Azure IoT Device Node-RED node (Enhanced Fork)

🔧 Forked and Enhanced by Payman Abbasian

This is an enhanced fork of the original node-red-contrib-azure-iot-device by Eric van Uum. This fork was created to address critical memory leaks that were causing system reboots on IoT Hub disconnections.

🚨 Why This Fork Exists

The original repository was archived and no longer maintained, but users were experiencing:

• Memory leaks causing Node-RED to crash
• System reboots when IoT Hub connections were lost
• Accumulated event listeners leading to performance degradation
• Method response buildup causing memory exhaustion

Payman Abbasian forked this project to provide urgent fixes for production environments experiencing these critical issues.

🎯 Original Project Credits

• Original Author: Eric van Uum
• Original Repository: https://github.com/iotblackbelt/node-red-contrib-azure-iot-device
• Original License: MIT

This enhanced version maintains full compatibility with the original while adding robust memory leak prevention.

Now with robust memory leak prevention and comprehensive TDD testing!

The Azure IoT Device Node-RED node is a node that can be used to connect Node-RED to the Azure IoT platform. It can connect to Azure IoT Hub, Azure IoT Central, and use Azure IoT Edge as a transparent gateway. The node has been created to support the different attestation methods (SAS, X.509) as well as use Azure Device Provisioning Service. The node has been developed using the Azure IoT Node.js SDK.

The Azure IoT Device node represents a single device on the Azure IoT platform.

🆕 What's New in v0.3.0 (Enhanced Fork)

Critical Memory Leak Fixes:

• Event Listener Cleanup: Proper removal of all event listeners on disconnect/close
• Resource Disposal: Robust cleanup of Azure IoT SDK clients and twins
• Method Response Management: Prevents accumulation of method responses in memory
• Connection Timeout Protection: Prevents hanging connections from causing leaks

Enhanced Reliability:

• Exponential Backoff: Smart reconnection strategy prevents connection storms
• Error Handling: Improved error recovery and resource cleanup
• TDD Testing: Comprehensive test coverage with Docker support
• Production Ready: Tested in production environments with high connection churn

Development Improvements:

• Test-Driven Development: Full TDD test suite with mocks and stubs
• Docker Support: Containerized testing environment
• CI/CD Ready: Automated testing on package build

Installation

Install directly from the Node-RED Palette Manager or via npm:

npm install node-red-contrib-azure-iot-device-enhanced

Note: This enhanced fork uses the package name node-red-contrib-azure-iot-device-enhanced to avoid conflicts with the original archived package.

🔄 Migration from Original Package

If you're currently using the original node-red-contrib-azure-iot-device:

1. Backup your flows before migrating
2. Uninstall the original: npm uninstall node-red-contrib-azure-iot-device
3. Install the enhanced version: npm install node-red-contrib-azure-iot-device-enhanced
4. No flow changes needed - this fork maintains full API compatibility
5. Enjoy improved stability with memory leak fixes

Important: The original package is archived and no longer maintained. This fork provides ongoing maintenance and critical bug fixes.

NB: It is our assumption that you have a basic understanding of Node-RED and the Azure IoT platform.

Deploy the Azure Device node

In the deploy document we describe how to deploy the node to Node-RED.

Configure an Azure IoT Device node

In the configure document we describe how to setup an individual Azure IoT Device node.

Use an Azure IoT Device node

In the use document we describe how to use the Azure IoT Device node to interact with the Azure IoT platform.

• sending telemetry
• receiving and responding to commands
• receiving desired properties
• updating reported properties
• receiving C2D messages

Resilience

The node is developed to resist network loss. If there is no connectivity, the node will try to re-establish a device connection based on the set retry interval using exponential backoff. The node doesn't store and forward. All messages and properties sent during a loss of connectivity will be lost.

Testing and Development

This package includes comprehensive TDD (Test-Driven Development) testing:

# Run tests locally
npm test

# Run tests in Docker (recommended for CI/CD)
docker build -t node-red-azure-iot-device:latest .
docker run --rm node-red-azure-iot-device:latest npm test

Memory Leak Prevention

Version 0.3.0+ includes robust memory leak prevention:

• Automatic cleanup of event listeners on disconnect
• Proper resource disposal for Azure IoT SDK clients
• Exponential backoff reconnection strategy
• Method response cleanup to prevent accumulation

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Add tests for new functionality
4. Ensure all tests pass: npm test
5. Submit a pull request

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.