MQTT server

Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) is a publish-and-subscribe based messaging protocol. It is the optimal solution for constrained environments where network bandwidth is limited, such as in IoT applications.

The MQTT server (broker) facilitates the exchange of messages between different devices, applications and systems that are subscribed to a specific “theme” in an MQTT network.

MQTT server operation

The workings of the MQTT server revolve around the concepts of “publishers“, “subscribers“and “themes.”

Publishers. Devices or systems that send messages to the MQTT server. They publish their data to a specific topic..

Subscribers. Devices or systems that have registered their interest in certain topics. They subscribe to these topics and receive all messages that are published in them. Subscribers. Devices or systems that have registered their interest in certain topics.

Topics. Message channels. Publishers post to topics, and subscribers receive posts from the topics to which they are subscribed.

The MQTT server thus acts as an intermediary and ensures that messages from publishers reach the appropriate subscribers.

The value of MQTT for IoT

In the IoT, devices need to communicate with each other reliably and with minimal power consumption. MQTT servers contribute to this through their several properties.

Efficiency. MQTT messages are small in size and require minimal network bandwidth. Efficient.

Reliability. MQTT servers ensure message delivery even in unstable network conditions. Reliability.

Security. MQTT supports secure communication using TLS/SSL encryption.