Routes Overview

What are Routes?

Routes define connections between your Coreflux MQTT broker and external systems. They enable broker-to-broker communication, database storage, industrial protocol integration, REST API connectivity, email notifications, AI integration, and media processing - all without writing custom middleware.

Routes extend your broker’s capabilities by creating managed connections to external systems - all configured through LoT syntax.

Architecture diagram showing the Coreflux MQTT broker at the center connected to databases, PLCs, REST APIs, cloud brokers, email, and AI through Routes

Route Categories

System Routes

Broker clustering and scalability configurations for high-availability deployments.

Data Pipeline Routes

MQTT bridges, email notifications, and MQTT-to-REST forwarding.

Data Storage Routes

Store MQTT data in PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, OpenSearch, Snowflake, and more.

REST API Routes

HTTP client/server for external API integration and webhook endpoints.

Industrial Routes

Connect to PLCs via Modbus, Siemens S7, OPC UA, ADS, Allen-Bradley, and FINS.

MCP Routes

Connect to external tools and services through MCP.

Media Routes

Barcode scanning and video streaming capabilities.

This page covers the fundamentals of route configuration. Choose a specific route category above for detailed syntax and examples.

Basic Syntax

DEFINE ROUTE <route_name> WITH TYPE <route_type>
    ADD <CONFIG_SECTION>
        WITH <parameter> "<value>"
    ADD MAPPING <mapping_name>
        WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "<source>"
        WITH DESTINATION_TOPIC "<destination>"

Components

route_name

string

required

Unique identifier for the route. Use descriptive names like CloudBridge, SensorDataIndexer, AlertEmailer.

route_type

type

required

The type of route (see Available Route Types below).

CONFIG_SECTION

block

Configuration blocks specific to the route type (e.g., MQTT_CONFIG, MONGODB_CONFIG, REST_API_CONFIG).

MAPPING

block

Defines topic mappings for data flow between source and destination.

Available Route Types

System
Data Pipeline
Data Storage
Industrial
Other

Route Type	Description
`MQTT_CLUSTER`	Broker clustering and scalability

Route Type	Description
`MQTT_BRIDGE`	Broker-to-broker communication
`EMAIL`	Send templated emails from MQTT messages
`MQTT_TO_REST`	Forward MQTT to REST endpoints

Route Type	Description
`POSTGRESQL`	PostgreSQL database storage
`MYSQL`	MySQL database storage
`MARIADB`	MariaDB database storage
`SQLSERVER`	SQL Server database storage
`MONGODB`	MongoDB document database
`OPENSEARCH`	OpenSearch indexing and search
`CRATEDB`	CrateDB time-series database
`SNOWFLAKE`	Snowflake cloud data warehouse
`FILE_STORAGE`	CSV/JSON file storage

Route Type	Description
`MODBUS_TCP`	Modbus TCP protocol
`MODBUS_SERIAL`	Modbus RTU over RS-232/485
`SIEMENS_S7`	Siemens S7 PLCs
`OPCUA`	OPC UA client
`ADS`	Beckhoff TwinCAT ADS
`ALLEN_BRADLEY`	Allen-Bradley/Rockwell PLCs
`ETHERNETIP`	EtherNet/IP CIP protocol
`FINS`	Omron FINS protocol

Route Type	Description
`REST_API`	REST API client/server
`MCP`	Model Context Protocol for external tools
`BARCODE`	Barcode encoding/decoding
`VIDEO_INPUT`	Video capture
`VIDEO_OUTPUT`	Video streaming

Quick Examples

Email Alerts
Modbus TCP
REST API
PostgreSQL Storage
MQTT Bridge

Send email notifications from MQTT events:

DEFINE ROUTE AlertEmail WITH TYPE EMAIL
    ADD SMTP_CONFIG
        WITH HOST "smtp.gmail.com"
        WITH PORT '587'
        WITH USERNAME "alerts@company.com"
        WITH PASSWORD "app-password"
        WITH USE_TLS "true"
    ADD EVENT criticalAlert
        WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "alerts/critical/+"
        WITH SUBJECT "Critical Alert: {value.json.type}"
        WITH RECIPIENT "team@company.com"

Read data from PLCs via Modbus:

DEFINE ROUTE PlcReader WITH TYPE MODBUS_TCP
    ADD MODBUS_CONFIG
        WITH HOST "192.168.1.100"
        WITH PORT '502'
        WITH SLAVE_ID '1'
    ADD MAPPING Sensors
        WITH EVERY 500 MILLISECONDS
        ADD TAG Temperature
            WITH ADDRESS "100"
            WITH ADDRESS_TYPE "HOLDING_REGISTER"
            WITH DATA_TYPE "FLOAT"
            WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "plc/temperature"

Connect to external REST APIs:

