We live in the internet era where everything is connected and generates data utilized for business after proper analysis. So, now the recent trend is making connected applications so that everyone can experience the world around them. In this context, IoT tools and platforms are the most useful component in an IoT ecosystem. While one IoT device gets connected to other IoT devices or applications, they pass on information using internet protocols. 

Today building an IoT application is an in-demand service for any custom software development company. However, making an application would take money, time, and skills. It is also challenging and time-consuming, so as a company, you should be well-prepared for the effort. Open-source tools for IoT application building turns very useful in this context.

What is the role of these IoT platforms or tools in this function? They fill the gap between data networks and device sensors. Additionally, they connect data to the device sensors to provide insights by using the back-end applications.

Related post – Top 10 IoT Cloud platforms for the Internet of Things

5 Open-source tools for building IoT applications

1. Arduino

This is an open-source platform that is electronics platform based and easy-to-use. It is one of the better-known platforms for building IoT applications from a software and hardware perspective. You can make everyday objects to a complex system with Arduino. It provides the development kit, with which users can code in the language of the tool, with an integrated development environment or IDE. Its cloud system currently is composed of an MQTT broker. Hence, developers can send messages from board to board. 

Why use Arduino?

· Simple and accessible user experience

· Easy-to-use for beginners, yet flexible enough for advanced users

· It runs on Mac, Windows, and Linux

· You can conduct low-cost scientific instruments of physics, chemistry as well complex robotics projects on it.

· Inexpensive compared to other microcontrollers

· The Arduino software IDE works cross-platform.

· It gives you a simpler and easy to use programming environment

· Open source and extensible

The most interesting part of making IoT applications using Arduino includes a method that can take pictures, a location tracking and upload them automatically to Tumblr.

Link – https://www.arduino.cc/

2. OpenRemote

OpenRemote is a new open-source tool for IoT and a middleware solution that focuses on home automation, healthcare, public spaces, commercial buildings, energy management, crowd management, etc. This is protocol-agnostic and works off-the-shelf hardware. It aims to leverage user-independent intelligent buildings that are fully autonomous. Its end-user control is compatible with Android, iOS, and web-browser based devices. Besides, OpenRemote’s cloud-based design tools can handle user interface design, configuration, and installation management remotely.

Why OpenRemote

. OpenRemote Protocol agents allow connecting different data sources, live sensors, and even controls. Whether generic HTTP, MQTT, or very specific protocols like KNX, protocols shouldn’t be in your way to create your business application.

. OpenRemote creates the perfect front-end application depending on the customer requirements. It provides easy to use web components and APIs if you have great UX staff that your developers can utilize.

.The OpenRemote rules engine allows for any automation, prediction, or optimization in your system. You can program it with Groovy, Javascript, and a JSON or Flow rules object model. Simultaneously, the Account Management and Identity service give you the means to decide who has access to which application or data source.

. Applications are designed in the “create once, use anywhere” model so that you can access it on desktops, and mobile apps for iOS and Android. Designing in HTML5 while adding web components and consoles as an extension to your web strategy.

. The development environment enables the team to host, manage, and extend the full solution professionally. Additionally, as you always have access to the source code, you can turn to any other software developer for help, preventing vendor lock-in.

. It provides a geographical overview of the assets in the project. 

. The asset page connects all your gateways, devices, and data sources. 

. With rules, you can let assets work together to create intelligence, manipulate data to create new information, and set conditions to trigger actions. The latter can be used to set up alerts or automatically control devices based on sensor values.

Link – https://openremote.io/

3. Riot

RIOT is an open-source microkernel operating system that works over IoT in the same way as Linux powers the web. This open-source tool for IoT focuses on sensors with minimal memory and processing, whereas it allows the full OS capability on small sensor devices. RIOT supports most low-power IoT devices and microcontroller architectures (32-bit, 16-bit, 8-bit). RIOT supports multiple chip architectures, including MSP430, Cortex-M0, ARM7, Cortex-M3, Cortex-M4, and others. Additionally, RIOT uses RPL mesh network protocols.

Riot is developer-friendly, resource-friendly, and IoT friendly.

Link – https://www.riot-os.org/

4. Kinoma

Kinoma is a full development suite for IoT tools developed by Marvell. It is a JavaScript runtime optimized for the applications that power IoT devices. Kinoma, a division of Marvell Semiconductor, is a software engineering group providing an open-source, cross-platform ECMAScript stack to develop software for the IoT and other embedded software devices.

Additionally, Kinoma provides Kinoma Create, a hardware prototyping platform aimed at the independent maker community. Kinoma Connect is a free iOS and Android app that links smartphones and stands with IoT devices. Kinoma Studio is a development environment uniting the Kinoma Platform Runtime and the Kinoma Create tool for designing internet-connected smart device apps. 

For more information – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinoma

5. Kaa

Kaa is hardware agnostic and aims to provide end-to-end connected devices support across a big cloud. Since it is hardware agnostic, it can interface with any hardware like sensors, devices, and gateways. With this multipurpose middleware, you can build IoT solutions, connected apps, and smart products of all sorts. One of its main benefits is that it’s easy to set up, offering a lot of features that could be plugged into the platform easily. It supports cross-device interoperability.

. It is compatible with tiny start-ups to great enterprises.

. Facilitates cross-device interoperability.

. Performs real-time device control, remote device provisioning, and structure.

. Create cloud services for smart products

. It consists of topic-based warning systems to provide end-users to deliver messages of any predefined format to subscribed endpoints.

. Perform real-time device monitoring

. Manage an infinite quantity of connected devices

. Collect and analyze sensor data

Final Verdict

We have mentioned few most common open-source tools for building IoT applications. However, no one is the silver bullet for the success of the IoT application. They are the building blocks and not a single solution. When we consider the limitations of implementing IoT applications, these open-source tools outweigh them in many ways. So, some of them may work successfully for one use case, whereas others may not.

Still, the open-source tools for IoT are a great starting point for a business. Furthermore, as the business grows, you could switch to commercial technologies for further improvement.