Why Use the Coreflux MQTT Broker?
Your IoT devices need to communicate with each other and with your applications. Without a central hub, you’d need to manage complex point-to-point connections between every device—impossible to scale and maintain. The Coreflux MQTT Broker solves this by providing:- Reliable message delivery between any number of devices
- Built-in data processing with LoT (Language of Things)
- Security and access control without external services
- Edge computing that reduces cloud dependency
How Does an MQTT Broker Work?
An MQTT broker sits at the center of all communication. Instead of devices talking directly to each other, they all talk to the broker—and the broker handles delivery.The Publish-Subscribe Pattern
MQTT uses a publish-subscribe (pub/sub) model:- Publishers send messages to topics (like
sensors/temperature) - Subscribers register interest in topics they care about
- The broker receives all messages and delivers them to matching subscribers
What the Broker Handles
| Function | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Message Routing | Receives messages from publishers, matches topics, delivers to subscribers |
| Connection Management | Maintains client connections, handles reconnects, manages session state |
| Quality of Service | Ensures delivery guarantees (at-most-once, at-least-once, exactly-once) |
| Message Retention | Optionally stores the last message on a topic for new subscribers |
| Security | Authenticates clients and enforces access permissions |
The Coreflux Advantage
Standard MQTT brokers route messages—that’s it. The Coreflux MQTT Broker goes further with built-in intelligence using the LoT (Language of Things) runtime:Beyond Message Routing
- LoT Actions — React to messages automatically. When a temperature exceeds a threshold, trigger an alert without external code.
- LoT Models — Transform and structure data in real-time. Convert raw sensor values into formatted JSON with timestamps and metadata.
- LoT Routes — Connect to external systems. Bridge to other brokers, store data in databases, call REST APIs—all configured in LoT.
- LoT Rules — Control access with fine-grained permissions. Define who can publish, subscribe, or manage the broker.
Processing at the Edge
Instead of sending all data to the cloud for processing, the Coreflux broker processes data where it’s generated: This reduces latency, bandwidth usage, and cloud dependency.Key Benefits
Efficient Communication
Efficient Communication
MQTT’s lightweight protocol is designed for constrained devices and limited bandwidth. The Coreflux broker optimizes message delivery for challenging network conditions—perfect for industrial environments, remote sites, or battery-powered devices.Coreflux enhancement: Built-in message compression and intelligent batching reduce bandwidth by up to 70% compared to raw MQTT.
Security and Access Control
Security and Access Control
IoT security is non-negotiable. The Coreflux broker includes TLS encryption, certificate-based authentication, and username/password auth out of the box.Coreflux enhancement: LoT Rules provide fine-grained access control—define exactly who can publish, subscribe, or manage each topic pattern.
Intelligent Data Processing
Intelligent Data Processing
Raw sensor data is rarely useful as-is. It needs filtering, transformation, and enrichment before applications can use it.Coreflux enhancement: LoT Models and Actions process data in real-time at the edge. No external ETL pipelines or stream processors required.
System Integration
System Integration
IoT systems don’t exist in isolation. They connect to databases, APIs, dashboards, and other brokers.Coreflux enhancement: LoT Routes provide native integration with SQL databases, REST APIs, industrial protocols (Modbus, OPC-UA, S7), and other MQTT brokers.
Broker Architecture
The Coreflux MQTT Broker is built on a modular architecture:| Component | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| MQTT Protocol Core | Handles MQTT operations, message routing, QoS, and session management |
| Authentication & Authorization | Manages client credentials and access control via LoT Rules |
| LoT Runtime | Executes Models, Actions, Routes, and Rules in real-time |
| System Administration | Provides configuration, logging, metrics, and maintenance APIs |