DEFINE ROUTE WeatherService WITH TYPE REST_API
    ADD REST_API_CONFIG
        WITH ENABLE_CLIENT "true"
        WITH BASE_ADDRESS "https://api.weather.com"
        WITH USE_SSL "true"
    ADD EVENT GetWeather
        WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "weather/request"
        WITH DESTINATION_TOPIC "weather/response"
        WITH METHOD "GET"
        WITH ENDPOINT "/v1/current?city={value.json.city}"

Store MQTT data in PostgreSQL:

DEFINE ROUTE SensorDB WITH TYPE POSTGRESQL
    ADD SQL_CONFIG
        WITH SERVER "postgres.example.com"
        WITH PORT '5432'
        WITH DATABASE "iot_data"
        WITH USERNAME "iot_user"
        WITH PASSWORD "secure_password"
    ADD EVENT StoreSensorReading
        WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "sensors/+/reading"
        WITH QUERY "INSERT INTO readings (ts, sensor, value) VALUES (NOW(), '{sensor_id}', '{value.json}')"

Connect two brokers and sync topics:

DEFINE ROUTE CloudBridge WITH TYPE MQTT_BRIDGE
    ADD SOURCE_CONFIG
        WITH BROKER SELF
    ADD DESTINATION_CONFIG
        WITH BROKER_ADDRESS "cloud.example.com"
        WITH BROKER_PORT '8883'
        WITH CLIENT_ID "EdgeBridge"
        WITH USE_TLS "true"
    ADD MAPPING sensorSync
        WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "sensors/+/data"
        WITH DESTINATION_TOPIC "edge/sensors/+/data"
        WITH DIRECTION "out"

Understanding Route Configuration

Routes share two common building blocks: MQTT configuration and topic mappings. You’ll see these across most route types, so understanding them here saves time when setting up any specific route.

Connecting to a Broker

Routes that communicate with MQTT brokers — like bridges — need to know which broker to talk to. The simplest option is BROKER SELF, which tells the route to use your local Coreflux broker:

ADD MQTT_CONFIG
    WITH BROKER SELF

When you need to reach a remote or authenticated broker (for example, a cloud broker or a second Coreflux instance on your network), provide the connection details explicitly:

ADD MQTT_CONFIG
    WITH BROKER_ADDRESS "192.168.1.50"
    WITH BROKER_PORT '1883'
    WITH CLIENT_ID "MyRouteClient"
    WITH USERNAME "user"
    WITH PASSWORD "password"

Not every route type requires an MQTT_CONFIG block. Database routes, email routes, and REST routes have their own configuration sections. Check the specific route page for details.

Controlling Data Flow with Mappings

Mappings define which MQTT topics flow through a route and in which direction. For example, to push local sensor readings to a cloud broker:

ADD MAPPING sensorSync
    WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "sensors/+/temperature"
    WITH DESTINATION_TOPIC "cloud/sensors/+/temperature"
    WITH DIRECTION "out"

The DIRECTION parameter controls where data goes:

Direction	What it does	Example scenario
`out`	Local broker to destination	Push edge data to the cloud
`in`	Destination to local broker	Pull remote commands locally
`both`	Bidirectional sync	Keep two brokers in sync

Route Status Monitoring

Every route automatically publishes real-time health and status information to a dedicated MQTT topic. No additional configuration is required — the status topic is created as soon as the route is defined.

Status updates are published to a $SYS topic and are available to any client subscribed to the broker.

Status Topic

The topic follows this pattern:

$SYS/Coreflux/Routes/<route_name>/status

For example, a route named MyS7Route publishes its status to $SYS/Coreflux/Routes/MyS7Route/status.

Status Payload

The status topic publishes a JSON object with connection health, message statistics, and timing information:

{
  "name": "MyS7Route",
  "type": "SIEMENS_S7",
  "connection": "Connected",
  "health": "Green",
  "errors": {
    "total": 0,
    "consecutive": 0,
    "rate": 0
  },
  "messages": {
    "total": 4749,
    "succeeded": 4749,
    "failed": 0
  },
  "lastActivity": "2026-03-03T15:03:14.563Z",
  "lastSuccess": "2026-03-03T15:03:14.563Z",
  "lastError": null,
  "uptime": "00:08:01",
  "connectedSince": "2026-03-03T14:55:13.299Z",
  "timestamp": "2026-03-03T15:03:14.590Z"
}

