EdgeX Foundry Background

EdgeX-API is based on EdgeX Foundry which is a vendor-neutral open source project hosted by Linux Foundation building a common framework for IoT edge computing.

Content

  • EdgeX Foundry's purpose

  • EdgeX Foundry service layers

  • Exploring EdgeX Foundry's microservices

  • Reference

EdgeX Foundry's Purpose

For IoT edge devices, there are some challenges of edge applications

  • heterogeneity of platforms

  • variety of cloud platform

  • diverse application needs

  • protocol of things

EdgeX Foundry is an vendor-neutral, open source, loosely-coupled microservices framework providing you the choice to plug and play from a growing ecosystem of available 3rd party offerings or augment with your own proprietary innovations. It addresses the the challenges of IoT edge applications by

  • Build and promote EdgeX as the common open platform unifying edge computing.

  • Enable and encourage the rapidly growing community of IoT solutions providers to create an ecosystem of interoperable plug-and-play components

The community builds and maintains common building blocks and APIs for IoT edge applications.

EdgeX Foundry's Service Layers

EdgeX Foundry's framework is a collection of micro services.

EdgeX data flow

  • Sensor data is collected by Device Service from the device

  • Data is passed to the Core Services for local persistence

  • Data is then passed to Exported Services for transformation, formatting, filtering and can then be sent "north" to enterprise/cloud systems

  • Data is then available for edge analysis and can trigger device actuation through Command Service

  • Many other services provide the supporting capability that drives this flow

Exploring EdgeX Microservices

Device services

Device Services (DS) are the edge connectors interacting with the devices or IoT objects. Device services may service one or a number of devices, including sensors, actuators, and so forth.

Core services

  • Offers temporary persistence of edge data and facilitates actuation of the devices

  • Collect sensor data

  • Understand what sensors/devices are connected how to communicate with them

  • Provision facility for new sensors/devices and device services

  • Manage device actuation requests to device services/devices

  • Provide micro service registry

  • Provide micro service configuration

Supporting services

  • Normal software application duties plus "edge intelligence"

  • Logging provides centralized EdgeX logging to location of choice

  • Notifications gives the ability for any EdgeX service to send an alert

  • Scheduling allows any EdgeX service to put tasks on the clock

  • Rules engine provides the means to watch sensor data and trigger local actuation as necessary

Export services

  • Provides ability to get EdgeX sensor/device dta to other external systems or other EdgeX services

  • Export client allows for internal or external clients to register for sensor/device data of interest, and specify the way they want it delivered

  • Exported distribution performs the act of delivering the data to registered clients

Reference

EdgeX Foundry official website: https://www.edgexfoundry.org/

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