Node-RED is a visual, low-code automation framework designed for building event-driven data processing workflows. It provides a browser-based programming environment where users connect hardware devices, APIs, and online services by wiring together functional nodes in a directed graph. This visual approach allows for the creation of complex logic paths without the need for traditional source code.
The platform is distinguished by its pluggable node architecture and portable flow serialization. Logic is represented as JSON-based data structures, enabling flows to be easily versioned, shared, and deployed across diverse environments ranging from cloud infrastructure to embedded hardware. The system includes a message-passing engine that routes asynchronous objects between nodes, supported by a scoped context mechanism for managing state across different parts of an automation flow.
Beyond its core execution model, the project offers extensive capabilities for system orchestration and hardware interfacing. It supports modular development through reusable subflows and custom nodes, which can be discovered and shared via a community-driven repository. The runtime is highly extensible, allowing developers to embed the engine directly into existing applications, configure custom storage backends, and manage the system programmatically through an HTTP-based administrative API or command-line tools.
