# Node-RED

> Open-source low-code, flow-based programming tool for building event-driven applications that collect, transform and visualize data.

Node-RED is a flow-based, low-code programming tool originally developed by IBM's Emerging Technology Services team and now part of the OpenJS Foundation. It provides a browser-based editor for wiring together nodes into flows that run on a lightweight Node.js runtime. The project is open source under the Apache 2.0 license, and the project site lists version 5.0.8 as the latest release.

## What It Is

Node-RED is a visual programming environment for event-driven applications. Users build flows in a browser-based editor by wiring together nodes from a palette, then deploy them to the runtime in a single click. Its stated goal is to let anyone build applications that collect, transform and visualize data, from home automation to industrial control systems.

## How It Works

The runtime is built on Node.js and uses its event-driven, non-blocking model, so it can run at the edge on low-cost hardware such as a Raspberry Pi as well as in the cloud. JavaScript functions can be written inside the editor, and a built-in library saves reusable functions, templates and flows. Flows are stored as JSON, so they can be imported, exported and shared.

## Extending and Sharing

The palette can be extended with community-contributed nodes. The project site says the community has built over 5,000 nodes and flows, available through the online Flow Library, which also hosts shared flows and node collections.

## Setup Path

Node-RED can be installed globally with npm (`npm install -g node-red`), started with the `node-red` command, and opened in a browser at localhost:1880. Documentation also covers Docker, Raspberry Pi, BeagleBone Black, Arduino, Android, FlowFuse, AWS and Azure deployments.

## Project Background

It began in 2013 as a side project by Nick O'Leary and Dave Conway-Jones at IBM, and was open-sourced in September 2013. It became a founding project of the JS Foundation in 2016, which later merged into the OpenJS Foundation. The site lists a Version 5.0 release blog post dated 09 Jun 2026.

## Features
- Browser-based flow editor
- Wire together nodes from a palette
- One-click deployment of flows to the runtime
- In-editor JavaScript function editing
- Built-in library for functions, templates and flows
- Flows stored as JSON for import and export
- Community Flow Library of nodes, flows and collections
- Lightweight Node.js event-driven runtime
- Runs at the edge or in the cloud

## Integrations
Node.js, npm, Docker, Raspberry Pi, BeagleBone Black, Arduino, Android, FlowFuse, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, MQTT

## Platforms
WINDOWS, MACOS, LINUX, ANDROID, WEB, API, CLI

## Pricing
Open Source

## Version
5.0.8

## Links
- Website: http://nodered.org
- Documentation: https://nodered.org/docs/
- Repository: https://github.com/node-red/node-red
- EveryDev.ai: https://www.everydev.ai/tools/node-red