Installation

Don’t want to read? Start here

If you already have Docker installed, this single command pulls and runs Coreflux locally—broker, LoT runtime, and Coreflux HUB included:

docker run --pull=always -d --name coreflux_broker -p 1883:1883 -p 5000:5000 -p 8080:8080 -p 8443:8443 -v project-volume:/etc/project coreflux/coreflux-mqtt-broker:latest

Default login credentials

Every local install method (Docker, Windows, Linux, Raspberry Pi, DigitalOcean) uses the same defaults:

Setting	Value
Username	`root`
Password	`coreflux`

For a Cloud Trial, use the credentials from your email instead.

That’s the whole install. Open the HUB at http://localhost:8080 and you’re running.

Coreflux runs as a single install. No separate installers, no databases, no message queues, no orchestration needed—just download and run.

Want the details, other platforms, or a no-install option? Keep reading.

Install Coreflux

Most people should use Docker (below). Just evaluating with nothing to install? Use the Cloud Trial tab. Specific hardware or production targets are in the remaining tabs.

~2 min if Docker is already installed — broker running locally.

I know Docker
New to Docker

Pull and run the broker (Docker fetches the latest image automatically):

docker run --pull=always -d --name coreflux_broker -p 1883:1883 -p 5000:5000 -p 8080:8080 -p 8443:8443 -v project-volume:/etc/project coreflux/coreflux-mqtt-broker:latest

What is Docker? Docker runs Coreflux inside a self-contained container, so you don’t install runtimes or dependencies on your machine by hand—everything the broker needs ships in the image. You only need Docker itself installed first. Get it from the official Docker install page, then confirm it’s working before you run the broker:

docker --version

Once Docker reports a version, pull and run the broker. Docker fetches the latest image automatically (you can also browse it on Docker Hub):

docker run --pull=always -d --name coreflux_broker -p 1883:1883 -p 5000:5000 -p 8080:8080 -p 8443:8443 -v project-volume:/etc/project coreflux/coreflux-mqtt-broker:latest

Port	Protocol	Description
`1883`	TCP	MQTT (unencrypted)
`5000`	WebSocket	WebSocket connections
`8080`	HTTP	Coreflux HUB (unencrypted)
`8443`	HTTPS	Coreflux HUB (TLS)

Open the HUB at http://localhost:8080 (or https://localhost:8443 with TLS) after the container starts.That’s it—Coreflux is now running locally and ready to use. Confirm it works under Verify Installation below.

What does this command do?

Breaking the command down piece by piece:

--pull=always — always fetch the latest broker image before starting, so you never run a stale version.
-d — runs the container detached (in the background), so your terminal stays free.
--name coreflux_broker — names the container coreflux_broker so you can reference it later (for example docker logs coreflux_broker).
-p 1883:1883 -p 5000:5000 -p 8080:8080 -p 8443:8443 — each -p host:container maps a port on your machine to the same port inside the container. See the port table above for what each one is for.
-v project-volume:/etc/project — mounts a named volume so your project (LoT, routes, configuration) persists across restarts and image updates. The mount persists your broker project at /etc/project across container restarts, and Docker creates the named volume on first run.
coreflux/coreflux-mqtt-broker:latest — the image to run, pulled from Docker Hub.

TLS/SSL Ports (when using certificates)

If you configure TLS certificates, expose these additional ports:

docker run --pull=always -d --name coreflux_broker -p 1883:1883 -p 5000:5000 -p 8080:8080 -p 8443:8443 -p 8883:8883 -p 443:443 -v project-volume:/etc/project coreflux/coreflux-mqtt-broker:latest

Port	Protocol	Description
`8883`	TCP/TLS	MQTT over TLS
`443`	WSS	WebSocket over TLS

See Broker Configuration for TLS setup.

~5 min, nothing to install — hosted broker and HUB in your browser.

Get a hosted Coreflux instance without installing anything. Request a trial on the Coreflux website, and you will receive an email with a URL (used for both the Coreflux HUB and the MQTT broker) and login credentials.

Request a trial

Go to coreflux.org and submit a trial request using the form on the site.

Check your email

When your environment is ready, Coreflux sends an email with:

Item	What you use it for
URL	Open the HUB in your browser and connect MQTT clients to the same host (broker and HUB share one address)
Credentials	Username and password for the HUB login screen and for MQTT clients

The broker may take up to 60 seconds to be fully available after you receive the email. If the HUB or MQTT connection fails immediately, wait briefly and try again.

Open the HUB

Paste the URL from the email into your browser. On the login page, enter your username and password and click Connect to Coreflux. Use the Broker field from the email if it is pre-filled differently than your trial URL.

Coreflux HUB login page with username, password, and Connect to Coreflux

From the HUB you can deploy LoT Actions, browse MQTT topics in the Data Viewer, and manage Routes—same experience as a local Docker install.

