Book Image

Practical Node-RED Programming

By : Taiji Hagino
5 (1)
Book Image

Practical Node-RED Programming

5 (1)
By: Taiji Hagino

Overview of this book

Node-RED is a free and open source flow-based programming tool used to handle IoT data that allows programmers of any level to interconnect physical I/O, cloud-based systems, databases, and APIs to build web applications without code. Practical Node-RED Programming is a comprehensive introduction for anyone looking to get up to speed with the Node-RED ecosystem in no time. Complete with hands-on tutorials, projects, and self-assessment questions, this easy-to-follow guide will help you to become well versed in the foundations of Node-RED. You’ll learn how to use Node-RED to handle IoT data and build web applications without having to write complex code. Once you’ve covered the basics, you’ll explore various visual programming techniques and find out how to make sample flows as you cover web development, IoT development, and cloud service connections, and finally build useful real-world applications. By the end of this book, you’ll have learned how to use Node-RED to develop a real-world application from scratch, which can then be implemented in your business.
Table of Contents (19 chapters)
1
Section 1: Node-RED Basics
6
Section 2: Mastering Node-RED
11
Section 3: Practical Matters

What is a node?

Let's first understand what exactly a node is in Node-RED.

Node-RED is a tool for programming Node.js applications with Graphical User Interface (GUI) tools. Node-RED also serves as an environment for executing software (Node-RED Flow) programmed on Node-RED.

Normally, when programming with Node.js, the source code is written with a code editor or Integrated Development Environment (IDE). An executable file is generated by building the written source code (compiling, associating with dependency files, and so on).

Visual programming on Node-RED basically follows the same process. The difference is that the coding part is the act of placing the node on Node-RED instead of the editor.

In Node-RED, the basic processing used when programming with Node.js is provided by implemented parts called nodes. In normal object-oriented programming, these parts may often be provided as library files in the form of common parts.

Since Node-RED is a GUI-based visual...