Simplifying EdgeX Foundry: A New Node-Red Node for Seamless Integration
By Chirantan Ghosh, Technical Product Architect at Schneider Electric and EdgeX Foundry Technical Steering Committee Member
EdgeX Foundry is a powerful open-source framework for edge computing, offering a modular architecture to connect devices, process data, and integrate with cloud and enterprise systems. However, for developers and solution architects who prefer low-code environments, integrating EdgeX into visual tools like Node-RED might still require navigating through its message buses and APIs.
To address this, I’ve developed a custom Node-RED node that simplifies EdgeX integration — making it easier to build edge applications with minimal configuration.
Introducing node-red-contrib-edgex-connector
This Node-RED node abstracts away the complexity of connecting to EdgeX’s internal message bus and APIs, allowing users to:
- Subscribe directly to EdgeX events – listen for events from any device registered in EdgeX and use that data to trigger your Node-RED flows.
- Interact with EdgeX Device Read/Write APIs – send commands/write data to devices or read data from devices registered in EdgeX
- Build logic flows visually without needing deep knowledge of EdgeX internals
The node is open-sourced under Schneider Electric’s GitHub and provided with Apache 2.0 licensing (the same as EgdeX Foundry). It is also available directly from the Node-RED palette:
Key Features
- Plug-and-play setup: Just install and start building flows
- Secure mode support: Works with EdgeX’s secure APIs
- Device/resource abstraction: Select EdgeX devices and EdgeX device resources directly from the UI
- Flexible integration: Easily connect EdgeX with dashboards, cloud services, or industrial protocols
Screenshots
Secure Mode Support
One of the standout features is support for EdgeX’s secure mode. This means users can interact with EdgeX services in production environments, ensuring enterprise-grade security while maintaining ease of use.
Feel free to try the new node and share your feedback – it will help us improve it and make it more valuable for the community.
