FlowFuse

FlowFuse is a low-code industrial application platform built on Node-RED that helps teams connect devices, move and model data, and operate applications at scale. It combines visual flow-based programming with an LLM-powered copilot and tools for remote deployment, collaboration, and governance.

Key Features

• Node-RED native: uses Node-RED as the core visual low-code environment for wiring hardware, APIs, and protocols into flows
• LLM-powered copilot (FlowFuse Expert): generates and refines flows, transformations, dashboards and queries using Model Context Protocol (MCP)
• Collaborative development: multi-developer editing, versioning and AI-assisted code generation for team workflows
• Remote deployment & edge management: create standardized snapshots and deploy/manage Node-RED instances and edge agents across sites
• AI-assisted data transformation: generate SQL, JavaScript, and mapping logic from natural language to normalize and model operational data
• Interactive dashboards: build real-time KPIs and visualizations with AI-generated UI components
• CI/CD and DevOps integration: pipelines and environment promotion support for development, test, and production workflows
• Enterprise security & governance: role-based access controls, audit trails, monitoring and centralized management for industrial deployments

Use Cases

• Industrial IoT integration: unify data from PLCs, sensors and machines and normalize across sites for centralized analytics
• Rapid app and dashboard creation: let OT and IT teams co-create transformations, dashboards and automations using natural language prompts
• Fleet-wide deployments: standardize Node-RED snapshots and push updates to remote edge devices across multiple facilities

Limitations and Considerations

• Some advanced capabilities (hosted FlowFuse Cloud, enterprise-grade features and professional support) are offered commercially and may require licensing
• Running at industrial scale requires appropriate edge agents, orchestration and infrastructure; resource needs and operational complexity can increase with fleet size
• The platform builds on Node-RED; complex flows or bespoke integrations may still require experienced developers and operational testing

FlowFuse is suited for organizations that need to bridge IT and OT with a low-code, AI-accelerated workflow platform. It emphasizes rapid prototyping, centralized deployment, and governance for industrial-scale automation and monitoring.