Awesome List of Useful Node-RED Nodes

This is a list of nodes that you can add to the excellent Node-RED application. Node-RED is a flow-based application builder that minimises the need for coding. One or mode nodes is added using a Node.JS/npm module. Once installed, the nodes can be added to a flow using the Node-RED admin interface.

These nodes are ones that I either already use or think that I might find useful in the future or that I find awesome for some other reason. That’s not to say that you would find them useful or even usable, this is only my opinion not a professional recommendation.

See also my list of nodes to avoid!

Contents

• Awesome List of Useful Node-RED Nodes
  • Contents
    • General
    • Data Transformation
    • Data Extraction
    • User Interface Builders
    • Web APIs
  • Node Development and Testing
  • Corrections and Contributions
  • License

General

• node-red-contrib-moment - Produces formatted Date/Time output using the Moment.JS library. Timezone, dst and locale aware. Input can be in any date/time format recognised by Moment.JS. Use to reformat dates and/or times, change timezones and do simple date/time arithmetic.

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Data Transformation

• Change node (builtin) - Allows multiple properties of an incoming msg to be transformed. Includes the very powerful JSONata transform type
• node-red-contrib-string - Allows multiple string manipulations against a single msg property using StringJS.

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Data Extraction

• HTTP Request node (builtin) - Allows call to a remote http end point and returns the result. Adds the ExpressJS res and req properties to the resulting msg.
• node-red-contrib-nbrowser - Implements a headless browser using NightmareJS. Provides a number of methods for automation. For example, you could easily auto-fill a form.

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User Interface Builders

Node-RED provides an administrative and editing interface for authoring flows but has no end-user interface by default. These nodes add the capacity to easily build such an interface by creating web end-points.

• Dashboard - A built-in set of nodes for quickly and easily creating a user interface with 2-way communication between the users browser and the Node-RED server. Build around Angular v1. Very quick and easy to get going but the weight and complexity of Angluar and the limitations due to the interface to Node-RED limit the level of customisation you can achieve. Can only create a single end-point (url) but that end-point can be configured to multiple tabs.

• UIBuilder - A single node that can be used to create many end points (urls, 1 per node instance). Provides an easy way to integrate any front-end library that can be installed via npm (e.g. Vue, Riot, Moon, Tachyons, …). Provides a dedicated websockets channel for each end point with fallback to using long polling if websockets are not available (as in some secure enterprise environments). Comes with an example set of template files that work out of the box. JQuery and Normalize.css libraries are pre-configured.

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Web APIs

• node-red-contrib-telegrambot - Very easily build “bots” for interacting with people using the Telegram secure instant messaging service.

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IoT

There are a large number of Internet of Things (IoT) nodes as this was the starting point for Node-RED within IBM.

Google Home, Alexa, RFXtrx433E (and other 433MHz trancievers), serial, usb, OpenHAB, MQTT, Hue, Wemos

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Node Development and Testing

Nodes and other tools to help with the development and debugging of new nodes.

• node-red-contrib-jktesting - Test nodes for Node-RED for learning and experimenting, best practice, lots of hints and notes

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Corrections and Contributions

• Corrections are always gratefully received
• Please check for duplicates before suggesting a new contribution
• Either create a pull request or raise an issue
• Keep descriptions short, simple and unbiased

Thanks for your help and support.

License

MIT License

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