Getting Started: When to use the Intelligence Hub MQTT Broker
What is MQTT?
MQTT is a standard messaging protocol. It is a lightweight publish/subscribe messaging protocol that is ideal for connecting remote devices in low bandwidth environments.
What is an MQTT Client?
An MQTT Client publishes messages to an MQTT broker and other MQTT clients subscribe to the messages they have been configured to receive. Intelligence Hub includes a standard and configurable MQTT Client Connection.
What is an MQTT Broker?
An MQTT Broker receives published messages and dispatches messages to subscribing MQTT clients. Each MQTT message contains a topic that MQTT clients may subscribe to. An MQTT broker uses this information to determine which MQTT clients receive a message.
The Intelligence Hub MQTT Broker:
Intelligence Hub includes an MQTT Broker that is tightly integrated with the hub’s core data integration and contextualization capabilities. The Intelligence Hub MQTT Broker is compliant with MQTT version 3.1.1 and version 5.
When to use the Intelligence Hub MQTT Broker:
The Intelligence Hub MQTT Broker is designed for use at the edge of the network for deployment on premises at a site or factory for example. The Intelligence Hub MQTT Broker is best applied as one component of a larger Intelligence Hub Solution. It can be quickly and pragmatically applied to expose Intelligence Hub payload via MQTT aligning with a UNS design pattern. The Intelligence Hub includes an MQTT Client viewer than may be used to visualize the topic structure for diagnostic purposes. The Intelligence Hub MQTT Broker is robust and performant however it may not have some of the premium features that might be available in an Enterprise level MQTT Broker.
When to use an Enterprise Broker:
As the performance and data requirements become more demanding it may be necessary to consider a dedicated Enterprise MQTT Broker. An Enterprise MQTT Broker may be cloud deployed and possibly managed as a service and may include advanced features related to data persistence, clustering, elastic scaling, advanced security capabilities and more.