Node-RED + InfluxDB + Grafana: a license-free industrial data stack

Why this stack?

The combination of Node-RED + InfluxDB + Grafana has become the de facto standard for industrial data projects that do not want to depend on proprietary licenses. Each tool does exactly what it should: Node-RED integrates, InfluxDB stores time series very efficiently, and Grafana visualizes with professional dashboards.

The implementation cost is practically just the server (it can run on modest hardware or in the cloud), with no fees per number of tags, users or features.

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Minimum requirements: A Linux server (physical, virtual or cloud) with 4 GB of RAM and a 50 GB SSD is enough for a pilot project of up to 500 tags at a 1-second sampling rate. For production with more points, scale according to data volume.

Node-RED: the integrator

Node-RED is a flow-based visual programming tool, developed by IBM and now under the OpenJS Foundation. In industry, its role is to act as middleware: it receives data from PLCs (via OPC UA, Modbus, MQTT), transforms and filters it, and sends it to the Historian.

Its most used nodes in industrial projects:

node-red-contrib-opcua — OPC UA client for connecting Siemens, Allen-Bradley and other PLCs
node-red-contrib-modbus — Modbus TCP/RTU client for legacy PLCs and drives
node-red-contrib-influxdb — direct writes to InfluxDB
node-red-dashboard — simple panels (a complement to Grafana for operational views)

InfluxDB: the Historian

InfluxDB is a time series database optimized for high-frequency writes and efficient time-based queries. Written in Go, it uses its own query language (Flux) and offers configurable data retention so that data does not accumulate indefinitely.

Example: writing a value to InfluxDB v2

measurement,tag_key=tag_value field_key=field_value timestamp_unix_ns

For industrial projects we recommend InfluxDB v2 with tiered retention policies: raw data at 1 second for 30 days, per-minute aggregates for 1 year, and hourly data indefinitely. This keeps storage growth under control without losing historical analysis capability.

Grafana: the visualization

Grafana is the most powerful visualization tool in the open source ecosystem. It connects directly to InfluxDB (and to more than 50 other data sources, including Power BI, SQL and Prometheus). Its alerting capabilities, dashboard variables and OEE panel make it ideal for the control room and management reports.

Complete stack architecture

Complete data flow

PLC/Sensor → [OPC UA / Modbus / MQTT] → Node-RED → InfluxDB → Grafana / Power BI

For high availability, the stack can be deployed with redundancy: two Node-RED instances behind a load balancer, InfluxDB in a cluster or with automatic backup to S3, and Grafana with LDAP authentication for corporate access.

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AJAY SQM project: Fatek PLCs + Node-RED + InfluxDB + Grafana + Power BI with additional LoRaWAN sensors. Plant floor data on the executive dashboard in real time. No proprietary licenses. Implemented in 6 weeks.

Want this stack in your plant?

We implement the complete stack, from the PLC connection to the dashboards. A turnkey project with training included.

See Industrial Data →

Node-RED + InfluxDB + Grafana:a license-free industrial stack