Blog
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The Node-RED Story: How Visual Programming Escaped the Lab and Conquered Industry
In late 2011, Nick O'Leary was a "plumber" of the digital age. As part of IBM's Emerging Technology Group, he spent his days building experimental projects that pushed the boundaries of what connected systems could do. But there was a problem: for every new experiment, he found himself writing the same boilerplate code over and over — the tedious "wiring" work needed to make different systems talk to each other.
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Node-RED Timer Tutorial: Create Stopwatch and Countdown Timers
Timers are everywhere in industrial automation. You need them to track how long a machine has been running, measure downtime, schedule maintenance, or coordinate processes that happen in sequence.
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Building a Weather Dashboard in Node-RED (2026)
A weather dashboard is honestly the best first project if you're getting into Node-RED. Takes about 10-15 minutes from start to finish, and by the end you'll understand how the whole thing works - connecting to APIs, processing data, and displaying it visually.
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FlowFuse + LLM + MCP = Text Driven Operations
In industrial operations it's all about getting more out of the CAPEX already spent. Achieving higher efficiency means everyone needs to get data from a lot of different machines, have an understanding how these machines form lines and fit together, and holistically understand these as a group of assets that collectively can achieve more.
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The Industrial IoT Market Shift: What the PTC Divestment Means for Your Data Strategy
The news of PTC selling Kepware and ThingWorx to TPG for $600 million has caused a significant impact across the industrial automation sector. For anyone working in manufacturing, OT data integration, or industrial IoT, this divestment raises important questions about the future direction of these widely-used platforms, and what it means for organizations relying on them.
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MCP and Custom AI Models on FlowFuse!
We have a VERY exciting announcement today: you can now build an MCP server and upload custom-trained AI models to FlowFuse!
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EtherNet/IP Integration with FlowFuse: Communicating with Allen-Bradley PLCs
EtherNet/IP is one of the most widely used industrial communication protocols for connecting PLCs, sensors, and controllers across manufacturing environments. If you're working with Allen-Bradley PLCs—whether it's ControlLogix, CompactLogix, or MicroLogix—you're using some of the most trusted automation hardware in the industry.
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Beyond Cloud AI Orchestration: Why the Future is Hybrid Edge-Cloud Intelligence
Congratulations to n8n on their Series C funding round! This is a fantastic milestone and a clear signal that the market has moved beyond AI experimentation and into the serious business of production deployment. Platforms like n8n are mastering what we call centralized orchestration: creating cloud-native "brains" that connect digital services, APIs, and data sources to execute complex workflows. This approach excels for digital-first applications and represents a crucial evolution in workflow automation.
But for industrial applications, we need to think beyond traditional cloud orchestration.
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The Node-RED Revolution: How Low-Code is Democratizing Industrial Automation
To understand the impact Node-RED has had on industrial automation, it's useful to understand where it has come from and what has enabled its success.
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Download Node-RED for Production: Windows, Mac, Linux, Raspberry Pi (2026)
Installing Node-RED is straightforward. Install Node.js, run a command, and you're ready for visual programming in industrial automation. The real challenge begins when it must run across production lines, connect to PLCs, and stay operational 24/7.
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Winning Through Open-Source Software in Manufacturing Digitalization
The manufacturing sector is in an interesting situation. It's caught between a future with immense promise and a present with high complexity. The promised ROI of digital transformation (DX) is into the trillions of dollars globally over the next decade. For manufacturers, this is more than just an opportunity for incremental improvement; it is a fundamental shift to competitiveness.
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Curated Node-RED Integrations: FlowFuse Certified Nodes 2.0
At FlowFuse, we believe that enterprises deserve access to the best of Node-REDs custom nodes and solutions crafted by recognized experts who bring deep domain knowledge and professional standards to their work. That's why we are thrilled to announce a significant evolution of our ecosystem: FlowFuse Certified Nodes v2.0.
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Announcing Node-RED Con 2025: A Community Conference on Industrial Applications
At FlowFuse, our commitment to the Node-RED community is at the heart of everything we do. That's why we are thrilled to announce our support as a sponsor for Node-RED Con 2025, a free, online conference taking place on Tuesday, November 4, 2025!
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Monitoring Device Health and Performance at Scale with FlowFuse
Edge devices are everywhere, and their numbers are skyrocketing—from 2.7 billion in 2020 to a projected 7.8 billion by 2030, according to various reports. As these devices become critical for automation and data processing, monitoring their health is essential to ensure reliability and efficiency.
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Interacting with Arduino using Node-RED
Arduino is a popular open-source platform that lets you build cool electronics projects. It’s affordable and flexible, with lots of different boards and sensors to choose from. However, unlike some other boards, Arduino doesn’t have built-in internet connectivity, which can make remote control a bit tricky. Plus, it usually requires some coding to make things work.
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Announcing Node-RED Academy!
The Node-RED Academy provides Node-RED courses both for experts, who want to grow their knowledge, and for beginners, who are just learning the ropes. Get formal certification in Node-RED by completing courses and share certificates on LinkedIn to demonstrate your Node-RED learning accomplishments.
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Getting Started: Integrating Siemens S7 PLCs with Node-RED
Siemens S7 PLCs are a staple in industrial automation, powering everything from basic control functions to complex, large-scale processes. However, integrating these PLCs with other systems for remote monitoring or data sharing can present challenges.
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Interacting with ESP32 Using Node-RED and MQTT
The ESP32 is an affordable and powerful microchip that combines Wi-Fi and Bluetooth in one small package. It's commonly used in smart devices like home automation systems, wearables, and other IoT projects. Despite its low cost (around $6), it offers strong performance, and low power consumption, and is compatible with popular platforms like Arduino. Whether you're a hobbyist or a business, the ESP32 provides great value, making it easy to create wireless devices without a big investment. This tutorial demonstrates how to set up communication between the ESP32 and Node-RED using MQTT, along with an interactive dashboard via FlowFuse for a user-friendly interface.
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MQTT Service Now Available on FlowFuse
In our recent product update we have added our very own MQTT service, built-in and ready to use alongside your Node-RED applications. We are always engaging with users and prospective customers and this has been a highly requested feature, and so we are delighted to announce that this is now live on FlowFuse Cloud for our Pro and Enterprise teams.