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This page contains the following topics:
Introduction
EdgeX Foundry is the open source software at the edge of the network, that interacts with the physical, every day working world of devices, sensors, actuators, and other IoT objects.
EdgeX Foundry monitors these physical world items, sends instructions to them, collects data from them, and sends the data to the Cloud where the data is then collected, stored, aggregated, analyzed, and turned into information, actuated, and acted upon. From the information from the Internet of Things, decisions and plans are made concerning those items, their actions and information, and anything relevant to those items.
Information and data travel northwards toward the Cloud, but EdgeX also sends data laterally to other gateways, or back to devices, sensors, and actuators.
If you don't need further description and want to immediately use EdgeX Foundry use this link: Getting Started Guide
"South Side" and "North Side"
South Side: All IoT objects, within the physical realm, and the edge of the network that communicates directly with those devices, sensors, actuators, and other IoT objects, and collects the data from them, is known collectively as the "South Side."
North Side: The Cloud where data is collected, stored, aggregated, analyzed, and turned into information, and the part of the network that communicates with the Cloud, is referred to as the "north side" of the network.
EdgeX sends data "north," "south," or laterally as needed and as directed.
EdgeX Foundry Service Layers
EdgeX Foundry is a collection of open source microservices. These microservices are organized into 4 service layers, and 2 underlying augmenting system services. The Service Layers (shown in blue) traverse from the edge of the physical realm from Device Services Layer, to the edge of the information realm of Export Services Layer, with the Core Services Layer at the center.
The 4 Service Layers of EdgeX Foundry are as follows:
The 2 underlying System Services of EdgeX Foundry are as follows:
Core Services Layer
The Core Services (CS) Layer separates the north side and south side layers at the edge on the gateway. Core services include the following components:
- Configuration and Registration–provides other EdgeX Foundry microservices with information about associated services within EdgeX Foundry and microservices configuration properties.
- Core data: a persistence repository and associated management service for data collected from the south side objects.
- Core metadata: a repository and associated management service of metadata about the objects that are connected to EdgeX Foundry. provides the capability to provision new devices and pair them with their owning device services.
- Core command microservices: a service that facilitates and controls actuation requests from the north side to the south side.
The EdgeX Foundry Core Services Layer at this time, includes the following microservices:
The following pages are the APIs and code samples:
Supporting Services Layer
The Supporting Services (SS) Layer encompass a wide range of microservices that provide the edge analytics and intelligence, and provide service to EdgeX Foundry itself. Normal software application duties such as logging, scheduling, and data clean up (scrubbing) are performed by microservices in the SS Layer.
The rules engines, and alerting and notification microservices are within the SS Layer because they operate on top of the Core Services Layer. The local analytics capability or rules engine is also located in this layer and is a recipient of the Export Services Layer.
The EdgeX Foundry Supporting Services Layer at this time, includes the following microservices:
The following pages are the APIs and code samples:
Export Services Layer
EdgeX Foundry operates independently of other systems when necessary. Gateways often operate in isolated and sometimes disconnected environments and monitor and manage a collection of sensors and devices that have little or no outside monitoring or control. Therefore, EdgeX Foundry is able to operate and sustain itself over long periods of time without connection to the "north side" systems. The data and intelligence that is created at the edge, should be collected often and transported to enterprise (cloud) systems. The transporting is performed by the Export Services (ES) Layer.
The ES Layer provides a set of microservices that performs the following activities:
- Enables off-gateway clients to register for data that interests them, coming from the south side objects
- Informs where and when the data is to be delivered
- Informs the format and shape in which that data is to be delivered
For example, the "where and when" could be sending temperature data to a REST address every hour, and the format and shape could be to supply JSON data in compressed form.
The Export Services Layer at this time, includes the following microservices:
The following pages are the APIs and code samples (Distribution does not have or need an API page):
Device Services Layer
The Device Services Layer interacts with Device Services.
Device Services (DS) are the edge connectors interacting with the Devices or IoT objects that include, but are not limited to: appliances in your home, alarm systems, heating and air conditioning systems in homes and office buildings, lights, machines in any industry, irrigation systems, drones, currently automated transit such as some rail systems, currently automated factories. In the future, this may include driverless cars and trucks, traffic signals, fully automated fast food facilities, fully automated self-serve grocery stores, devices taking medical readings from patients.
Device services may service one or a number of devices (sensor, actuator, and so forth) at one time. A "device" that a DS manages, could be something other than a simple single physical device and could be another gateway (and all of that gateway's devices); a device manager; or a device aggregator that acts as a device, or collection of devices, to EdgeX Foundry.
The Device Services Layer's microservices communicate with the devices, sensors, actuators, and other IoT objects through protocols native to each IoT object. The DS Layer converts the data produced and communicated by the IoT object, into a common EdgeX Foundry data structure, and sends that converted data into the Core Services Layer, and to other microservices in other layers of EdgeX Foundry.
The EdgeX Foundry Device Services Layer at this time, includes the following microservice:
The following pages are the APIs and code samples:
Examples of Device Services
- A BACNet DS converts the BACNet device-supplied temperature and humidity readings into a common EdgeX Foundry object data structure.
- A DS receives and translates commands from other EdgeX Foundry services or enterprise systems, and communicates those requests to the devices for actuation in a programming language that the device understands.
- A DS may receive a request to turn off a Modbus PLC-controlled motor. The DS would translate the generic EdgeX Foundry "shutoff" request into a Modbus serial command that the PLC-controlled motor understands for actuation.
EdgeX Foundry System Services
Security Infrastructure
Security elements both inside and outside of EdgeX Foundry protect the data and command of devices, sensors, and other IoT objects managed by EdgeX Foundry.
System Management
System management facilities provide the installation, upgrade, start, stop, and monitoring of EdgeX Foundry microservices and BIOS firmware, operating system, and other gateway-related software, and can also support these functions from off-box, enterprise-based systems.
Site Navigation: Technical Documentation | EdgeX Foundry Microservices Architecture | API Reference | Definitions
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