Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) is a publication— and subscription-based messaging protocol. This is the optimal solution for limited environments where network bandwidth is limited, for example, in IoT applications.
The MQTT server (broker) facilitates the exchange of messages between various devices, applications and systems that subscribe to a specific “topic“ on the MQTT network.
MQTT Server Operation
The work of the MQTT server revolves around the concepts of “publishers“, “subscribers“ and “topics“.
Publishers. Devices or systems that send messages to the MQTT server. They publish their data to a specific topic.
Subscribers. Devices or systems that have registered their interest in certain topics. They subscribe to these topics and receive all the messages that are published in them.
Themes. Channels for messages. Publishers send messages to topics, and subscribers receive messages from the topics they subscribe to.
Thus, the MQTT server acts as an intermediary and ensures that messages from publishers reach the appropriate subscribers.
The value of MQTT for IoT
In the field of IoT, devices need reliable communication with each other with minimal power consumption. MQTT servers contribute to this due to their certain properties.
Effectiveness. MQTT messages are small in size and require minimal network bandwidth.
Reliability. MQTT servers ensure message delivery even in unstable network conditions.
Safety. MQTT supports secure communication using TLS/SSL encryption.