Field Reference

Field	Type	Description
`name`	string	The route name as defined in LoT
`type`	string	The route type (e.g., `SIEMENS_S7`, `MQTT_BRIDGE`, `POSTGRESQL`)
`connection`	string	Current connection state (`Connected`, `Disconnected`, etc.)
`health`	string	Overall health indicator (`Green`, `Yellow`, `Red`)
`errors.total`	integer	Total number of errors since the route started
`errors.consecutive`	integer	Number of consecutive errors without a successful message
`errors.rate`	number	Current error rate
`messages.total`	integer	Total messages processed
`messages.succeeded`	integer	Messages processed successfully
`messages.failed`	integer	Messages that failed processing
`lastActivity`	string	ISO 8601 timestamp of the last message (success or failure)
`lastSuccess`	string	ISO 8601 timestamp of the last successful message
`lastError`	string \| null	ISO 8601 timestamp of the last error, or `null` if no errors occurred
`uptime`	string	Time the route has been running (`HH:MM:SS`)
`connectedSince`	string	ISO 8601 timestamp of when the route established its current connection
`timestamp`	string	ISO 8601 timestamp of when this status update was generated

Checking Route Status

You can monitor any route’s health by subscribing to its status topic. Use MQTT Explorer or any MQTT client to subscribe:

$SYS/Coreflux/Routes/+/status

This wildcard subscription shows status updates for all active routes at once.

Use Cases

Edge-to-Cloud Sync
Industrial Integration
Real-Time Analytics
Alert Notifications

Bridge local edge data to cloud brokers:

DEFINE ROUTE EdgeToCloud WITH TYPE MQTT_BRIDGE
    ADD SOURCE_CONFIG
        WITH BROKER SELF
    ADD DESTINATION_CONFIG
        WITH BROKER_ADDRESS "iot.cloud-provider.com"
        WITH BROKER_PORT '8883'
        WITH USE_TLS "true"
    ADD MAPPING allSensors
        WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "local/sensors/#"
        WITH DESTINATION_TOPIC "edge-01/sensors/#"
        WITH DIRECTION "out"

Read data from PLCs via multiple protocols:

DEFINE ROUTE SiemensPLC WITH TYPE SIEMENS_S7
    ADD S7_CONFIG
        WITH IP "192.168.1.100"
        WITH CPU_TYPE "S71500"
        WITH RACK '0'
        WITH SLOT '1'
    ADD MAPPING ProcessData
        WITH EVERY 500 MILLISECONDS
        ADD TAG Temperature
            WITH ADDRESS "DB1.DBD0"
            WITH DATA_TYPE "REAL"
            WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "plc/temperature"

Store sensor data for analysis:

DEFINE ROUTE AnalyticsStore WITH TYPE OPENSEARCH
    ADD OPENSEARCH_CONFIG
        WITH BASE_URL "https://analytics.example.com:9200"
        WITH USERNAME "admin"
        WITH PASSWORD "password"
        WITH USE_SSL "true"
    ADD EVENT IndexReading
        WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "sensors/#"
        WITH QUERY "CLEAN:{index: sensor-data, body: {timestamp: {timestamp}, value: {value.json}}}"

Email stakeholders when critical events occur:

DEFINE ROUTE CriticalAlerts WITH TYPE EMAIL
    ADD SMTP_CONFIG
        WITH HOST "smtp.office365.com"
        WITH PORT '587'
        WITH USE_TLS "true"
        WITH USERNAME "alerts@company.com"
        WITH PASSWORD "password"
    ADD EVENT notify
        WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "alarms/critical/+"
        WITH SUBJECT "CRITICAL: {value.json.alarm_type}"
        WITH RECIPIENT "ops-team@company.com"

Quick Start

Coreflux HUB

MQTT Broker

AI

LoT Language

VS Code - LoT Notebooks

Actions

Routes

Models

Rules

What are Routes?

Route Categories

System Routes

Data Pipeline Routes

Data Storage Routes

REST API Routes

Industrial Routes

MCP Routes

Media Routes

Basic Syntax

Components

Available Route Types

Quick Examples

Understanding Route Configuration

Connecting to a Broker

Controlling Data Flow with Mappings

Route Status Monitoring

Status Topic

Status Payload

Field Reference

Checking Route Status

Use Cases

Next Steps

Industrial Routes

Data Storage

Quick Start

Coreflux HUB

MQTT Broker

AI

LoT Language

VS Code - LoT Notebooks

Actions

Routes

Models

Rules

​What are Routes?

​Route Categories

System Routes

Data Pipeline Routes

Data Storage Routes

REST API Routes

Industrial Routes

MCP Routes

Media Routes

​Basic Syntax

​Components

​Available Route Types

​Quick Examples

​Understanding Route Configuration

​Connecting to a Broker

​Controlling Data Flow with Mappings

​Route Status Monitoring

​Status Topic

​Status Payload

​Field Reference

​Checking Route Status

​Use Cases

​Next Steps

Industrial Routes

Data Storage

What are Routes?

Route Categories

Basic Syntax

Components

Available Route Types

Quick Examples

Understanding Route Configuration

Connecting to a Broker

Controlling Data Flow with Mappings

Route Status Monitoring

Status Topic

Status Payload

Field Reference

Checking Route Status

Use Cases

Next Steps