Connector catalog
This is the reference list of connectors available to install. For how connectors are configured, enabled and how direction works, see Connectors. New connector types can be added without changing the core runtime, so this list grows over time.
Direction key: in = device/service → tag, out = tag → device/service (see Direction).
How a connector gets onto a node
Section titled “How a connector gets onto a node”The runtime ships without connectors — no OT or IT type is built in. Each one is a separately published, signed package that the node downloads from JasperNode’s connector catalogue and checks before it loads, which is what lets a connector be updated, or a new one added, without updating the node itself.
There are two ways to put one on a node, and they do the same thing:
- At install time — name them with
CNTR=and the node installs them as it starts:curl -sSL https://dl2.jasperx.io/jn/install.sh | JN_CHANNEL=beta CNTR=modbus,s7 sudo -E bash -(see Getting started). - Any time after — open the Connector Manager, pick the connector, and click Install. The card shows what the node can install, what needs a newer JasperNode, and what has no build for this node’s processor.
Adding a connector never needs a restart. Changing its version, rolling it back or removing it always does — the node flags that a restart is pending and applies every queued change in one go.
A node with no network to the catalogue is not stuck: the request is remembered, and the node installs the connector by itself once it can reach the catalogue again.
OT — fieldbus connectors
Section titled “OT — fieldbus connectors”These talk to physical buses and devices.
| Connector | Connects to | Directions | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modbus | Modbus devices over TCP, RTU (serial), or RTU-over-TCP gateways | in / out | Map coils and registers; group them into shared read/write requests for fussy devices |
| EtherCAT | An EtherCAT fieldbus (slaves, distributed I/O, drives) with cyclic PDO exchange | in / out | Linux hardware only — needs raw-socket access and low latency |
| Siemens S7 / LOGO! | Siemens S7-300/400/1200/1500 and LOGO! PLCs directly | in / out | Reads/writes PLC data areas |
| Serial | Raw serial ports / TTYs on the host | in / out | Generic async serial / RTU bus master |
| JasperMate IO | JasperNode’s JasperMate I/O hardware over its firmware protocol | in / out | Event-driven (push), not polled |
| LiDAR | 2D laser scanners — SICK (CoLa-B) and Leuze ROD (508) over TCP/UDP | in | Linux hardware only. Streams each sweep plus zone / sector / profile monitor results as tags |
IT — network, message-bus and cloud connectors
Section titled “IT — network, message-bus and cloud connectors”These run as network clients/servers and tolerate the link dropping with automatic reconnect.
| Connector | Connects to | Directions | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| MQTT | An MQTT broker — plain pub/sub or Sparkplug B | in / out | in subscribes topics → tags; out publishes tags → topics. Sparkplug B maps birth/data messages to tags |
| MQTT Broker | Runs an MQTT broker on this node for other clients to connect to | in | Accepts MQTT 3.1.1, 5.0 and WebSocket clients; mirror chosen topics into tags for scripting and logging |
| InfluxDB | An InfluxDB time-series database | out | Streams tag values out as time-series points |
| Modbus Server | Makes this node a Modbus TCP slave for external masters | in / out | External masters read/write registers mapped to your tags |
| HMI Server | Serves a browser operator panel (pages + components) over HTTP/WS | in / out | Local PIN auth; per-session exclusive control of writable widgets |
Any connector can also be set up by the AI agent, which writes the same configuration tags a form does.
System connectors
Section titled “System connectors”Built-in node services. You don’t add or remove these — they are the node’s own machinery, surfaced as connectors for consistency.
| Connector | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| IDE | Serves the browser IDE (HTTP + WebSocket), handles login and authentication |
| JX | The JasperX cloud bridge: the AI agent, telemetry, remote access, updates, cloud backup |
| Persist | Writes tags to the local SQLite database and restores them on boot |
| Tools | Auxiliary host tools — network scan (ARP), ping, traceroute |
| Logic Cycle | Runs your tag scripts (event-driven), with a per-script watchdog |
Choosing a connector
Section titled “Choosing a connector”- Reading/writing a Modbus device (VFD, power meter, remote I/O) → Modbus (TCP or RTU).
- A Siemens PLC → Siemens S7 / LOGO!.
- Distributed real-time I/O or servo drives on Linux → EtherCAT.
- A 2D safety/area laser scanner (SICK, Leuze ROD) on Linux → LiDAR.
- A legacy serial device → Serial (or Modbus in RTU mode for Modbus serial).
- Publishing data to an MQTT broker / IIoT platform → MQTT (use Sparkplug B for Sparkplug-aware platforms).
- Letting MQTT clients connect to a broker hosted on this node → MQTT Broker.
- Historising values to a time-series DB → InfluxDB.
- Letting an external SCADA/PLC read this node as Modbus → Modbus Server.
- A local operator screen → HMI Server.