
NIAGARA SPARKPLUG
INTEGRATION
A smart, open-source Niagara integration
Sparkplug is an open-source software specification that provides MQTT clients the framework to seamlessly integrate data from their applications, sensors, devices, and gateways within the MQTT infrastructure in a bi directional and interoperable way.
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The Sparkplug specification describes a standard application layer protocol for applications, sensors, devices and gateways.
To achieve this the specification defines three clear goals, that are lacking from current MQTT and IoT implementations:
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Define a standard MQTT topic namespace
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Define standard MQTT state management
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Define the MQTT payload

Why Sparkplug?
​MQTT Sparkplug cuts the complexity and eliminates the mess, this means no challenges with complicated architectures and custom connections.
SINGLE SOURCE OF TRUTH
​Configure process variables one time at the source and deploy to the entire enterprise
DECOUPLED DATA
​No longer maintain custom connections between various data sources
IMMEDIATE DISCOVERY
​New machine and sensor data becomes immediately available to all subscribers
INHERITED SECURITY
​Leverages TLS for data transport and requires no open port for edge network devices
STATE AWARENESS
​Birth and death certificates provide subscribing clients confidence in data validity
Differences between Sparkplug and plain MQTT
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Sparkplug defines a clear topic namespace so applications know where to subscribe for data straight away
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MQTT allows custom or vendor-specific topic namespaces so it can be hard to understand topics in a broker
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Sparkplug defines a very strong message payload, with clear data types, metadata, datasets
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MQTT has no definition of the payload it carries, MQTT only knows it carries a discrete number of bytes
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Sparkplug defines how applications can become aware of the state of a Sparkplug node (state awareness) and specifies how applications are notified (by subscribing to a defined topic namespace) of the state of a node
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MQTT contains no definition of state awareness of a node
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Sparkplug enables loose coupling between all participants in a system by defining data formats upfront
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MQTT contains no data formatting definitions so IoT solutions based on plain MQTT are tightly coupled causing design and deployment problems
Sparkplug Screenshots





INFORMATION
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CONTACT US
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Level 6, 10 Artemis Lane
Melbourne VIC 3000
Australia
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(+61) 1300 600 432