Question 1

Can I install any npm modules?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we install community nodes from the npm registry upon request. Security-critical modules are reviewed first.

Question 2

Is Node-RED Dashboard included?

Accepted Answer

Yes, node-red-dashboard is pre-installed. For production dashboards, we recommend Grafana from our stack.

Question 3

How do I access local hardware (PLC, Modbus) when Node-RED runs in the cloud?

Accepted Answer

This is a classic challenge. Since our cloud instances aren't physically next to your machine, we use site-to-site VPNs (e.g., WireGuard or IPsec). We tunnel the connection securely from the merkaio Cloud into your local network. For Node-RED, it then looks like the Siemens S7 or Modbus TCP slave is on the same network.

Question 4

Do you support MQTT broker integrations?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. Node-RED is 'born for MQTT'. We can connect your instance directly with our Managed Mosquitto Cluster or external brokers (AWS IoT, HiveMQ). We store certificates and credentials securely in environment variables, so they're not hardcoded in the flow.

Question 5

Can I expose HTTP/REST endpoints (Webhooks)?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Node-RED works excellently as an API gateway. You can use http in nodes to receive data from external services (e.g., The Things Network, Shopify, SAP). We secure these endpoints on request through our reverse proxy with API keys or Basic Auth.

Question 6

Do you support versioning (Git)?

Accepted Answer

Yes. For professional teams, we enable the 'Projects' feature in Node-RED. This lets you push your flows directly to a Git repository (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket). It enables versioning, rollbacks, and team collaboration without overwriting each other's changes.

Question 7

Do variables persist after a restart (Context Storage)?

Accepted Answer

By default, Node-RED stores variables only in RAM (volatile). In our managed instances, we configure file storage as the default for the context store. When we restart the container for an update, your counters and status variables are still there.

Question 8

How performant is Node-RED? (Single Thread Limit)

Accepted Answer

Node-RED is based on Node.js and is therefore single-threaded. It's extremely efficient for I/O tasks (moving data), but not for heavy computations (video encoding, cryptography). If you hit limits, we scale CPU resources or offload compute-intensive tasks to microservices (merkaio dev) that Node-RED just triggers.

Question 9

Can I securely manage 'Global Context' and secrets?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We strongly advise against storing passwords in nodes. We inject secrets (API keys, database passwords) as environment variables (ENV vars) into the container. You can access them in your Node-RED flow without them being visible in exports or the frontend.

Question 10

What happens with a faulty flow (infinite loop)?

Accepted Answer

If a flow runs amok, it can paralyze the instance. Our monitoring detects high CPU/RAM loads. In emergencies, we can start the instance in 'Safe Mode' (flows don't start automatically), so you can fix the error without the system immediately crashing again.

Question 11

When should I use Node-RED vs. 'real' code (Python/Go)?

Accepted Answer

We recommend Node-RED as 'digital glue': For moving data from A to B, converting formats (JSON/XML), or building quick logic. For complex business logic, large data analyses, or high-load applications, we recommend dedicated backend services (which we also host). The mix makes the difference.

Question 12

Can I migrate from a Raspberry Pi installation to you?

Accepted Answer

Yes, very easily. You export your flows.json (or use Git) and import them into our cloud instance. We help you convert local paths or hardware dependencies (like GPIO pins, which don't exist in the cloud) to network protocols.

Node-RED HostingFully Managed

What is Node-RED?

Why Self-Hosted Node-RED Often Fails

Stability

Security

Persistence

Managed Node-RED by merkaio.

Version Management

Palette Management

Automatic Backups

Multi-User Access

Typical workflows in the merkaio stack.

Sensor → Normalization → Database

Alerting Engine

ERP & API Connector

FAQ – Node-RED Hosting

Build and operate your Node-RED environment