Node-RED

About

From the Node-RED website:

Node-RED is a programming tool for wiring together hardware devices, APIs and online services in new and interesting ways.
It provides a browser-based editor that makes it easy to wire together flows using the wide range of nodes in the palette that can be deployed to its runtime in a single-click.

Node-RED is an Open Source project originally developed by IBM to provide a simple, visual, low code development tool for wiring together hardware devices, APIs and other online services.

Servicely promotes Node-RED as a simple alternative for more complex middleware systems (Microsoft Biztalk, Mulesoft Anypoint, Oracle Fusion, etc.) for clients that have simple requirements for integrating Servicely with on-premise or behind-the-firewall applications.

What is it used for

A Node-RED (or any other Middleware product) is useful in a number of situations. For example where:

connectivity between Servicely and a target system is limited
- For example:
  - Querying Active Directory account status for an on-premise active directory system
  - Populating Servicely Account information from an on-premise LDAP Directory
credentials for executing actions belong outside of Servicely
- For example:
  - Adding users to an Active Directory group without Servicely requiring an authorized account
integrating applications use methods not natively supported by Servicely
- For example:
  - Loading User or other information from a file drop
  - Loading information from on-premise databases
  - Integrating with in-house Message-queuing systems

In these situations, Node-RED can easily be configured to securely perform these actions without Servicely requiring direct (inbound) connectivity or credentials.

Installation

The Node-RED getting started page should provide enough information for any system.

Additionally, you should follow the recommendations on the https://nodered.org/docs/user-guide/runtime/securing-node-red page to ensure the installation is secure, including HTTPS encryption and enforced authentication.

Installing Servicely Nodes

The official documentation for adding Nodes to the Node-RED palette is here. This is a simple process as demonstrated below:

Manage palette

Install Servicely package

Servicely nodes are available

Nodes

Queue

Queue nodes connect a Node-RED flow to a Servicely instances AsynchronousQueue events. These events can be triggered by end users executing ‘Smart actions’, initiated by triggers, or triggered by Scheduled Imports/Jobs.

Success

Response to messages initiated from the Queue Node, and marks the event as having succeeded. The corresponding Queue event in Servicely will be marked as being completed and successful.

Failure

Responds to messages initiated from the Queue Node, and marks the event as having failed. The corresponding Queue event in Servicley will be marked as competed, but having failed.

Connector

A Connector node is used to configure the Servicely Instance subsequent nodes are to use if not otherwise configured. The REST, Import and Transform Nodes are examples of nodes that can use the instance configured by this node.

Note that this node is typically not required if a Queue node was used to initiate a flow, as the Queue node also sets this connection information. This node is typically used from client initiated flows (e.g. responding to an event on the client side, not a Servicely AsynchronousQueue event).

REST

Provides a simple mechanism to interact with the Servicely REST API to query or update records.

Import

Provides the ability to load data into a Servicely ImportTable. Import tables are staging tables that allow ETL type activities to be performed on data extracted from other systems.

Usually used in conjunction with the Transform Node.

Transform

Provides the ability to apply an Import Transform to previously imported data (using the Import Node). Always used in conjuction with the import node.

Servicely Documentation