Connect MQTT clients

Use the same host as the URL in your email (not localhost). For MQTT Explorer and other desktop clients:

Setting	Value
Protocol	MQTTS (MQTT over TLS)
Port	8883
Username / Password	From your trial email

In MQTT Explorer specifically: enable Encryption, and disable Validate certificate (the trial broker uses a certificate that desktop tools may not trust by default).

That’s it—your trial is live and ready to use, with the broker and HUB already running on the URL from your email.

HUB remote access: If your browser blocks the HUB page, allow unsecure access (or proceed past the certificate warning) for the trial URL. Managed trial environments often use certificates that browsers flag on first visit.

After the HUB loads, continue with Getting Started using the Coreflux HUB tabs—your trial already includes the HUB and broker.

~10 min (plus a DigitalOcean account) — production-ready broker running in the cloud.

Deploy Coreflux in seconds with our 1-Click Droplet on DigitalOcean Marketplace. This is the fastest way to get a production-ready broker running in the cloud.

Click Deploy

Click the button above or visit the Coreflux Marketplace page.

Choose Your Droplet Size

Select a plan based on your needs:

Plan	RAM	vCPUs	Best For
Basic	1 GB	1	Development, testing
Basic	2 GB	1	Small deployments
Basic	4 GB	2	Recommended ✓

We recommend the 4 GB / 2 vCPU droplet for most use cases. It provides headroom for LoT Actions, multiple routes, and moderate message throughput.

Select Region

Choose a datacenter close to your devices for lower latency.

Create Droplet

Click Create Droplet and wait ~60 seconds for deployment.

Connect to Your Broker

Once the droplet is ready, use the public IP address to connect:

Setting	Value
Host	`<your-droplet-ip>`
Port	`1883`
Username	`root`
Password	`coreflux`

That’s it—your droplet is now running Coreflux and ready to use.

Change the default password immediately after first login. SSH into your droplet and update the broker configuration.

Exposed Ports

The Coreflux droplet exposes the following ports by default:

Port	Protocol	Description
`1883`	TCP	MQTT (unencrypted)
`8883`	TCP/TLS	MQTT over TLS
`5000`	WebSocket	WebSocket connections
`443`	WSS	WebSocket over TLS

Configure your DigitalOcean firewall to restrict access as needed.

SSH Access

To manage your Coreflux installation via SSH:

ssh root@<your-droplet-ip>

The Coreflux broker runs as a systemd service. Common commands:

# Check status
sudo systemctl status coreflux

# Restart broker
sudo systemctl restart coreflux

# View logs
sudo journalctl -u coreflux -f

~10 min — broker running as a Windows service.

Download and install Coreflux, then register it as a Windows service using the native sc tool.

Download the Windows zip from coreflux.org > Start Free
Extract the zip file to your preferred location (e.g., C:\Coreflux)
Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run:

sc create CorefluxBroker binPath= "C:\Coreflux\CorefluxMQTTBroker.exe" start= auto DisplayName= "Coreflux MQTT Broker"
sc description CorefluxBroker "Coreflux MQTT Broker Service"
sc start CorefluxBroker

That’s it—the service is now registered, set to start automatically on boot, and running, so Coreflux is ready to use.

Manage the service

Use these native Windows commands to control the service:

sc stop CorefluxBroker
sc start CorefluxBroker
sc query CorefluxBroker

You can also manage it from Services (services.msc) in Windows.

Uninstall the service

Stop and remove the service with:

sc stop CorefluxBroker
sc delete CorefluxBroker

~10 min — broker running locally or as a systemd service.

Download and run the Coreflux binary on Linux x64 systems.Quick Start (foreground):

Download the Linux zip from coreflux.org > Start Free
Extract and run (replace <downloaded-file> with your actual filename):

unzip <downloaded-file>.zip -d coreflux
cd coreflux
chmod +x CorefluxMQTTBroker
./CorefluxMQTTBroker

Production Setup (systemd service):

Create a service file:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/coreflux.service

Add this configuration (adjust paths as needed):

[Unit]
Description=Coreflux MQTT Broker
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=root
WorkingDirectory=/opt/coreflux
ExecStart=/opt/coreflux/CorefluxMQTTBroker
Restart=always
RestartSec=5

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable and start the service:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable coreflux
sudo systemctl start coreflux

Check the status:

sudo systemctl status coreflux

A status of active (running) means Coreflux is up and ready to use.

~10 min — broker running on your Raspberry Pi.

Download and run the Coreflux binary on Raspberry Pi (64-bit ARM).Quick Start (foreground):

Download the Raspberry Pi zip from coreflux.org > Start Free
Extract and run (replace <downloaded-file> with your actual filename):

unzip <downloaded-file>.zip -d coreflux
cd coreflux
chmod +x CorefluxMQTTBroker
./CorefluxMQTTBroker

Production Setup (systemd service):

Create a service file:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/coreflux.service

Add this configuration:

[Unit]
Description=Coreflux MQTT Broker
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=root
WorkingDirectory=/home/pi/coreflux
ExecStart=/home/pi/coreflux/CorefluxMQTTBroker
Restart=always
RestartSec=5

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable and start the service:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable coreflux
sudo systemctl start coreflux

Check the status:

sudo systemctl status coreflux

A status of active (running) means Coreflux is up and ready to use on your Raspberry Pi.

