Product Introduction
Product Positioning
ThingsGatewayRuntime is an Industrial IoT Edge Gateway Runtime Platform focused on edge-side data acquisition, processing, and forwarding. The platform is deployed at industrial sites and communicates directly with PLCs, sensors, instruments, and other devices to perform real-time data acquisition, conversion, alarm detection, and business processing.
This documentation is aligned with GatewayRuntime 2.1.22 configuration and Web UI. If a site package changes ports, plug-ins, or menu permissions, follow the deployed environment.
What is an Edge Gateway?
An edge gateway is an intelligent device deployed at industrial sites, positioned between the field device layer and the upper-level management system. Its core role is to complete data processing at the data source, rather than transmitting all raw data to the cloud for processing.
Edge Gateway Position Diagram:
Traditional Mode vs Edge Computing Mode
| Comparison Item | Traditional Mode (Cloud Processing) | Edge Computing Mode (Local Processing) |
|---|---|---|
| Data Flow | Field Devices → All Data → Cloud Server → Data Processing | Field Devices → Edge Gateway → Processed Data → Cloud Server |
| Network Bandwidth | High Usage | Low Usage |
| Response Latency | High | Low |
| Cost | High | Low |
| Reliability | Network-dependent | Local Processing, High Reliability |
Core Functions of Edge Gateway
Edge Gateway Core Functions Diagram:
| Function | Description |
|---|---|
| Data Acquisition | Obtain raw data from devices |
| Data Processing | Filtering, conversion, aggregation |
| Alarm Detection | Real-time anomaly detection |
| Data Forwarding | Upload only valid data |
Application Scenarios of Edge Gateway
Application Scenarios Overview Diagram:
Core Value
| Value Point | Description | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Edge Intelligence | Complete data processing at the site side | Reduce network transmission, lower latency |
| Protocol Conversion | Support multiple industrial protocols | Break through device communication barriers |
| Real-time Response | Millisecond-level data acquisition | Meet real-time monitoring requirements |
| High Reliability | Redundancy and auto-recovery mechanisms | Ensure business continuity |
| Flexible Scalability | Plugin-based architecture design | Adapt to different business scenarios |
| Easy Deployment | Out-of-the-box | Reduce implementation costs |
| Visual Management | Web interface management | Lower the barrier to use |
Product Composition
ThingsGatewayRuntime consists of three core components that work together to complete edge computing tasks.
Component Overview
Product Composition Architecture Diagram:
| Component | Purpose | Running Location |
|---|---|---|
| Studio Project Management | Project management, local runtime verification, and remote deployment | Engineering workstation |
| Watchdog Service | Process management, health check, auto-recovery, backup management | Gateway Device |
| GatewayRuntime | Data acquisition, alarm processing, rule execution, script compilation, data forwarding | Gateway Device |
- Use Studio to manage projects, start or stop a local runtime, configure Watchdog connections, and upload or download projects.
- Use Watchdog to manage gateway process status, project packages, backups, logs, tunnels, and runtime parameters on the gateway device.
- Use GatewayRuntime to configure collection, forwarding, alarms, rules, scripts, nodes, users, roles, logs, certificates, and system settings.
Studio Project Management
Studio is the ThingsGateway project maintenance and deployment tool. It manages local projects, local runtime verification, Watchdog connections, and remote deployment.
Studio Project Management Interface:
Studio Main Functions
| Function Module | Function Description |
|---|---|
| Project Management | Create projects, open projects, maintain project information, and publish projects |
| Script Management | Create and edit scripts, configure parameters, and check compilation results |
| Custom Node Management | Maintain node logic and parameters, and check compilation results |
| Watchdog Management | Configure Watchdog connections, upload projects, and monitor target gateways |
Studio Usage Scenarios
- Used by project configuration and maintenance personnel
- Complete project configuration and pre-deployment verification
- Publish projects after validation
- Upload projects to Watchdog in the production environment
Watchdog Service
Watchdog is the daemon process of the gateway runtime, responsible for managing and monitoring the gateway runtime process.
