑ nodered.org
  2. ↑ O'Leary, Nick. "Releases". GitHub . Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  3. ↑ Heath, Nick (March 13, 2014). "How IBM's Node-RED is hacking together the Internet of things". techrepublic.com . CBS Interactive . Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  4. ↑ Community staff writer (June 14, 2016). "Version 0.14 released". nodered.org/blog. Node-RED. p. 1. Retrieved July 6, 2016. MQTT with TLS support
  5. ↑ Diaz, Angel Luis (October 17, 2016). "IBM and partners launch JS Foundation - Cloud computing news". IBM . Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  6. ↑ Powers, Calvin; Watson, Todd; Lewis, Ashley (October 17, 2016). "Node-RED Joins the JS Foundation". IBM developerWorks TV/video channel. YouTube . Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  7. ↑ Lewis, Karen (October 17, 2016). "Node-RED visual programming for the Internet of Things (IoT) is now a JS Foundation Project". IBM Internet of Things blog. IBM . Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Node-RED in Industrial IoT: a growing standard". UMH Learning Center. 2021-07-13. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  9. ↑ GmbH, TeDo Verlag (2022-03-30). "Node-Red im Industrial IoT - IT&Production". www.it-production.com (in German). Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  10. ↑ "#38 Visuelle Programmierung mit Node-RED | Die Open-Source Low-Code-Plattform | Teil 1 von 2 by Einfach Komplex - Der Podcast für Software- und IT-Laien". Spotify for Podcasters. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  11. ↑ "Library - Node-RED". flows.nodered.org. Retrieved 2023-07-14.
  12. ↑ "Node-RED: The Integration Platform for IIoT Edge Computing & PLCs • FlowFuse". flowfuse.com. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  13. ↑ "2023 Node-RED Community Survey : Node-RED". nodered.org. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  14. ↑ "FlowForge • DevOps for Node-RED". flowforge.com. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  15. ↑ "FlowForge is now FlowFuse • FlowFuse". flowfuse.com. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
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