Node-RED IoT Platform

beginner

Node-RED flow-based programming for IoT with MQTT broker.

Overview

Node-RED is an open-source flow-based visual programming tool originally developed by IBM for wiring together hardware devices, APIs, and online services in IoT applications. Built on Node.js, it provides a browser-based flow editor that makes it easy to create event-driven applications using a wide range of pre-built nodes. The platform excels at rapid prototyping and deployment of IoT solutions, home automation systems, and data processing workflows without requiring traditional programming skills. This stack combines Node-RED with Eclipse Mosquitto, a lightweight MQTT message broker that implements the MQTT protocol versions 5.0, 3.1.1, and 3.1. Mosquitto serves as the central communication hub for IoT devices, while Node-RED acts as the orchestration layer, processing MQTT messages and triggering automated responses. The integration enables real-time data collection from sensors, device control commands, and complex automation logic through Node-RED's visual drag-and-drop interface. This configuration is ideal for IoT enthusiasts, home automation builders, and small-scale industrial deployments who need a powerful yet approachable platform for connecting and controlling smart devices. The combination provides enterprise-grade MQTT messaging capabilities with the flexibility of visual flow programming, making it accessible to both technical and non-technical users who want to build sophisticated IoT applications.

Key Features

Flow-based visual programming with drag-and-drop node editor for creating IoT automation logic
Built-in MQTT nodes for seamless publish/subscribe messaging with Mosquitto broker
Over 4,000 community-contributed nodes available through npm for extending functionality
Real-time dashboard creation with gauge, chart, and control widgets for IoT monitoring
Function nodes supporting JavaScript for custom data processing and transformation
WebSocket support for real-time browser-based device interaction and monitoring
Eclipse Mosquitto MQTT 5.0 compliance with quality of service levels and retained messages
Persistent flow storage with automatic backup and version control capabilities

Common Use Cases

1Home automation systems controlling smart lights, thermostats, and security sensors via MQTT
2Industrial IoT monitoring with sensor data collection and equipment status dashboards
3Greenhouse automation managing irrigation, climate control, and environmental monitoring
4Smart building management integrating HVAC, lighting, and occupancy sensors
5Weather station data aggregation with automated alerts and historical data logging
6Fleet vehicle tracking and monitoring using GPS and telemetry data over MQTT
7Energy monitoring systems tracking solar panels, battery storage, and consumption patterns

Prerequisites

Docker Engine 20.10+ and Docker Compose V2 for container orchestration
Minimum 512MB RAM for Node-RED container and 256MB for Mosquitto broker
Available ports 1880 (Node-RED), 1883 (MQTT), and 9001 (MQTT WebSocket)
Basic understanding of MQTT publish/subscribe messaging concepts
Mosquitto configuration file (mosquitto.conf) with authentication and access control settings
Network access for downloading Node-RED community nodes from npm registry

For development & testing. Review security settings, change default credentials, and test thoroughly before production use. See Terms

docker-compose.yml

1services: 
2  mosquitto: 
3    image: eclipse-mosquitto:latest
4    container_name: mosquitto
5    restart: unless-stopped
6    ports: 
7      - "${MQTT_PORT:-1883}:1883"
8      - "${MQTT_WS_PORT:-9001}:9001"
9    volumes: 
10      - mosquitto_data:/mosquitto/data
11      - mosquitto_log:/mosquitto/log
12      - ./mosquitto.conf:/mosquitto/config/mosquitto.conf:ro
13    networks: 
14      - iot-network
15
16  node-red: 
17    image: nodered/node-red:latest
18    container_name: node-red
19    restart: unless-stopped
20    ports: 
21      - "${NODERED_PORT:-1880}:1880"
22    environment: 
23      - TZ=${TZ:-UTC}
24    volumes: 
25      - nodered_data:/data
26    depends_on: 
27      - mosquitto
28    networks: 
29      - iot-network
30
31volumes: 
32  mosquitto_data: 
33  mosquitto_log: 
34  nodered_data: 
35
36networks: 
37  iot-network: 
38    driver: bridge

.env Template

.env

1# Node-RED IoT
2NODERED_PORT=1880
3MQTT_PORT=1883
4MQTT_WS_PORT=9001
5TZ=UTC

Usage Notes

1Node-RED at http://localhost:1880
2MQTT broker at localhost:1883
3Create mosquitto.conf before starting
4Install MQTT nodes in Node-RED

Individual Services(2 services)

Copy individual services to mix and match with your existing compose files.

mosquitto

mosquitto:
  image: eclipse-mosquitto:latest
  container_name: mosquitto
  restart: unless-stopped
  ports:
    - ${MQTT_PORT:-1883}:1883
    - ${MQTT_WS_PORT:-9001}:9001
  volumes:
    - mosquitto_data:/mosquitto/data
    - mosquitto_log:/mosquitto/log
    - ./mosquitto.conf:/mosquitto/config/mosquitto.conf:ro
  networks:
    - iot-network

node-red

node-red:
  image: nodered/node-red:latest
  container_name: node-red
  restart: unless-stopped
  ports:
    - ${NODERED_PORT:-1880}:1880
  environment:
    - TZ=${TZ:-UTC}
  volumes:
    - nodered_data:/data
  depends_on:
    - mosquitto
  networks:
    - iot-network

Quick Start

terminal

1# 1. Create the compose file
2cat > docker-compose.yml << 'EOF'
3services:
4  mosquitto:
5    image: eclipse-mosquitto:latest
6    container_name: mosquitto
7    restart: unless-stopped
8    ports:
9      - "${MQTT_PORT:-1883}:1883"
10      - "${MQTT_WS_PORT:-9001}:9001"
11    volumes:
12      - mosquitto_data:/mosquitto/data
13      - mosquitto_log:/mosquitto/log
14      - ./mosquitto.conf:/mosquitto/config/mosquitto.conf:ro
15    networks:
16      - iot-network
17
18  node-red:
19    image: nodered/node-red:latest
20    container_name: node-red
21    restart: unless-stopped
22    ports:
23      - "${NODERED_PORT:-1880}:1880"
24    environment:
25      - TZ=${TZ:-UTC}
26    volumes:
27      - nodered_data:/data
28    depends_on:
29      - mosquitto
30    networks:
31      - iot-network
32
33volumes:
34  mosquitto_data:
35  mosquitto_log:
36  nodered_data:
37
38networks:
39  iot-network:
40    driver: bridge
41EOF
42
43# 2. Create the .env file
44cat > .env << 'EOF'
45# Node-RED IoT
46NODERED_PORT=1880
47MQTT_PORT=1883
48MQTT_WS_PORT=9001
49TZ=UTC
50EOF
51
52# 3. Start the services
53docker compose up -d
54
55# 4. View logs
56docker compose logs -f

One-Liner

Run this command to download and set up the recipe in one step:

terminal

1curl -fsSL https://docker.recipes/api/recipes/node-red-iot/run | bash

Troubleshooting

Node-RED flows not saving: Check that the /data volume has proper write permissions and sufficient disk space
MQTT clients cannot connect to Mosquitto: Verify mosquitto.conf allows anonymous connections or configure proper authentication
Node-RED MQTT nodes show 'disconnected': Ensure Mosquitto container is running and check network connectivity between containers
WebSocket connections failing on port 9001: Confirm Mosquitto configuration includes WebSocket listener and port is not blocked by firewall
Node-RED dashboard not loading: Clear browser cache and check that ui nodes are properly installed and configured
High memory usage in Node-RED: Reduce debug node output retention and limit the number of active dashboard charts

Community Notes

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Components

node-redmosquitto

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