Watchdog Main Functions
| Function | Description |
|---|---|
| Process Management | Start, stop, restart gateway runtime process |
| Health Check | Periodically check process status and API availability |
| Auto Recovery | Automatically restart when the process exits abnormally |
| Project Management | Manage multiple project configurations and switching |
| Backup Management | Project backup and recovery functions |
Watchdog Usage Scenarios
- Deployed on the gateway device as a system service
- Monitor gateway runtime status 24/7
- Automatically recover services in abnormal situations
- Support remote project upload and deployment
The watchdog provides a Web management interface with default port 6200, which can be accessed via browser at http://<gateway-IP>:6200. The gateway's Web interface is provided by GatewayRuntime with port 6100.
Studio uses http://<Studio-server-IP>:5100, and Watchdog uses http://<gateway-IP>:6200. Their packaged configuration supports plain HTTP IP access. A one-time RSA-OAEP-SHA256 challenge encrypts the login password, but Bearer tokens, project packages, and other management data still require HTTPS for full transport protection.
GatewayRuntime
GatewayRuntime is the core runtime engine, responsible for executing core business logic such as data acquisition, alarm detection, and rule processing.
Gateway Runtime Interface:
GatewayRuntime Main Functions
| Function Module | Function Description |
|---|---|
| Data Acquisition | Acquire data from devices through communication plugins |
| Alarm Detection | Detect anomalies based on configured alarm rules |
| Rule Engine | Execute visually orchestrated business processes |
| Script Execution | Run user-maintained C# scripts after they pass validation |
| Data Forwarding | Push data to upper-level systems |
| Web Management | Provide Web interface for configuration and management |
GatewayRuntime Usage Scenarios
- Automatically started and managed by the watchdog
- Execute data acquisition and business processing
- Provide Web management interface
- Perform data interaction with upper-level systems
GatewayRuntime Running Mode
- Automatically started by the watchdog
- Or manually run ThingsGatewayRuntime
- Default port: 6100 (Web management interface)
Product Features
High Reliability
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Process Guardian | Watchdog automatically monitors and recovers processes |
| Redundancy Support | Active/standby site automatic switching |
| Exception Handling | Comprehensive exception capture and handling mechanism |
| Data Persistence | Configuration and data automatically saved |
High Performance
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| High-concurrency Acquisition | Support simultaneous acquisition from a large number of devices |
| Low-latency Processing | Millisecond-level data processing latency |
| Efficient Storage | Optimized data storage mechanism |
| Low Resource Consumption | Can run with minimum 256MB memory |
Ease of Use
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Web Management | Manage via browser, no client installation required |
| Visual Configuration | Graphical configuration interface |
| Online Debugging | Real-time view of acquired data and logs |
| Quick Deployment | Out-of-the-box, fast go-live |
Scalability
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Plugin Architecture | Communication plugins are extensible |
| Script Extension | C# scripts for custom functionality |
| Custom Nodes | Rule engine nodes are extensible |
| Open API | Permission-controlled Web API integration |
Technical Specifications
Studio System Requirements
| Item | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Operating System | Windows 10/11, Linux |
| Runtime | .NET 10.0 SDK |
| CPU | x64 architecture, 2 cores or more recommended |
| Memory | 2GB or more recommended |
| Storage | 4GB or more recommended |
GatewayRuntime Runtime
| Item | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Operating System | Windows 10/11, Windows Server 2016+, Linux |
| Runtime | .NET 10.0 Runtime or AOT standalone deployment |
| CPU | x64 architecture, 1 core is sufficient |
| Memory | Minimum 256MB, 512MB or more recommended |
| Storage | 2GB or more recommended |
Performance Indicators
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Supported Variables | 1,000,000+ |
| Acquisition Cycle | Minimum 10ms |
| Alarm Detection Latency | <10ms |
| Rule Execution Latency | <10ms |
Network Ports
| Component | Default Port | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | 5100 | Web management interface |
| GatewayRuntime | 6100 | Web management interface |
| Watchdog | 6200 | Web management interface |
Studio and Watchdog listen on 0.0.0.0 by default. For IP access, also verify the remote-management switches, firewall, and plain-HTTP permission described in the Quick Start.
Related Documentation
- Quick Start - Quick deployment and usage guide
- Studio Usage - Development environment usage guide
- Gateway Management - Gateway runtime management