From ac4c06468d1b9c57218cda8019a8cd16ec6b8c63 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Nick O'Leary Date: Tue, 6 Oct 2026 11:08:02 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] Add initial remote agent plugin docs --- docs/device-agent/introduction.md | 4 ++ docs/device-agent/plugin/README.md | 10 ++++ docs/device-agent/plugin/overview.md | 82 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 3 files changed, 96 insertions(+) create mode 100644 docs/device-agent/plugin/README.md create mode 100644 docs/device-agent/plugin/overview.md diff --git a/docs/device-agent/introduction.md b/docs/device-agent/introduction.md index bc5c1dd89b..1a115ca66b 100644 --- a/docs/device-agent/introduction.md +++ b/docs/device-agent/introduction.md @@ -28,3 +28,7 @@ The [Quick Start Guide](/docs/device-agent/quickstart/) will get the Device Agen For more detailed information on installing and running the Device Agent, the full [installation guide](/docs/device-agent/install/overview/) has you covered. +### Managing Existing Node-RED instances + +If you already have Node-RED running on your hardware that want to start managing with FlowFuse, you can use the Remote Agent plugin for Node-RED. +This can be installed into Node-RED and get it connected to FlowFuse. Check the [Remote Agent documentation](/docs/device-agent/plugin/overview.md) for more information. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/docs/device-agent/plugin/README.md b/docs/device-agent/plugin/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..38187a3e94 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/device-agent/plugin/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,10 @@ +--- +navGroup: RemoteAgentPlugin +navTitle: Remote Agent Plugin +redirect: + to: /docs/device-agent/plugin/overview +layout: redirect +navOrder: 8 +tags: + - noDropdown +--- \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/docs/device-agent/plugin/overview.md b/docs/device-agent/plugin/overview.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..28670dc65f --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/device-agent/plugin/overview.md @@ -0,0 +1,82 @@ +--- +navGroup: RemoteAgentPlugin +navTitle: Overview +navOrder: 1 +meta: + description: Managing existing Node-RED installs using the Remote Agent plugin. + tags: + - installation + - device agent + - flowfuse +--- + +# Remote Agent Plugin + +The Remote Agent plugin is an alternative option to the full Device Agent way of managing remote Node-RED instances. + +It is a plugin that can be installed into Node-RED, making it quick and easy to get an existing Node-RED connected to the platform without having to migrate to the Device Agent. + +::note +The plugin does not provide all of the features of the Device Agent due to limitations of running inside of Node-RED. We will be added more features to continue expanding what is possible. See the [comparison with the Device Agent](#comparison-with-the-device-agent) section for more information on the differences. +:: + + + +## Requirements + +- Node-RED 4.1 or later +- Node.js 22 or later +- A FlowFuse account - either [FlowFuse Cloud](https://app.flowfuse.com) or a self-hosted + installation (FlowFuse 3.1 or later) + +## Installation + +Install the plugin into your Node-RED instance using the Palette Manager, or from the command +line in your Node-RED user directory (typically `~/.node-red`): + +```bash +npm install @flowfuse/nr-remote-agent +``` + +Restart Node-RED to load the plugin. + +## Connecting to FlowFuse + +In the status bar of the Node-RED editor you will see a 'Connect to FlowFuse' button. + +1. Open the Node-RED editor and click on the 'Connect to FlowFuse' button in the status bar. This will open the **settings** dialog for the remote agent. +3. Enter the URL of your FlowFuse platform. This defaults to `https://app.flowfuse.com` for + FlowFuse Cloud - change it if you are using a self-hosted installation. +4. Click **Connect**. A FlowFuse window opens for you to log in and choose the team and + application the instance should be added to. +5. Once you complete the steps in FlowFuse, the settings pane will refresh to show the instance details, and the status bar button will show the state of the connection. + + +### Disconnecting + +The same settings pane provides a **Disconnect** option. Disconnecting removes the local +connection details - the instance cannot be reconnected to the same FlowFuse entry and will need +to be registered again as a new Remote Instance. + +## What the plugin lets you do + +Once connected, the instance appears in your FlowFuse team and you can: + +- View the instance's logs remotely +- Automatically capture a snapshots of your flows whenever you deploy changes +- See a record of audit events from the instance in the FlowFuse audit log + + +## Comparison with the Device Agent + +The [FlowFuse Device Agent](https://github.com/FlowFuse/device-agent) and this plugin both +connect Node-RED to FlowFuse, but they take opposite approaches to who owns the runtime. + +The Device Agent provides a fully managed Node-RED environment; where you can deploy flows remotely, +securely access the editor from anywhere and manage the Node-RED version and updates. + +This plugin doesn't provide all of these features yet, but we will be continuing to iterate to +add more capabilities. + +Some features of the Device Agent will not be reproducable with the plugin due to the way it runs +inside of Node-RED, rather than around the outside.