Node-RED

A browser-based, low-code editor for wiring together devices, APIs and online services into event-driven flows, widely used for IoT and home automation.

23.8k stars, 4k forks JavaScript On GitHub since September 2013

Visit website View on GitHub How to run it

What is Node-RED?

Node-RED runs on Node.js and opens a flow editor in your browser, where you connect nodes for inputs, functions and outputs, such as an MQTT message, an HTTP request or a database write. Thousands of community nodes add hardware, protocols and services, and a function node lets you drop into JavaScript. It runs comfortably on small machines like a Raspberry Pi as well as on servers.

Good fit if

  • You connect sensors, devices and home-automation systems over MQTT, serial or HTTP.
  • You want quick visual prototypes of integrations and small APIs.
  • You need a mature project with a large community and a foundation behind it.

Look elsewhere if

  • You automate business SaaS apps and want polished ready-made integrations: n8n or Activepieces.
  • You need durable, auditable workflows for critical business processes: Temporal or Conductor.

Before you adopt it

Node-RED is Apache-2.0, an OpenJS Foundation project, with no paid parts in the repository. Pull requests are merged only after their author signs a contributor license agreement. It installs with npm or a Docker image; the repository itself has no compose file.

Drafted with AI from the project's README and repository data, then checked against that data on 30 October 2026. Report a correction

Node-RED health: is it still maintained?

83 of 100, actively developed

  • Activity
    137 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 26 October 2026.
    26 / 30
  • Contributors
    18 people wrote the latest 100 commits; the most active wrote 55% of them.
    17 / 20
  • Releases
    15 releases in the last 12 months; the latest, 5.0.9, on 21 October 2026.
    19 / 20
  • Replies to issues
    Maintainers answered 33% of recent issues, with a median first reply after 2 hours.
    15 / 20
  • Security practices
    OpenSSF Scorecard 6.3 of 10.
    6 / 10

Read from GitHub on 1 November 2026. How the score works

Node-RED license: is it open source?

Node-RED uses Apache-2.0, an open-source license approved by the OSI. Contributors sign a contributor license agreement, which lets the owner relicense their work later.

  1. September 2013First published on GitHub.
  2. TodayApache-2.0. A contributor license agreement is required.

How to run Node-RED yourself

Docker
No Docker files in the repository
Compose file
None in the repository
Setup effort
Not rated: no compose file to judge from
Kubernetes
No Helm chart in the repository
Desktop and mobile
No app builds in GitHub releases
Interface languages
English only

Install instructions: nodered.org or the README on GitHub.

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Questions about Node-RED

Is Node-RED open source?

Yes. Node-RED is published under Apache-2.0, an OSI-approved open-source license.

Is Node-RED still maintained?

Its health score is 83 of 100 (actively developed). It had 137 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 26 October 2026, and its latest release came out on 21 October 2026.

How do I run Node-RED?

The repository has no Docker files or app builds, so you build it from source. The README on GitHub has the steps.

What are the alternatives to Node-RED?

Close alternatives in the Workflow automation category include Kestra, Conductor, n8n.