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Eclipse Hono

Eclipse Hono is an open-source framework for connecting large numbers of Internet of Things (IoT) devices to backend services through uniform, scalable and secure messaging APIs.

  • Uniform device connectivity and messaging APIs for IoT solutions (device connectivity)
  • Support for multiple network protocols such as Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) to connect devices (IoT protocol integration)
  • Telemetry, event, and command & control messaging between devices and business applications (messaging middleware)
  • Device registration, credentials, and tenant-level management services (device identity and access management)
  • Cloud-native deployment model aligned with container and Kubernetes environments (cloud-native infrastructure)

More About Eclipse Hono

Eclipse Hono is a project under the Eclipse IoT ecosystem that targets the connection of large-scale fleets of devices to enterprise and cloud applications through a uniform and secure messaging layer (IoT messaging middleware). It addresses the device-to-cloud integration problem by providing common APIs and server-side services that decouple device connectivity from backend application logic.

The project focuses on device connectivity and messaging across a range of IoT protocols (device connectivity). It offers APIs and services for telemetry data upload, event notification, and command and control messaging, enabling applications to send commands to devices and receive data streams in a consistent way. Hono supports standard IoT transport protocols including HTTP and MQTT (IoT protocol integration), with an architecture that allows additional protocol adapters to be added.

Eclipse Hono provides device registration and credentials management services (identity and access management). Devices are modeled as entities associated with tenants, and the system maintains credentials and other registration data. This allows enterprise operators to manage multi-tenant environments, govern which devices are allowed to connect, and separate data flows between tenants.

The architecture is designed as a set of microservices and is intended for cloud-native deployment (cloud-native infrastructure). Components such as protocol adapters, messaging services, and device registry typically run in containerized environments and can be deployed on Kubernetes. Hono integrates with standard messaging infrastructure like AMQP-based brokers (messaging infrastructure integration) to transport messages from protocol adapters to downstream consumers.

In enterprise environments, Hono is used as the device connectivity and messaging layer connecting IoT endpoints with analytics platforms, line-of-business applications, and other backend services (enterprise IoT integration). Backend applications consume telemetry and event streams through standard APIs and can issue commands back to devices without handling protocol-specific details. This separation lets teams evolve device protocols and backend applications independently.

Interoperability and extensibility are achieved through clearly defined northbound and southbound APIs (API-based integration). Northbound, applications interact with Hono via messaging endpoints and management APIs; southbound, device connectivity is handled through protocol adapters that can be extended or customized. This positions Eclipse Hono in a directory under categories such as IoT messaging middleware, device connectivity platform, and cloud-native IoT integration framework.