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Node-RED Usage Guide

Last Version: 2025/09/25

This guide shows how to run Node-RED inside Docker on the Bianbu system.

Introduction​

Node-RED is a flow-based, visual programming tool originally created by IBM engineers and now maintained by the open-source community (with support from the JS Foundation).

It is mainly used for

  • event-driven application integration
  • IoT (Internet of Things) development
  • API orchestration
  • Automation

✨ Key Features​

  1. Low-code / Visual Programming

    • Build logic by dragging and dropping nodes and connecting them with wires.
    • Minimal coding required to create powerful flows.

  2. Built on Node.js

    • Runs on top of Node.js.
    • Lightweight, suitable for embedded devices and cloud platforms.

  3. Built-in and Extendable Nodes

    • Includes numerous pre-built nodes: HTTP, MQTT, WebSocket, file system, function processing, etc.
    • Extend functionality via npm with community-contributed nodes (databases, AI services, chatbots, Slack, Telegram, robotics, and more).

  4. Designed for IoT

    • Easy integration with sensors, devices, and cloud services using MQTT, REST APIs, or Modbus protocol.
    • Popular for smart home and industrial IoT projects.

  5. Highly Extensible

    • Add custom logic with JavaScript function nodes.
    • Integrate with databases (MongoDB, MySQL, Redis), messaging systems (Kafka, RabbitMQ), and AI services (TensorFlow.js, OpenAI API).

Pull the Image​

Run the following command to download the latest Node-RED Docker image:

sudo docker pull harbor.spacemit.com/bianbu-robot/node-red-image:latest

Start Node-RED​

Launch the Node-RED service with:

sudo docker run -it \
  -p 1880:1880 \
  -v node_red_data:/data \
  --name node-red-test \
  harbor.spacemit.com/bianbu-robot/node-red-image:latest

Command breakdown

  • docker run Runs a container. If the image isn’t available locally, it will be downloaded first.
  • -it Opens an interactive terminal so you can see the container’s output in real time.
  • -p 1880:1880 Maps port 1880 on your local machine to port 1880 inside the container.
  • -v node_red_data:/data Mounts a Docker volume named node_red_data to the container’s /data directory. This ensures your flow changes are saved. You can also use a local path instead of node_red_data.
  • --name node-red-test Gives the container a recognizable name.
  • harbor.spacemit.com/bianbu-robot/node-red-image:latest Specifies the base image to use.

Terminal output example:

Access the Node-RED Dashboard​

Open a browser on your x86 PC and visit http://board_ip:1880/

Note: Replace board_ip with your development board’s actual IP address.

The interface will look like this:

Manage the Container​

  • Run in background To detach from the container but keep it running, press Ctrl+p then Ctrl+q.

  • To reattach to the terminal and view logs:

    docker attach node-red-test

  • To restart the container (e.g., after a system or Docker service restart):

    docker start node-red-test

  • To stop the container:

    docker stop node-red-test

Learn More​

You can now follow the Official Tutorial to build more flows.