On March 23, the ThingsBoard team celebrated the third anniversary of the ThingsBoard Edge. On this joyous occasion, we’re taking a moment to look back at its journey—from the initial idea and development challenges to the future roadmap. We sat down with ThingsBoard Edge solution architect Volodymyr Babak to reflect on how it all began and what lies ahead.
For those who may not be aware, edge computing is crucial to modern IoT ecosystems. It addresses the challenges of network latency, bandwidth limitations, and offline functionality. ThingsBoard Edge is a powerful solution that brings data processing closer to its source, making it essential for industries such as manufacturing, oil & gas, and energy management.
Meet Volodymyr Babak
Volodymyr Babak is a Ukrainian programmer with over a decade of experience in software development and technical leadership, including leading AI-focused initiatives. Joining at the dawn of ThingsBoard, he helped shape the company as we know it today. As both a developer and solution architect, he led countless projects, delivering practical and effective solutions to ThingsBoard customers. In response to customers’ needs for more powerful computing solutions, Volodymyr accepted the challenge of creating a solution for edge computing. Now ThingsBoard Edge is not just another product, but a real answer to real needs.
The Journey Begins
Q: ThingsBoard Edge is celebrating its third year of operations – a significant milestone. What inspired you to start such an enormous project?
A: The inspiration came from our very first edge computing project. It all started with a simple Python-based service running at remote locations, managing local alarms. You may say we saw a Whole New World of Possibilities (laughs). The realization of the potential and versatility that edge computing could offer to us and our customers motivated us to create a dedicated product which was met with positive feedback.
Q: How did you actually start programming, and did you imagine yourself where you are now?
A: Honestly, I can’t even remember when I started programming – it feels like I’ve been doing it my entire life. You see, I grew up in a family of engineers, so technology has always been a part of my life. Even during my school years, I was immersed in various coding projects. It was the early 2000s, and I was exploring all the exciting things that technology and the Internet could do. Later on, I graduated from the National Technical University of Ukraine, the “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute,” to be exact, and continued to deepen my knowledge and skills. I have always had the ambition to create something unique, to innovate, and to solve real problems.
Q: Which brings us to now. Was it your ambition that drove you to create such a complex project?
A: I believe so! You have to have the passion to start something big and the dedication to see it through. My passion and dedication helped me both in my career and in life. I may not have imagined the exact path my career would take, but the journey has been exciting. And today, I’m genuinely proud to celebrate the third birthday of ThingsBoard Edge! (laughs).
Q: What was it like at the beginning of the Edge development?
A: Building ThingsBoard Edge was a mix of excitement and challenge. We were thrilled to create a new product but faced plenty of technical roadblocks along the way. It wasn’t always easy, but every challenge just made us see the bigger picture and think outside the box. Ultimately, all the blood, sweat, and tears paid off. ThingsBoard Edge became a super powerful solution that’s making a huge impact today.
Q: Why did you decide to develop an open-source architecture? Aren’t you afraid that someone can steal your ideas?
A: No, not at all. When we share our architecture with the community, it’s not like we’re giving up our ideas. It’s more like we’re growing together. Just look at what Android has become, thanks to that! Here at ThingsBoard, we believe that open-source is about ongoing development and know-how, not just the code itself.
Q: How does ThingsBoard Edge fit into the overall ThingsBoard ecosystem? Was it difficult to make them work seamlessly?
A: ThingsBoard Edge is like an extra pair of hands for the central ThingsBoard platform. It runs in remote locations but stays connected over the network. You know how it is, we all need an extra hand sometimes! (laughs) But making it all work together the way we imagined wasn’t easy. We ran into a bunch of challenges. But over time, we’ve made some significant improvements, and we’re always working to make the integration even better. The goal is simple: a seamless, hassle-free experience for our users, no matter where they are.
Q: How is the architecture of ThingsBoard Edge different from ThingsBoard Cloud?
A: They’re designed to serve different needs in the IoT ecosystem. In short, ThingsBoard Edge is about processing data right where and when it’s generated—on remote or local sites and in real-time. On the other hand, ThingsBoard Cloud is a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) solution that provides a scalable, simple way to manage IoT devices and data from anywhere.
That’s where we’ll pause for now! In this first part, we introduced the person behind the Edge’s creation and explored how it all began. But there’s still a lot more to discuss, so stay tuned for Part 2, where we’ll dive into challenges and the exciting new features on the horizon!
Check out the new and improved ThingsBoard Edge and see what you can do with it today!
