Node-RED 2.1 & Beyond

My talk from Node-RED Con 2021, looking at what the project has achieved in 2021, what was in the new 2.1 release and what priorities we have moving forward.

1. @knolleary Node-RED 2.1 & Beyond Node-RED Con 2021
2. @knolleary twitter.com github.com /knolleary twitch.tv • Nick O’Leary • Node-RED Project Lead • Founder & CTO FlowForge Inc. About Me
3. @knolleary Node-RED in 2021 releases 705 33 20 commits contributors
4. @knolleary nodered.org/about/releases
5. @knolleary • Monaco Text Editor (optional) • Function node external module handling • Inject node ‘quick inject’ button • node-red admin init command • Dropped support for Node 8.x and 10.x • HTTP Request node reimplemented with got module • HTML node - major version change of underlying Cheerio module • Major version updates of lots of internal modules - without any external changes Node-RED 2.0
6. @knolleary request module • Deprecated in Feb 2020 • Still being downloaded 23m times a week 18 months later • Generates warnings when npm installed that causes uncertainty for our users
7. @knolleary • Actively maintained and well adopted module • Opinionated API design which made migration harder • Missing some built-in functionality of request got module
8. @knolleary • Monaco Text Editor (optional) • Function node external module handling • Inject node ‘quick inject’ button • node-red admin init command • Dropped support for Node 8.x and 10.x • HTTP Request node reimplemented with got module • HTML node - major version change of underlying Cheerio module • Major version updates of lots of internal modules - without any external changes Node-RED 2.0
9. @knolleary Node-RED Plugin Framework
10. @knolleary Node-RED Flow Debugger • Set breakpoints on node ports • Pause runtime or individual nodes when triggered • Show queued messages • Allow step-by-step execution of the flow npm install node-red-debugger
11. @knolleary RED.hooks API • Hooks API lets plugins add custom code to the message path at certain key points • Also available for the Node Install path - useful for integrating build tools like electron-build
12. @knolleary Node-RED Flow Linter • Checks the flow for potential problems • Rule can be customised to personal preference • New rules can be added via additional plugins • Runs on the command-line or integrated in the editor npm install nrlint
13. @knolleary • Simply way to package and share custom Node-RED editor themes • Install a theme plugin then make a one-line change in your settings file to enabled it • Some great community-created themes available Node-RED Theme Plugins npm install @node-red-contrib-themes/theme-collection
14. @knolleary • Add new library sources to the Import/Export dialog • Use the File Store plugin to create additional libraries on the local file-system • Combine with a file-sharing utility, such as Dropbox, and create an easy way to share flows with teammates. Node-RED Library Store Plugins npm install @node-red/library-file-store
15. @knolleary Node-RED 2.1
16. @knolleary Welcome Tour Guide
17. @knolleary Hiding Tabs
18. @knolleary Dynamic MQTT Nodes
19. @knolleary Link Call Node
20. @knolleary Auto-Complete msg. properties
21. @knolleary node-red
22. @knolleary node-red Auth Plugins • node-red-auth-twitter • node-red-auth-github Node Collections • node-red-nodes (74 nodes) • node-red-web-nodes (18 nodes) • node-red-ui-nodes (8 nodes) • node-red-dashboard • node-red-node-swagger CLI Tools • node-red-admin • node-red-nodegen • node-red-dev-cli Context Stores • node-red-context-redis • node-red-context-pouchdb Web Sites • flow-library • node-red.github.io • cookbook.nodered.org • i18n-viewer Packaging • node-red-docker • linux-installers Others • designs • nr-monaco-build • node-red-node-test-helper • flow-parser • jsdoc-nr-template Plugins • node-red-debugger • nrlint • node-red-flow-tester • node-red-library-file-store
23. @knolleary https://discourse.nodered.org/t/discussion-about-a-new-dashboard/51119
24. @knolleary • Still being developed - not for general use yet • Runs a series of checks against a node - either locally or on npm - to ensure it follows best practices • Looks at package and node naming, licensing, git repository (if provided), example flows and more • Provides a report back - either as text or JSON • Will generate a scorecard for use on flows.nodered.org node-red-dev CLI for node developers coming soon
25. @knolleary • Create tests for your flows within the editor • Testing Sidebar lets you define test suites and test cases • Individual node behaviour can then be customised per-test case, letting you simulate different behaviours - for example, faking the response of an HTTP Request to test edge cases • Run tests from the sidebar, or on the command-line Node-RED Flow Testing Framework coming soon-ish Initial design sketches from January 2020
26. @knolleary • Weekly Node-RED LiveStream Monday 8pm (UK) https://twitch.tv/knolleary • FlowForge Inc. news coming soon... Thank You