Process Automation with Node-Red and Iot Course

Lesson 1 • IoT Architecture and Key Concepts

Covers sensors, actuators, gateways, and cloud layers in an IoT stack. Grounds students in the vocabulary needed throughout the course.

Lesson 2 • Introduction to Node-RED

Presents Node-RED as a flow-based programming tool built on Node.js. Students understand its purpose and position in the IoT ecosystem.

Lesson 3 • Process Automation Fundamentals

Introduces automation logic, triggers, and event-driven design. Connects manual workflows to automated equivalents students will build later.

Lesson 1 • Debugging and Error Handling

Demonstrates debug node strategies, catch nodes, and status nodes for robust flows. Students learn to isolate and fix common flow errors systematically.

Lesson 2 • Organizing and Documenting Flows

Introduces subflows, groups, and inline comments for maintainable projects. Prepares students for collaborative and long-term flow management.

Lesson 3 • Wiring Nodes and Data Flow

Teaches how messages pass between nodes via the msg object and wire connections. Students trace data through a flow and diagnose routing issues.

Lesson 4 • Flow Control and Conditional Logic

Covers branching, filtering, and looping patterns within flows. Enables students to build decision-driven automation that responds to varying data.

Lesson 1 • Working with JavaScript in Function Nodes

Deepens function node skills with loops, array methods, and context variables. Students write reusable logic that goes beyond simple property mapping.

Lesson 2 • HTTP Request and Response Handling

Covers the HTTP request node for calling REST APIs and handling responses. Students integrate third-party data sources into their automation flows.

Lesson 3 • Creating HTTP Endpoints in Node-RED

Shows how to expose flows as REST endpoints using HTTP-in and HTTP-response nodes. Enables students to build lightweight APIs served by Node-RED.

Lesson 1 • MQTT Protocol Fundamentals

Explains the publish/subscribe model, topics, QoS levels, and retained messages. Provides the protocol knowledge required to configure MQTT nodes correctly.

Lesson 2 • Processing and Routing Sensor Data

Applies data transformation skills to incoming MQTT payloads from simulated sensors. Students filter, aggregate, and route sensor readings to dashboards and storage.

Lesson 3 • Configuring MQTT Broker Connections

Guides setup of a local broker and cloud broker connections within Node-RED. Students establish secure, authenticated broker sessions for their flows.

Lesson 4 • Publishing and Subscribing in Flows

Demonstrates MQTT-in and MQTT-out nodes for bidirectional device communication. Students build flows that react to sensor publishes and send commands to devices.

Lesson 1 • Dashboard Layout and Theming

Explains grid layout, responsive sizing, and theme customization for professional UIs. Students apply consistent styling to multi-tab dashboards.

Lesson 2 • Dynamic and Conditional Dashboard Behavior

Shows how to show, hide, and update widgets programmatically based on data conditions. Students build dashboards that adapt to device state changes automatically.

Lesson 3 • Displaying Live Data with Widgets

Covers gauge, chart, text, and indicator widgets for real-time data display. Students wire sensor data streams directly to visual components.

Lesson 4 • Node-RED Dashboard Overview

Introduces the dashboard module, its widget library, and layout system. Students install the module and understand how flows connect to UI elements.

Lesson 1 • Using InfluxDB for Time-Series Data

Covers InfluxDB concepts, the Node-RED InfluxDB node, and writing sensor measurements. Students store timestamped readings and retrieve them for dashboard charts.

Lesson 2 • Data Persistence Strategies for IoT

Compares file, relational, NoSQL, and time-series storage options for IoT workloads. Students select appropriate storage based on data volume and query needs.

Lesson 3 • Integrating SQL Databases

Demonstrates connecting Node-RED to a SQL database for structured data storage. Students write insert, select, and update queries driven by flow data.

Lesson 1 • Deployment Strategies and Process Management

Covers running Node-RED as a system service, using PM2, and containerizing with Docker. Students deploy Node-RED so it restarts automatically and survives server reboots.

Lesson 2 • Securing MQTT and HTTP Communications

Applies TLS, client certificates, and token-based auth to MQTT and REST connections. Students eliminate plaintext data transmission across all flow integrations.

Lesson 3 • Backup, Version Control, and Recovery

Demonstrates Git-based flow versioning, automated backups, and disaster recovery procedures. Students maintain a recoverable history of all production flow changes.

Lesson 4 • Managing Secrets and Credentials

Teaches environment variables and credential encryption for sensitive configuration values. Students avoid hardcoding passwords and tokens in exported flow JSON.

Lesson 1 • Integrating Enterprise Systems

Bridges Node-RED with email, messaging platforms, ERP systems, and databases via APIs. Students automate cross-system workflows triggered by IoT events.

Lesson 2 • Scalability and High-Availability Patterns

Covers load balancing, clustered brokers, and stateless flow design for high-traffic deployments. Students apply architectural patterns that keep automation running under load.

Lesson 3 • Integrating Cloud IoT Platforms

Connects Node-RED to major cloud IoT services using their native protocols and nodes. Students route device data to cloud analytics and command services bidirectionally.

Lesson 4 • End-to-End Capstone Project

Students design, build, secure, and document a complete IoT automation system from scratch. Integrates all course skills into a deployable, production-quality solution.