mqtt-relay

mqtt-relay is a flexible MQTT relay module that forwards messages from one broker to another. It allows you to selectively map and transform topics, enabling you to set custom output topics while preserving subtopic structures. This functionality is particularly useful in complex setups where specific MQTT topics need to be routed or modified between brokers.

Installation

To install mqtt-relay globally, use npm:

npm install -g mqtt-relay

Note: You might see warnings about deprecated dependencies during installation. These are typically related to development dependencies and do not affect the functionality of mqtt-relay.

Usage

Basic Setup

After installation, you can initialize a sample configuration file in your current directory:

mqtt-relay init

This will create a relay-config.yaml file. Edit this file to specify your MQTT brokers, relay options, and topic mappings.

Then, run mqtt-relay with your configuration file:

mqtt-relay relay-config.yaml

You can run multiple instances with different configurations. For each instance, specify the config file as a parameter:

mqtt-relay another-config.yaml

With the provided program, you can also configure several setups in a single configuration as shown in the sample configuration file, giving each instance a name. The name is shown in the logs.

Using PM2

To manage instances of mqtt-relay that need to run unattended, you can use PM2. Set each instance with a unique name:

pm2 --name "mqtt-relay-instance" mqtt-relay -- relay-config.yaml

Configuration

Config Structure

The configuration file allows you to define both input and output brokers, publishing options, and detailed topic mappings for flexible topic transformations.

Example Configuration

name: mqtt-relay-example
brokerInUrl: "mqtt://input-broker.example.com:1883"
brokerInOptions:
  username: "inputUser"
  password: "inputPassword"

brokerOutUrl: "mqtt://output-broker.example.com:1883"
brokerOutOptions:
  username: "outputUser"
  password: "outputPassword"

publishOptions:
  retain: true
  qos: 1

debug: false

topicMap:
  - in: "device123/sensor/#"
    out: "home/sensors"
  - in: "monitoring/temperature"
    out: "metrics/temperature"
  - in: "alerts/#"
    out: "notifications/alerts"
  - in: "system/status"
    out: "status/system"

topicMap Configuration

topicMap specifies how each input topic (in) is transformed before it is published to the output broker. This allows you to relay topics directly or modify them based on custom mappings.

Types of Mappings

1. Prefix Match with Dynamic Subtopics:

   • If the in topic ends with /#, it will match the topic prefix and relay any additional subtopic structure.
   • Example:

     - in: "device123/sensor/#"
       out: "home/sensors"

     • Incoming topic: device123/sensor/temperature/reading
     • Published topic: home/sensors/temperature/reading

2. Exact Match:

   • If the in topic does not end with /#, it will only match the specific topic exactly as written.
   • Example:

     - in: "monitoring/temperature"
       out: "metrics/temperature"

     • Incoming topic: monitoring/temperature
     • Published topic: metrics/temperature

3. Pass-Through (No out Specified):

   • If no out field is provided, the input topic will be passed through unmodified.
   • Example:

     - in: "alerts/#"

     • Incoming topic: alerts/high
     • Published topic: alerts/high

Constructing topicMap

To construct the topicMap:

• in: Specify the incoming topic to match. Use + to match one level and /# at the end to match all remaining subtopics.
• out (optional): Specify the output topic prefix. If /# is used in in, the remaining subtopics will be appended to out.

Examples:

1. Dynamic Mapping with Prefix:

   - in: "device123/sensor/#"
     out: "home/sensors"

   • Matches all topics under device123/sensor and publishes them under home/sensors with the original subtopics appended.

2. Exact Mapping:

   - in: "monitoring/temperature"
     out: "metrics/temperature"

   • Only monitoring/temperature is matched and relayed as metrics/temperature with no appended subtopics.

3. Pass-Through:

   - in: "alerts/#"

   • Passes through all topics under alerts without modification.

Additional Options

• brokerInUrl: URL of the input broker.
• brokerInOptions: Credentials for the input broker.
• brokerOutUrl: URL of the output broker.
• brokerOutOptions: Credentials for the output broker.
• publishOptions:
  • retain: Whether to retain messages on the output broker.
  • qos: QoS level for the output broker (0, 1, or 2).
• debug: Set to true to enable detailed logging.

You can also write your own program by importing the mqtt-relay module:

const MqttRelay = require('mqtt-relay');

// Example configuration
const config = {
  name: "relay1",
  brokerInUrl: "mqtt://input-broker.example.com:1883",
  brokerOutUrl: "mqtt://output-broker.example.com:1883",
  topicMap: [
    { in: "device/sensor/#", out: "home/sensors" },
    { in: "alerts/#", out: "notifications/alerts" },
  ],
  publishOptions: { retain: true, qos: 1 },
  debug: true,
};

const relay = new MqttRelay(config);
relay.start();

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.