Raspberry Pi IoT Server Tutorial: InfluxDB, MQTT, Grafana, Node-RED & Docker

Step-by-Step Tutorial: Setting Up a Raspberry Pi IoT Server with InfluxDB, MQTT, Grafana, Node-RED & Docker

Prerequisites:

1. Raspberry Pi with a fresh install of headless Raspbian OS.
2. Static IP address for your Raspberry Pi.
3. Basic knowledge of using the terminal on Raspberry Pi.

Steps:

1. Update and Install Necessary Packages:

   • Run sudo apt update and sudo apt upgrade to update the system.
   • Use the following curl command to install Docker, Docker Compose, and other necessary packages:

     curl -sSL https://get.docker.com | sh
     

   • Follow the prompts to install the required packages. This process may take some time.

2. Setting Up Docker Containers:

   • Access the IoT stack folder on your Raspberry Pi.
   • Run the menu script with ./menu.sh.
   • Select "Build Stack" to choose the applications you want to install (Grafana, InfluxDB, Mosquito, Node-RED, and Portainer).
   • Navigate using the arrow keys and spacebar to select the applications.
   • Once selected, return to the menu and confirm your choices.

3. Start Docker Containers:

   • In the menu, navigate to the Docker commands section and select "Start Stack" to launch all the containers.
   • Wait for the images to be downloaded and for the applications to start running.
   • Verify the containers are running by using docker-compose ps.

4. Accessing Portainer:

   • Open a web browser and enter the IP address of your Raspberry Pi followed by port 9000 (e.g., http://<ip_address>:9000).
   • Explore Portainer to manage and interact with the Docker containers.

5. Creating InfluxDB Database:

   • Create an InfluxDB database to store sensor data by running the following command:

     docker exec -it influxdb influx
     

   • Inside the InfluxDB container, create a database using:

     create database <database_name>
     

   • Exit the container.

6. Configuring Node-RED:

   • Access Node-RED via a web browser by entering the IP address of your Pi and port 1880.
   • Build a workflow by configuring inputs (MQTT), processing data, and configuring outputs (InfluxDB).

7. Setting Up Grafana Dashboard:

   • Open Grafana in a web browser by entering the IP address of your Pi.
   • Add a data source by selecting InfluxDB and entering the necessary details.
   • Create a dashboard to visualize the sensor data by adding panels and configuring data sources.

8. Visualizing Data:

   • Customize the dashboard by selecting measurement sources, variables to plot, and adjusting plot settings.
   • Save the dashboard configuration and explore different visualization options in Grafana.

9. Finalizing and Testing:

   • Save all configurations and settings in Grafana and Node-RED.
   • Test the setup by checking for data entries in the InfluxDB database and verifying data visualization in Grafana.

10. Wrap Up:

    • Save your progress, close any open windows, and ensure all configurations are saved.
    • You now have a fully functional Raspberry Pi IoT server for collecting, storing, and visualizing sensor data.

Congratulations! You have successfully set up a Raspberry Pi IoT server with InfluxDB, MQTT, Grafana, Node-RED, and Docker to monitor and visualize sensor data.