Thin Edge - Your Shortcut to the Cloud

Connect your PHYTEC hardware securely, efficiently, and flexibly to the cloud of your choice. With the pre-integrated thin-edge.io framework, you transform our phyGATE-Tauri-L into a powerful IoT gateway that intelligently manages sensors and controllers in the field and translates data into various cloud formats without vendor lock-in. thin-edge.io Transform our framework phyGATE-Tauri-L, into a powerful IoT gateway that intelligently manages sensors and controllers in the field and can translate data into various cloud formats without vendor lock-in.

What is thin-edge.io?

thin-edge.io is an open-source framework designed specifically for resource-constrained edge devices. It acts as an intelligent intermediary between your local hardware and the cloud.

The Architecture for IoT Scaling:
The framework creates a logical separation between  Main Device (Gateway) and Child Devices (Sensors/Actuators).

  • The Gateway (Your phyGATE): This is where the intelligence resides. It manages the secure cloud connection, buffers data during internet outages, and can receive software updates.

  • The Child Devices: Here, thin-edge.io offers maximum flexibility:

    • Option A (Lightweight): Sensors only need to speak MQTT – no installation required.

    • Option B (Managed): More powerful child devices (e.g., Linux-based controllers) can run a lightweight version of thin-edge.io to enable software updates and monitoring at the child level as well.

The advantage of thin-edge.io:
Unlike monolithic IoT agents, thin-edge.io is modular and cloud-agnostic.You define the cloud target (Azure, AWS, Thingsboard) via configuration on the gateway – your child devices don't need to know anything about it and remain completely independent of the cloud provider. This makes your field devices future-proof.

Our Service: IoT Integration Without the Headache

With Ezpire, we have integrated thin-edge software into our ecosystem, offering you a ready-to-launch IoT construction kit in combination with our gateways:

  • Ready-to-Run Gateway Image: For the phyGATE-Tauri-L, we provide a finished image with thin-edge.io configured as a gateway. MQTT broker, cloud mapper, and device management are pre-installed.

  • Full Yocto Integration: You can seamlessly incorporate thin-edge.io into your own custom image for various PHYTEC modules (e.g., i.MX 8M Mini).

  • Practical Blueprints: Use our demo applications as a starting point. We show you how to connect external sensors and visualize their data in the cloud.

  • Documentation for a Quick Start: Our guides lead you simply and quickly from the initial connection to dashboard setup, so you don't have to dig through generic wikis.

  • Technical Consulting: Our experts are available to advise and support you in implementing your own projects with Thin Edge and PHYTEC hardware.
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Gateway vs. Child Device Architecture
The strength of thin-edge.io lies in its flexible peripheral connectivity:

  • Main Device (Gateway): The full stack (tedge-agent, tedge-mapper, mosquitto) runs on the Tauri-L. It handles certificate management and protocol translation to the cloud.

  • Child Devices (Sensors): No thin-edge software installation is required. Sending data via MQTT to the gateway is sufficient. The gateway automatically maps this data to virtual cloud devices.

  • Child Devices (Smart): For more complex child devices, thin-edge.io offers a lightweight agent version that enables software management and monitoring on the child device itself, while routing the cloud connection through the gateway.

Device Management Features
We leverage the modular architecture of thin-edge.ioto provide you with the following features:

  • Software Updates: Native support for installing Debian packages (apt) and Docker containers, triggerable from the cloud.

  • Configuration Management: Manage configuration files (e.g., tedge.toml or app configs) remotely via the digital twin in the cloud.

  • Log Files: Targeted retrieval of log files for error analysis without needing SSH access.

PHYTEC Exclusive: Open-Source Stack with Thingsboard
While thin-edge.io comes with standard mappers for Azure, AWS, and Cumulocity, we have bridged the gap for open-source users:

  • Thingsboard Mapper: We have developed and pre-installed our own custom mapper.

  • The use case: This allows you to realize a Complete on-premise IoT solution with no recurring cloud costs. From sensor to gateway to visualization on your own Thingsboard server – completely license-free and data privacy compliant.

The Ideal Platform for Your IoT Gateway

Our phyGATE®-Tauri Gateways are ready to use immediately and offer an ideal foundation for your IoT projects. With the pre-installed Edge.io client, you can effortlessly connect additional IoT devices to the Tauri, which then handles cloud communication as a gateway.

Thanks to its lightweight architecture, the thin-edge.io client client can be installed flexibly on almost any system. If you do not require a gateway, the thin-edge.io client is also available on our phyCORE®modules, such as the i.MX 8M Mini or the i.MX 6ULL, to disposal.

Contact us to tailored hardware recommendations optimally matched to your requirements.

Links & Resources / Getting Started

phyGATE Tauri-L Image
The finished, flashable image for your phyGATE Tauri-L. Includes thin-edge.io as a gateway, fully pre-configured and ready to use.
Thin Edge Demo GitHub Repository
The complete source code of our demo implementation, including configuration files, demo applications, and build scripts.
BSP Thin-Edge template (GitHub)
YoctoBSPTemplate and meta layer to integrate thin-edge.io into your own Yocto image.
PHYTEC Thin Edge documentation
Step-by-step instructions: From flashing the image and establishing the first cloud connection to customizing it for your application.
Thin-Edge Website
Official product page with all technical details, use cases and partner information.
Thin-Edge Documentation
Complete technical reference: Installation, configuration, child devices, software management, and cloud integration.
Thin-Edge GitHub
The official repository with source code, community contributions and release notes.