# Node-RED — Low-Code Flow-Based Programming for Event-Driven Applications

> A browser-based visual programming tool for wiring together hardware devices, APIs, and online services using a drag-and-drop flow editor.

## Install

Save as a script file and run:

# Node-RED — Low-Code Flow-Based Programming for Event-Driven Applications

## Quick Use
```bash
npm install -g node-red
node-red
# Open http://localhost:1880 in your browser
```

## Introduction
Node-RED is a flow-based programming tool originally developed by IBM for wiring together IoT devices, APIs, and online services. It provides a browser-based editor where you connect pre-built nodes into flows that process and route data in real time.

## What Node-RED Does
- Connects hardware devices, APIs, and cloud services using a visual drag-and-drop editor
- Processes MQTT, HTTP, WebSocket, TCP, and serial data streams in real time
- Deploys flows instantly from the browser without restarting the server
- Extends functionality with over 4000 community-contributed node packages
- Runs on Raspberry Pi, cloud servers, Docker, or any Node.js environment

## Architecture Overview
Node-RED is built on Node.js and uses a single-threaded event loop. Flows are stored as JSON and executed by a runtime engine that manages message passing between nodes. The browser-based editor communicates with the runtime via a REST API. Custom nodes are npm packages that register inputs, outputs, and configuration UIs.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Install via npm: `npm install -g node-red` or Docker: `docker run -d -p 1880:1880 nodered/node-red`
- Configure settings in `~/.node-red/settings.js` for security, HTTPS, and storage
- Enable authentication with `adminAuth` to protect the editor
- Set `httpNodeAuth` to require credentials for HTTP endpoints
- Persist flows and context data to filesystem, Redis, or a database

## Key Features
- Visual flow editor with debug, inject, and function nodes built in
- MQTT-native with first-class support for IoT protocols
- Function nodes accept arbitrary JavaScript for custom logic
- Subflow encapsulation for reusable flow components
- Dashboard add-on for building live data visualization UIs

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **Huginn** — Agent-based web monitoring; Node-RED is flow-based with strong IoT and hardware support
- **n8n** — Modern workflow automation with a polished UI; Node-RED has a larger ecosystem of community nodes
- **Apache NiFi** — Enterprise data flow routing; Node-RED is lighter and easier to get started with
- **Home Assistant** — Home automation platform; Node-RED is a general-purpose flow engine often used alongside it
- **Pipedream** — Cloud-native event processing; Node-RED is fully self-hosted and works offline

## FAQ
**Q: Can Node-RED handle production workloads?**
A: Yes. Many enterprises use Node-RED in production for IoT gateways, API integration, and data processing pipelines.

**Q: How do I add new node types?**
A: Install nodes from the built-in palette manager or via npm: `cd ~/.node-red && npm install node-red-contrib-<name>`.

**Q: Does Node-RED support version control?**
A: Flows are stored as JSON files. You can enable the projects feature to manage flows with Git directly from the editor.

**Q: What hardware can Node-RED connect to?**
A: Any hardware with serial, GPIO, MQTT, or HTTP interfaces. Raspberry Pi GPIO nodes are included by default.

## Sources
- https://github.com/node-red/node-red
- https://nodered.org/docs/

---
Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/da3f3955-3eef-11f1-9bc6-00163e2b0d79
Author: Script Depot