Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the questions people ask most. For the deeper explanations, follow the links.
What is JasperNode?
Section titled “What is JasperNode?”JasperNode is an AI-assisted industrial automation runtime for Linux. It represents everything — I/O, control logic, configuration and system state — as tags in one live in-memory tree, configured through a browser-based IDE with a built-in AI agent. It polls field devices, runs your control logic, stores history, and exposes data to dashboards and cloud services. → Introduction · Why JasperNode
What problem does it solve?
Section titled “What problem does it solve?”It removes the silos of a traditional automation stack — a separate PLC program, HMI tags, historian, config files and protocol gateways, each with its own tooling and lock-in. JasperNode gives you one data model (the tag tree), one tool (the browser IDE) and one change workflow (test → sign-off → atomic deploy).
How is it different from a traditional PLC?
Section titled “How is it different from a traditional PLC?”A PLC keeps several separate worlds and runs a fixed cyclic scan with vendor ladder/ST/FBD. JasperNode collapses everything into one tag tree, runs event-driven logic in JavaScript that executes only when an input changes, uses software-defined connectors you add at runtime, and adds an AI agent plus a test-and-sign-off Deploy Gate. It runs on commodity Linux. The full comparison — including where a PLC is still ahead — is in JasperNode vs. a traditional PLC.
What hardware does it run on?
Section titled “What hardware does it run on?”A single runtime on standard Linux hardware — from a small ARM edge gateway, through an industrial PC, to a server. It is not tied to dedicated PLC hardware; you choose and maintain the host.
What devices and protocols can it connect to?
Section titled “What devices and protocols can it connect to?”Through connectors: fieldbuses such as Modbus (TCP/RTU), EtherCAT, Siemens S7 / LOGO!, generic Serial and 2D LiDAR scanners; and networks/clouds such as MQTT (including Sparkplug B), InfluxDB, a Modbus TCP slave server, a browser HMI server, and email notifications. New connector types can be added without changing the core runtime. → Connector catalog
What language do I write logic in?
Section titled “What language do I write logic in?”Logic is small async JavaScript functions attached to tags. A script declares the tags it reads
(triggers and extras) and computes a new value for its own tag only, running reactively when
a trigger changes. → Logic & the Logic Cycle
Is it real-time? Can I use it for safety functions?
Section titled “Is it real-time? Can I use it for safety functions?”The shipping Logic Cycle is event-driven and soft real-time — excellent for supervisory and reactive logic, but not hard real-time. A deterministic, time-driven High Performance Cycle is on the roadmap. JasperNode is not yet safety-certified and does not replace a safety PLC for SIL-rated functions today — keep fast, jitter-sensitive or safety-rated loops on a PLC or dedicated hardware.
What does the AI agent do — and is it safe to let it change my process?
Section titled “What does the AI agent do — and is it safe to let it change my process?”The agent can read the tree, write logic and configure connectors through chat. Any change that affects the running process passes through the Deploy Gate: depending on the node’s mode it is tested against synthetic or live values, its downstream effects are re-simulated, and a human signs off before it flips live atomically — with every transition written to an audit trail. → The AI agent & Deploy Gate
Where is my data stored, and is it locked in?
Section titled “Where is my data stored, and is it locked in?”Tags live in memory and persist to a local SQLite database on the device, with optional deeper per-tag history. Your data is one subscribable, exportable tree — readable over MQTT-style wildcard subscriptions — not locked inside a proprietary runtime. Optional cloud backup is available through JasperX. → Everything is a tag
Does it need the cloud or an internet connection?
Section titled “Does it need the cloud or an internet connection?”Control logic and connectors run locally on the device and keep running even if the link drops. The JasperX cloud provides the AI agent, secure remote browser access, software updates and backup, and sign-in (login is via JasperX, so the initial sign-in needs connectivity).
How do I get started?
Section titled “How do I get started?”Install the runtime on a Linux device, open the browser IDE, sign in via JasperX, and build your first tags, logic and a connector. → Getting started