Using the Coreflux HUB

The Coreflux HUB is available in two ways: via the Docker image (browser-based, no extra install) or as a standalone desktop application for Windows and Linux, available on Coreflux.org.

Docker
Standalone Desktop App

Nothing extra to do—the HUB is already included when you run the Docker install command above, because it maps ports 8080 (HTTP) and 8443 (HTTPS). Open it at http://localhost:8080 (or https://localhost:8443 with TLS). See the Coreflux HUB Overview for what you can do once it’s up.

If the HUB ports are not mapped on Docker, the broker still runs normally—you simply won’t be able to open the HUB in the browser. See Coreflux HUB Overview for what you can do once it’s up.

Verify Installation

The quickest visual check is the Coreflux HUB in your browser. You can also confirm directly by connecting an MQTT client and seeing Coreflux’s system topics—that’s how the broker is actually used. Use the default credentials from the top of the page (or your trial email).

Coreflux HUB
MQTT Client

Open the HUB

Open your environment URL in the browser—for a Cloud Trial, use the address from your email; for Docker, use http://localhost:8080 (or https://localhost:8443 with TLS).

Enter your credentials (the defaults above) on the login page and click Connect to Coreflux.

Coreflux HUB login with username, password, and Connect to Coreflux

Confirm the dashboard loaded

After a successful login, you should see the HUB home screen with the bottom navigation bar.

Coreflux HUB dashboard with Start here pointing to the first navigation icon

The status bar shows route count and license info—the broker is reachable from the HUB.

Browse MQTT data

Select MQTT → Data Viewer. Expand $SYS/Coreflux in the Topic Tree—you should see broker topics such as Config, Version, and Resources updating live.

Coreflux HUB Data Viewer with Publish panel, Topic Tree, and tracked topic details

Open MQTT Explorer

Download MQTT Explorer or use any MQTT client of your choice.

Connect to the Broker

Create a new connection with these settings:

Setting	Value
Host	`localhost` (or your trial URL host for Cloud Trial)
Port	`1883` (local Docker) or 8883 with MQTTS (Cloud Trial)
Username / Password	The default credentials above

For Cloud Trial, use MQTTS on port 8883, enable Encryption, and disable Validate certificate in MQTT Explorer.

Check System Topics

Subscribe to $SYS/# to see broker status messages. If you see topics such as $SYS/Coreflux/Version, the broker is running correctly.

You should see Coreflux system topics under $SYS/Coreflux/.

If verification fails

Pick the symptom that matches your setup:

All Versions — Broker isn't running or won't accept connections

If you can’t connect, confirm the broker is actually up using the tooling for your install method.For a Docker install, inspect the container:

# Is the container running?
docker ps

# View broker logs (live)
docker logs -f coreflux_broker

# Restart the container
docker restart coreflux_broker

For a service install, check the service status: sudo systemctl status coreflux (Linux, Raspberry Pi, DigitalOcean) or sc query CorefluxBroker (Windows).

All Versions — localhost doesn't load the HUB

Symptom: the HUB loads in some environments but not in a Docker-in-VM or remote setup.Fix: use the host’s actual address instead of localhost.

Docker Only — Docker daemon not running

Symptom: the command errors with “cannot connect to the Docker daemon”.Fix: start Docker Desktop (or the Docker service) and run the command again.

Docker Only — Port already in use

Symptom: an error binding a port, e.g. 8080 or 1883 is already allocated.Fix: stop the process using that port, or remap the host side of the port (for example -p 8081:8080).

Docker Only — Container exits immediately

Symptom: docker ps shows nothing after you start the broker.Fix: run docker logs coreflux_broker to see why it exited.

Cloud Only — Can't connect to your trial

Symptom: the HUB or an MQTT client fails to connect right after you receive your trial email.Fix: wait up to 60 seconds for the broker to become available, then retry. In the browser, allow unsecure access (or proceed past the certificate warning) for the trial URL. In MQTT Explorer, use MQTTS on port 8883, enable Encryption, and disable Validate certificate.

Don’t want to read? Start here

Install Coreflux

Using the Coreflux HUB

Verify Installation

If verification fails

Next Steps

Getting Started

VS Code Extension

​Don’t want to read? Start here

​Install Coreflux

​Using the Coreflux HUB

​Verify Installation

​If verification fails

​Next Steps

Getting Started

VS Code Extension

Don’t want to read? Start here

Install Coreflux

Using the Coreflux HUB

Verify Installation

If verification fails

Next Steps