Overview

ThingsBoard Edge supports several options for connecting devices. The diagram below provides a visual overview of available options to help you choose the right one for your use case.

These protocols apply to devices that communicate over standard IP transports and can connect directly to ThingsBoard Edge.

• MQTT API
• CoAP API
• HTTP API
• LwM2M API
• SNMP API

Most protocols support JSON, Protobuf, or a custom data format. This is the best option for new devices when you control the firmware.

ThingsBoard IoT Gateway connects devices in local networks without direct internet access, or using non-IP protocols — including MQTT, OPC-UA, Modbus, BLE, HTTP, CAN, BACnet, ODBC, and SNMP. The gateway converts device data to the ThingsBoard format and forwards it over MQTT to the platform.