Mosquitto

Overview

Eclipse Mosquitto is an open source (EPL/EDL licensed) message broker that implements the MQTT protocol versions 5.0, 3.1.1 and 3.1. Mosquitto is lightweight and is suitable for use on all devices from low power single board computers to full servers.

The MQTT protocol provides a lightweight method of carrying out messaging using a publish/subscribe model. This makes it suitable for Internet of Things messaging such as with low power sensors or mobile devices such as phones, embedded computers or microcontrollers.

The Mosquitto project also provides a C library for implementing MQTT clients, and the very popular mosquitto_pub and mosquitto_sub command line MQTT clients.

Key Features

  • Lightweight and Efficient:

Mosquitto is designed to be lightweight, requiring minimal system resources, which makes it suitable for running on small, constrained devices such as Raspberry Pi or other embedded systems.

  • MQTT Protocol Support:

Fully supports MQTT versions 3.1 and 3.1.1, enabling efficient publish/subscribe messaging. MQTT’s lightweight nature makes it perfect for IoT and M2M (Machine-to-Machine) communication.

  • Security:

Mosquitto includes built-in support for TLS/SSL, ensuring secure communication between clients and the broker. It also supports authentication through username and password, and integration with external authentication systems.

  • Cross-Platform Compatibility:

Available on various platforms, including Linux, Windows, macOS, and others, allowing for flexible deployment in different environments.

  • Extensive Client Library Support:

Mosquitto provides libraries for multiple programming languages, including C, Python, and Java, making it easy to integrate with a wide range of applications.

Use Cases

  • IoT Deployments:

Mosquitto is widely used in IoT applications where devices, such as sensors and actuators, need to communicate efficiently and reliably.

  • Home Automation:

Ideal for home automation projects where devices need to exchange messages quickly and reliably to maintain smooth operations.

  • Industrial Automation:

Suitable for industrial environments where machines and sensors communicate in real-time to monitor and control processes.

  • Education and Prototyping:

Frequently used in educational settings and prototyping due to its ease of setup and resource efficiency, allowing students and developers to quickly build and test MQTT-based systems.

Mosquitto Docs